Waterford FC manager Marc Bircham has appealed to fans to make the atmosphere 'as hostile as possible' when Dundalk visit the RSC on Friday night.
The Blues go toe-to-toe with the Lilywhites in a crucial game at the foot of the table. Waterford are currently 8th, with 9th place Dundalk looking to leapfrog them out of the relegation zone.
2,500 fans are allowed to attend the six-pointer, and club owner Richard Forrest is urging fans to play their part and make their voice heard come kick-off at 7.45.
Ok,, so when I first brought this sleeping giant club,,, everyone kept telling me,, win some games, get a good run,, get players on a long term,,
Get the manager in a long term,,,
So that’s all done,,, so on Friday we are playing and hav a good allocation,,
2500, done my bit,,— richard forrest (@richieforeest) August 30, 2021
The club owner says it's hoped that online tickets for the game will be made available tonight.
Manager Marc Bircham agrees with the owner's rallying call, and says the Blues crowd can help strike the fear into the visitors.
"We've been given permission to let 2,500 people in, and it's up to the community and the people to come out and show their support. You won't get a better opportunity to that than when it's third from bottom, versus second from bottom. We really need our fans there, to make it as hostile as possible for the other team."
Must-win?
The Blues boss says he doesn't buy in to the idea that the game is 'must-win', as there are plenty of points to play for between now and the end of the season.
"Yeah, it is a big match - but again, we've still got ten games to go. There's 30 points to play for. Even if we win it, or lose it, there's still loads to play for. You know with this league that there will be surprises along the way. You look at the form of us down there, you look at the form of Derry before that, and look at Finn Harps - they've won three in a row. There is going to be some surprises."
Cup Draw
Responding to the FAI Cup Quarter-Finals Draw, Bircham took a glass half-full approach. He says he didn't watch the draw, and that his primary focus at present is on the task at hand on Friday night.
The Blues were drawn to face lower league opposition in UCD away, with the game to take place on the weekend of September 17th-19th.
"I didn't watch the draw. Whoever, we got drawn with, we have to play them! I was told later that we got UCD. It's away from home. I would have preferred a home draw. They're a team from the league below, so you can't complain. I suppose we're 50% happy. You're glass is always half full. They're a good team. They play football the right way, they've got a nice big pitch. So we look forward to that - but I've not even approached that subject this week."
