The mid-season break came at the right time for the Waterford FC players, according to assistant coach Alan Reynolds.
Keith Long's Blues return to action this evening when they make the trip to face Munster rivals Cobh Ramblers at St. Colmans Park.
The one-week break comes after the Blues three-game winning run which saw the side beating Treaty United, Kerry and Bray (7-0, 6-0 & 3-1).
Those results have served to keep the pressure on Galway at the summit, but the gap to the top remains at ten points after 19 games.
Speaking to WLR Sport this week, Reynolds says that the week off was needed for of the players who had played a lot of games since the start of the season.
"There was a few players that haven't played men's football in a while. Say the likes of Conor Parsons or Roland Idowu, they probably got to a stage where they needed a break, so it was good in that sense, they got a chance to recharge their batteries. They've been in this week, they're refreshed and looking forward to getting going again," said Reynolds.
The run-in to the break could not have been better for Long's team. In six games, they scored 25 goals, conceding just once; winning five of those six outings. A tepid 0-0 draw with Longford was the only sub-par performance.
While all the signs are pointing in the right direction, the question remains as to whether or not the Blues can reel in Galway before the playoffs. Ten points is a sizeable gap to close and with Galway only dropping points on two occasions, it's hard to see where they might falter.
Reynolds realises that automatic promotion is likely a pipe dream at this stage, saying "It's a long shot, isn't it? But look, you can't rule it out, you have to do your own work and if they slipped up and you didn't capitalise - which has happened already - you'd be disappointed. I doubt it, but anything is possible, but we've just got to keep doing our own stuff."
Ahead of kick-off this evening in Cobh, Long has a mostly full deck to pick from, while Dean McMenanay and Shane Griffin are both doubtful.
They're underway from 7.45 pm. We will have live commentary on WLR, thanks to McConnell's Toyota Waterford.
