Michael Ryan wasn't too alarmed by Waterford's seven point loss to Cork last Sunday.
"It was the first game of the season and it's hard to know where you are the first game of the season. From Waterford's point of view, they had a new goalkeeper in, they were missing Tadhg De Burca who is a huge player and had a completely new midfield pairing. They had a couple of key guys missing and they were looking at a few new players. The difference was that Cork hit a golden spell and lashed in three goals. I actually thought when Waterford came back to four points, they were going to win the game. The bottom line is when you concede five goals, you're not going to win many matches. From Waterford's point of view, I don't see any reason in the world to panic. In a couple of months' time, if they meet in the championship, I wouldn't see any reason to be afraid of Cork."
Ryan has managed both Waterford and Westmeath and says that it's important for Liam Cahill's men to bounce back in style at Walsh Park on Sunday. "They'll certainly want to go out and produce a performance and win the game convincingly. They've lost the first round of the National League but it isn't the end of the world. They'll want to put down a marker because they have three really tough games coming up after that. They'll be out to win the game and win it convincingly. Whatever team they pick, I guarantee you when the ball is thrown in on Sunday, they will be ready for it."
Hear more from Michael Ryan on Lár Na Páirce from 6.10 on WLR.
