Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny praised his "resolute" players after a 2-0 win over Waterford on Monday night at Oriel Park.
The Premier Division fixture, which was brought forward due to European commitments in July, saw the home side dominate the first period over what looked a leggy Blues outfit, only for Alan Reynolds' men to turn the tables in the second period.
By that stage Robbie Benson had put Dundalk in front, and while Sander Puri hit the post and Rory Feely was denied what looked a strong penalty claim, Marco Tagbajumi sealed the win in injury-time.
Kenny told RTÉ Sport: "We played very well in first half. Our midfield players were quite dominant. To be fair to the Waterford goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux, he was absolutely terrific on the night.
"He just pulled off some really outstanding saves. They defended set plays exceptionally well.
"We just couldn’t get that goal. Robbie Benson then pulled out a moment of a magic really. It was a great run down the right by Chris Shields initially, a decent cross by Michael Duffy, but it’s just a great finish by Robbie to find the top corner.
"That was such an important moment in the match.
"The second half, to Waterford’s credit, they really came into it. They played well and we were a bit wasteful in possession on the counter attack. We had several chances on the counter and didn’t take the right option sometimes.
"The game is always in the balance at 1-0. They hit the post which was also a good save from Gary Rogers.
"We were glad to get the second goal to just kill the game. It’s a very important win for us."
The much-maligned cramped calendar was influential on the game as both teams battled weariness and some depletion to their squads.
The Lilywhites have seen Stephen O’Donnell, John Mountney, Sean Gannon and Karolis Chvedukas succumb to various injuries in the last two weeks, but sealed a fourth win in succession as they held out the visitors.
Waterford, meanwhile, have struggled with results, with Stanley Aborah missing last night due to suspension, Courtney Duffus unavailable because of the 4G surface and the experienced Paul Keegan was injured during the game.
Kenny said his side have coped with the mental side of losing important players.
"On Friday it’s our 12th game in 42 days. When you put it into context, the players are tired tonight but they dug in and were resolute.
"They showed what they are about and thankfully we got a narrow victory tonight."
Reynolds felts the penalty call could have been different as Feely went down following a challenge by goalkeeper Gary Rogers.
"I thought it was a tight call for the penalty [claim] and then we hit the post and they go down the other end and score to finish it off. I thought second half we were really good and deserved something from it on the back of that.
"In regards the players missing tonight, it’s a tough blow. You’re looking at the number of games – this Friday is seven games in 21 days – so it’s tough on the players, tough on their bodies.
"We’re losing a player nearly every game. But we just have to go with it. Those players are a massive loss to my team.
"I just said ‘have a go, we have nothing to lose here’ for the second half.
"We didn’t play first half so take the shackles off and express yourself and I thought we did that.
"For me it looked like it was a penalty. I’m not going to have a go at the referee, he was closer than me, and I’d need to see it on the video. It was a tight call."
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