The Famous Six in Eight

1.  Such was the positivity from fans coming out of the RSC last night that it felt more like a win for Waterford than a draw. The Blues had their backsides handed to them for the first twenty-five minutes, but dug in, grew into the game and, in the end, went very close to getting all three points. The home side, with an entirely new back six, were overwhelmed by Shelbourne in the early stages and the visitors showed the fluency of a team who have won the league and played regularly in Europe together. The priority was not to go two-nil down before half-time so that they had a chance to regroup. 

Waterford showed fight that was often missing last year. In my opinion, it’s a fallacy that there’s a lack of experience in this team. Even apart from the obvious veterans Mahon, Heeney and young Amond, the junior members all have time in the league on their CVs. The biggest jump in experience is from Year One to Year Two – everything else is gradual after that. Noonan, Lonergan, Carty, McLaughlin, Cann and Glenfield all have plenty of games under their belt and that showed with a gritty, mature comeback in the second half.

 

2.  What might have been? One-nil down to Bray Wanderers after just eight minutes last November, Waterford were staring disaster, and relegation, in the face. Were it not for that comeback (a win that was more conclusive than the 2-1 scoreline might suggest), the outlook for 2026 would have been completely, utterly different. The First Division kicks off next week with Bray hosting Longford Town. That could have been the Blues and with an incomparable squad, budget and gate. We could have been planning trips to Ballybofey and Belfield. Instead, it was probably appropriate after the turnaround in Tolka Park that it was the Drumcondra dwellers who came to town for a truly big-match atmosphere with an attendance of 3,232 and all the buzz and hype that comes with it. The Premier Division is the only show in town and we can all be glad Waterford are still part of it.

 

Tempers flared in injury time (Ken Sutton)

3.  The Blues have had a ‘nice’ team for several years now. Some lovely football and goals galore, but you always knew that ‘nice’ translated to ‘soft’ in the dressing-rooms of opponents. We were bullied far too often and cracked under pressure on many of the big occasions. Coming directly from Galway United, I’m certain that Jon Daly felt that and was determined to change that perception. There was a toughness in last night’s performance that will hearten fans. John Mahon, for one, will not be bullied. When Sam Glenfield (full of bite himself) clattered into Will Jarvis in injury time, Seán Boyd went running in to lash out at the Northern Ireland Under-21 international and influence the referee’s thinking on a tackle that was merely mistimed. Mahon saw it straightaway and flew into Boyd to remove him from the scene. That’s what you want to see from a teammate. Glenfield, Mahon and Boyd all received yellow cards in the aftermath. Mahon’s was a good one. 

 

4.  There’s no disguising that the first quarter or more of the game was a frightening experience for Waterford. There was no cohesion, exposed on the wings, outnumbered in midfield and the only positive was that Shelbourne’s dominance hadn’t delivered more than one goal. Even later in the game, the number of times Shels found acres of space in wide areas (particularly Kelly and Ledwidge) is a concern that Daly and staff will need to address. However, the manager earned his crust with a brave triple substitution eight minutes into the second half that brought immediate dividends and changed the game. That’s no slight on the trio who departed – it was just the right tweak to make and at the right time rather than hesitating and letting the game slip away. Impressive decisiveness from the new boss. 

 

The atmosphere was electric at the RSC (Paul O'Brien)

5.  Conan Noonan nailed it in his post-match interview – “we would have lost that game last year”. I’ve written about the toughness and resilience above, but the team’s physical fitness is another reason to be very optimistic. The Blues were the better team in the second half and their improved conditioning, having trained since the 10th of December, was patently evident. I won’t rehash the stats on how many goals were conceded in the final fifteen minutes of matches last year, how many points squandered and how visible it was when Waterford wilted. Instead, last night, the pressing increased in the second half, the work-rate was immense and nobody was being shrugged aside like men against boys while each of Amond, Noonan and Lonergan went close to scoring a late winner. This squad have worked hard in the gym and on the pitch for two months and it’s already paying off.

 

6.  The RSC grounds staff might deserve some alternate Man of the Match award for providing a very playable surface against all odds and allowing for a really entertaining game of passing football. Irish people love to talk about the weather and it was on every fan’s lips this week whether or not the match would go ahead. The new drainage system at the RSC is, by all accounts, excellent, but it has rained heavily for almost a month and there is only so much water any pitch can take. Credit where it’s due – it was 100% the correct call to move last week’s friendly away from the RSC and it was undoubtedly right for the match to get the green light yesterday too. In the end, there wasn’t even the need for a formal inspection which is testament to the facility we have and the staff who work on it. Over the years, the Blues might have seemed to have 99 problems, but the pitch ain’t one. 

 

Main image: Smoke on the water (Pat Kiely)