The boisterous Shelbourne fans were bang on the money when they sang about their team being ‘the only show in town’.
All week here in Waterford, the hype was building and expectations soaring that the First Division high flyers might be able to pull off another upset.
The Blues had sent St Pat’s and Dundalk packing in previous rounds but the hat-trick of shocks was never on the cards here after a flat display.
Shels controlled the game with ease and comfortably booked their ticket to the FAI Cup final against Derry City with a professional performance on an utterly manky day.
Those dire weather conditions meant this was far from a classic. In fact, it was anything but yet Gavin Molloy’s 15th minute winner was exquisite and a ray of sunshine through the gloom.
Grandson of the legendary Theo Dunne, he finished first time and the goal sucked the life out of an expectant home crowd that had packed out most of the ground an hour before kick-off.
Shels boss Damien Duff said: “Gavin's left foot is one of the best you’ll see. He’s still a kid, only 20. A freak of nature.
“But we nullified them. I told the guys over the last week or so that the Premier Division is a different animal to what (Waterford) are used to every week.
“No disrespect there but it is. Even the performances they faced against St Pats and Dundalk, I knew we’d be a different beast.
“That togetherness and spirit got us over the line. Defensively, we felt pretty sound against a dangerous team.
“At the end of the day, it was about the lads biting down on the gum shield and getting the job done.
“I said before the game it wasn’t time to have nerves or be scared, but to embrace it and they did.”
Waterford huffed and puffed in attack but couldn’t deliver - yet Shels had no such problems and led after 15 minutes.
Matty Smith - who will miss the final as he is on loan from Derry City - was afforded far too much time on the ball in the middle of the pitch.
And he cooly picked out Molloy with a slipped ball in behind the Waterford defence which the makeshift left wing-back dispatched with aplomb.
It was a superbly executed goal and Shels should have pulled further clear but couldn’t capitalise on Waterford's hesitancy at the back.
Duff said: “With the ball we were poor today but we could have been two or three up in that 10 minute spell in the first half.
“Outside of that, with the ball we were atrocious. But the way they worked for each other that’s what got us over the line.”
Goalkeeper Paul Martin bailed the Blues out of bother when he denied Sean Boyd with his legs and skipper Luke Byrne, from a corner, then crashed a header off the post
Phoenix Patterson was Waterford’s best attacking outlet, but at times it felt like he was doing it all on his own and therein was the problem.
He drilled a free-kick at Brendan Clarke late in the first half and then fired over the crossbar early in the second-half after a breakaway, but Waterford packed no punch.
Shels were in control throughout and Mark Coyle brought the best out of Martin when the goalkeeper made a flying save to keep out a long-range shot.
Waterford boss Danny Searle said: “Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and give credit to the opposition.
“I thought they were very well organised, and they did a great job of nullifying us from an attacking perspective.
“Credit to them because not many teams have succeeded in doing that this season. I don't think we ever really looked like scoring a goal and that's a huge disappointment.”
But Duff had the final word as he sized up the prospect of an Aviva Stadium showdown against the Candystripes on November 13:
“We know what's at stake,” he said. “They’ll be hot favourites and we won't be, but in a way we’ve won already as we're not supposed to be in a Cup final.
“But we’ll change that mindset as we're in the final to win it.”
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