Premier Division football makes a welcome return to an essentially sold-out RSC this evening as Waterford FC take on Shelbourne in their opening game of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division campaign.
It doesn’t seem all that long ago since Keith Long’s side were celebrating that famous night in Tallaght having turned over arch rivals Cork City to reach the promised land - but ever since the day that followed, Long and his staff have worked meticulously in the background to prepare the squad for the step up in class.
Facing a formidable opponent that will represent Ireland in Europe this season, Long knows that a stiff task awaits his players this evening, but he feels his group are more than capable of surmounting every challenge that comes their way in 2024.
“We’re looking forward to it”, Long told WLR Sport.
“It's going to be a great occasion for the club tonight, but we don't want to be part of an occasion without a performance and we want to put in a really good display against a good, strong Shelbourne side that have strengthened in the winter”, he emphasised.
“For me, they are probably the side, in terms of this league, probably the most well-coached, well-prepared side. They know their jobs inside-out, so we know the task ahead of us because they're a good side, they've been around a long time together, yes they've brought in some new faces but they have a style of playing, they have a way of playing, they have an identity and that's something that we'll try and achieve over the next coming weeks and months.”
Ben McCormack, Kacper Radkowski, Padraig Amond and Darragh Leahy are just some of the new faces who have arrived on Suirside in the close season, but their manager is trusting them to immediately slot in and provide a wealth of invaluable experience.
“We’ve got a relatively new squad, when you consider the amount of players that we've brought in and so on. It’s going to be a good night for the club, sold-out capacity crowd but we want to make sure that we're not bystanders. We want to make sure that we put in a good display, perform well and I think if we can do that, we give ourselves a chance and we can ask no more from the players.”
“I want them to embrace the game”, Long reiterated. “We’re going to attack the game, coming up against a good side, well-coached side and that's the challenge.
Having just been promoted, the primary objective is simply remaining in the division, and despite the wealth of talent at their disposal, Waterford FC will not be getting ahead of themselves. A win on the opening night would do far more good than harm to that ambition.
“That will be the ambition, that will be the aim, that's something that we want (to get after. Every team, every manager wants to pick up a positive result on the opening night of the season and we're no different. So, we've got lots of new faces coming into the team, some familiar faces from around the league so they know what it takes to win games and play in games and be competitive in games.”
“It’s a great challenge for us, we're really looking forward to it and we can't wait to get going because the pre-season gives you an indication, it gives you a benchmark, it gives you an understanding of where you are but not until you face the white-hot atmosphere of the games. I expect the game to be played at a high tempo with lots of intensity, lots of energy, maybe some mistakes along the way and we've got to win our duels, win our battles, first and foremost, take care of the basics of the game and test ourselves against good level of opposition.”
There is no doubts in Keith Long’s mind that Premier Division football is exactly where Waterford FC deserve to be, and hope to remain for the foreseeable future.
“There’s no doubt that we feel that the club is geared towards Premier Division football and that's where we want to be. We want to remain a Premier Division club, we want to be a stable Premier Division club”, said Long.
“The less turnover of playing staff that you've got at the end of every season, the more stable you can become as a football club. Things don't just happen for a reason, the teams that are successful are the most stable teams. The clubs that are successful are the most stable clubs and if you look at the higher end of the table, the team that wins the league, most years are the most stable clubs, they have the less turnover of playing staff.”
“Stability is key and Premier Division survival for us is our primary objective this year, of course it is. That's not to say that we won't attack every game, we're ambitious for the football club, we want to be competitive, we've given the players as much information as we can over the last little while to prepare them, to get them physically ready, to get them tactically ready but sometimes the game takes over and that's where we've got to keep emotions in check, that's where we've got to remain disciplined and stick to our game plan and understand that we've got a way of playing, earned a right to play and hopefully we can implement that strategy over the course of 90 minutes which will lead to a positive outcome.”
“Primarily, our objective is to stay in the Premier Division and that's a real challenge because it's going to be a hugely competitive league, you look at all the teams across the league, there's no weak teams in the division and we've got to make sure that we give a good account of ourselves every time we're ready to play.”
Centre-half Grant Horton has arrived from Cheltenham Town just in time for the new league campaign, and his signing is one that has brought particular delight to Long and his backroom team.
“I've worked with Grant before, he's a player that I've been after for a long period of time, in my previous club he had to go back due to injury, the loan wasn't extended so we missed Grant in the second half of my last season at Bohemians. So to get him in here at Waterford is brilliant. I think I've been after him for a long time, not just today or tomorrow or yesterday I should say, I've been after Grant for a long time. He’s a player that will provide us with aggression, he's quick, he wants to tackle, he wants to play on the front foot, he's decent in the air, so he's a competitor, he's a winner and he can play a little bit too. He gives us, the squad, an alternative dimension I feel, gives us something slightly different than what we've got across the squad, he comes in late in the window which is not ideal but I know Grant, I know his personality, I know the qualities that he can bring to the team and he's definitely going to make us stronger.”
The promotion campaign was an excellent season for full-back Ryan Burke and he’s excited to once again get out on the pitch and give his all for the Blues. He says the idea of playing to sold out crowds in the RSC is a mouth watering prospect.
“Yeah, we're all buzzing now”, Burke told WLR Sport.
6 February 2024; Ryan Burke poses for a portrait during a Waterford FC squad portraits session at SETU Arena in Waterford. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
“We're all delighted to be back in the Premier Division. Obviously, it was a great night in Tallaght, getting promoted, but our thoughts shift to the next level now. Obviously, we're going to face a tough opposition now in Shels, a side that are in Europe. Now we're going to go out, give a good account of ourselves and see how we do.”
Burke has been impressed by the influence of some of the new arrivals already.
“The lads that have come in have been brilliant. The standard of training has improved. Everything has improved around the training ground as well. So, it's a really good group now. Pre-season went really well. So, yeah, we're just all looking forward to the season starting now.”
“The fans have been brilliant with me since I first came down last season. Massive thanks to them for that. Now I'm buzzing to get into the RSC now with a sell out. There should be many sold out nights in the RSC coming up. So, I'm really looking forward to that as well.”
Darragh Leahy has played in the top tiers of Irish football for many years now, having won plenty of silverware as well as representing Dundalk many times in Europe. He says the project at Waterford FC is exciting as anywhere in Ireland, and is looking forward to hitting the ground running.
“We have a young squad - but look, we're not here just to make up numbers. We're going to be very competitive and I think the league is going to be very competitive this year, as it has been in the past. We’re not setting too many goals. There's no limit.”
6 February 2024; Darragh Leahy poses for a portrait during a Waterford FC squad portraits session at SETU Arena in Waterford. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
“It's a very young, hungry squad. But also, bringing in Podge and myself now. Obviously, Sarge and Connor Parsons as well. It's a great mix in the group. There’s a great blend of youth and experience, and we just cannot wait to get out there and show what we can do.”
WLR will be broadcasting live from the RSC from 6.45 this evening - join Damien Tiernan and Jordan Norris as they build all the atmosphere before kick-off.
We’ll have live updates throughout the game on air from Jordan Norris.
For the latest Waterford News and Sport, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.
