Return of the Rumour Mill

The boys are back in town as the Waterford FC first team began preseason training at SETU Arena today and met the new management team for the first time. Jon Daly not only got to see the squad in the flesh at last, but put them through a rigorous fitness session. The Blues mean business this season.

Fitness was a major flaw last season and one Daly is clearly keen to address so the team are back – just 33 days after the playoff final in Tolka Park and still 58 until the start of the 2026 season on the 6th of February. Seemingly, the squad were asked if they were willing to come back this early and they agreed enthusiastically. The days of putting on two stone in the offseason and running it off on the Tramore sand dunes are long gone. 

Last night’s announcement of Hayden Cann’s signing was further reinforcement of Daly’s plan for the new season. A 6’2” centre back, Cann will add physicality to the backline. Still only 22, the English defender has already made over fifty Premier Division appearances in two-and-a-half seasons in the League of Ireland. He started out with Lincoln City and was loaned to Drogheda United for the 2023 season. Daly brought him back to Ireland in the summer of 2024 to play with an already-doomed Dundalk and Tiernan Lynch signed him for Derry City where he made 25 league appearances last season. Derry fans were generally surprised when Cann was released on November the 13th after an impressive season there. Young and hungry, but with experience of the league here, and powerfully-built, Cann fits the profile of player Waterford are seeking perfectly.

 

Goalkeeper Arlo Doherty spent 2025 with Derry City

Another of Derry City’s players seen in Waterford today was goalkeeper Arlo Doherty. The former Ireland Under-19 international was signed as a high-quality back-up to Brian Maher at the Brandywell last season, but was unfortunate not to make a single appearance – such is the life of a goalkeeper. Maher’s form and fitness, along with Derry’s early exit from the cup, prevented the 22-year-old shot-stopper from entering the fray at any point. He does, however, have good pedigree having come through the academies of Manchester City and Leicester City and was the Under-21s keeper at the latter. Whether Doherty, who was born in England but has grandparents from Limerick and Donegal, is signed or on trial will become clear soon.

The 6’2” goalkeeper joins Jason Healy for preseason, but Waterford will still sign another goalkeeper and that may well see Stephen McMullan returning for another year on loan from Fleetwood. When Waterford posted the Retained List on the 21st of November, it stated that McMullan and Conan Noonan “have returned to their parent clubs Fleetwood Town and Shamrock Rovers respectively following completion of their loan agreements.” Noonan has since committed to the Blues for 2026 and McMullan may yet return too.

Another one to watch for from Fleetwood is centre back Will Johnson. My understanding is there is a possibility of the 20-year-old coming to Waterford on loan. Johnson made his League Two debut in April and added two league appearances and one in the EFL Cup for the Cods in August as he began to establish himself in Pete Wild’s squad. However, as luck would have it, his progress was then interrupted by a stress fracture to his shin and he has been out ever since. Wild said last week that “Will has come out of the boot. He’s likely mid-January.” That injury will have been a setback to his plans this season, but it appears it may work out in Waterford’s favour as a loan move here has been considered for a player who has had previous loan spells at Marine and Gateshead. We’ll have to await the timeline of his recovery and news from Fleetwood’s January transfer window before anything is decided, but watch out for the name of the highly-regarded prospect.

 

Fleetwood Town defender Will Johnson is a possible addition on loan

One defender who Jon Daly targeted, but won’t be signing is Mark Connolly. Yet another who has been released by Derry City, the Monaghan-man, who turns 34 next week, was given a very lucrative offer by Waterford, but has chosen to stay in northern parts with a move to Coleraine. He will link up with his former Derry boss Ruaidhri Higgins at the big-spending Bannsiders as well as ex-Blue Rowan McDonald. His aggression and experience appealed to Daly and the new Waterford manager was backed by the owners with a big contract offer, but Connolly has, ultimately, chosen to stay closer to home.

The destination of First Division Player of the Year Barry Coffey is still uncertain, although he did confirm this week that he will be moving on from Cobh Ramblers. My most recent information was that the Tipperaryman is headed to Waterford so we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t believe that Kyle White will return to the Blues. He was offered a contract last month, but I gather he will be looking for another club after eighteen months in Waterford. I also expect to see one or two other departures before the season begins. Some who were previously signed on contracts through 2026 may seek alternate options if they are not foremost in Jon Daly’s plans.

Of course, Waterford’s biggest signing of the season is the retention of club captain Pádraig Amond. The Premier Division’s top marksman in both of his seasons at the RSC is fully committed for 2026 and returned to training today. This was always going to be the most important move of the winter and it is music to the ears of fans, players and management alike. The Carlowman, who will be 38 in April, is still one of the very best players in the league and, naturally, attracted attention from every other club. Both Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers expressed serious interest in snatching the striker away from Waterford, and there was a degree of uncertainty over his future for a while, but the skipper is 100% back in Kilbarry for the new season. 

Amond signed a two-year deal for Keith Long’s Blues ahead of the 2024 season with a one-year extension option available to the club in November. With Premier Division football secured, it was inevitable that Waterford would jump at the chance to bring him back for another year. What’s also heartening is to hear that ‘Podge’, as one of the most popular and respected figures in the league, is also encouraging other players to join him at the RSC next season which is a major help in the transfer market. And, as he wrote in his column in this week’s Waterford News and Star, “We are all looking forward to getting back up and running and doing everything we can do to make sure next year is a better year for the football club.” It’s shaping up to be a good season for Blues fans.

The squad to date (10/12/25) is as follows -
Goalkeepers: Jason Healy. 
Defenders: Finlay Armstrong, Hayden Cann, Benny Couto, Adam Coyne, Jesse Dempsey, Seán Keane, Ronan Mansfield.
Midfielders: Sam Glenfield, Luke Heeney, Dean McMenamy, Muhammad Oladiti.
Attackers: Pádraig Amond, Trae Coyle, Tommy Lonergan, Josh Miles, Conan Noonan, Matty Smith.