The Famous 6 in 8

Six notes, less than eight minutes to read.

(All photos generously provided by Noel Browne)

 

1.  What a Monday night! That really was a special evening at the RSC. There can’t have been too many people across the whole world who enjoyed their Monday night as much as we did. 

By all accounts, the noise, colour and atmosphere showed up very well on Virgin Media Two. Fewer than twenty Blues games have ever been shown live on national television from the RSC so it’s still a novelty and we can take pride in how it showed up last night. Aerial shots from drones are a nice new addition and the RSC looks particularly well in those overhead shots. But those who were watching on TV will mainly be envious of those who could be there and experience a fantastic night in the flesh.

 

2.  The one thing fans demand from their team in a derby match is passion. They want to see that it means as much to the players as it does to them. No tackles avoided, no lack of effort. Put your body on the line and fight for the jersey. Fans will have questions about the heart of their team until they see them really turn up in a game like this. There are no locals in the team and they usually exemplify the desire needed to win a derby match. There are a lot of new players to the club – many new to the league. Would they understand how this match is different to others?

If they had any doubts that this was special, they surely knew better by the time they came off the pitch after their warm-up to be greeted by chants and roars more often seen at the final whistle than fifteen minutes before a ball had been kicked.  While Waterford were second best in the opening half, I didn’t see it as lack of effort – more a lack of sharpness. The second half, though, was full of passion and courage.

One moment that stood out was Navajo Bakboord winning a huge header near the end of the game. It was one he had to win or else a dangerous counter was on for Cork. He jumped into it knowing that he was going to be smashed by Ruairi Keating who was competing with him. The full back took the hit while sending a thumping header forward and the two stands roared. Cult hero stuff and perfect for a derby.

 

 

3.  Timing was on Waterford’s side last night. It was a shock to fall behind so early, but Keith Long still had 82 minutes to put things right and overcome the deficit. The half time break was welcome as, while not quite hanging on, there was a real fear that the Blues could be two goals behind. 

The manager certainly seemed to gather the troops at the interval and they came out firing. Within ninety seconds, it was all square as Pádraig Amond finished crisply after great work from Tommy Lonergan and Rowan McDonald. Then there was the red card – Cork reduced to ten men with almost half an hour still remaining.

Plenty of time then for Waterford to put the visitors under intense pressure and eventually unlock them despite heroic goalkeeping from NAC Breda loanee Tein Troost. When the winning goal finally came from Kyle White, timing was on our side again. Just two minutes remained by the time Cork took the centre and even the additional four minutes weren’t enough for them to create any real threat of a late, late equaliser. 

 

4.  Balance is key. The Alan Hansen-ism “you’ll win nothing with kids” is regularly used to dispute its own argument given how wrong the BBC pundit was, but that Manchester United ‘Class of 92’ was surrounded by the vast experience of Schmeichel, Bruce, Pallister, Irwin, Cantona and more. The real truth is probably that you’ll win nothing with ONLY kids. That’s why having Andy Boyle and Podge Amond down the spine of the team is so crucial to an otherwise very young Waterford team. 

Of course, the opposite can also be true. Derry City had nine starters and two of their substitutes on Friday aged 29 or older. They are all good players individually, but the energy of the Blues did appear to show up the potential limitations of some of the 33 and 34-year-olds.

Boyle and Amond give Waterford a lovely balance that will be so important in such a tight and competitive division. The Blues have already won three one-goal games this season and the two veterans have been at their best showing leadership in the final minutes of each.

 

 

5.  The atmosphere was unbelievable last night from the buzz of early arrivals at 6pm through the singing during warm-ups and for all ninety-plus minutes of the match. Having a large contingent of away fans is a big factor and why there is such a difference between the Premier and First Divisions. The Block E Boys were fantastic all night and that electricity carried throughout the ground. An unforgettable Monday night.

 

6.  My final point is just the league table. Four games in and Waterford are top, the only team to have won three games. Drogheda second, Shamrock Rovers bottom. It might not finish like that in November, but we’ll enjoy it for now.