The long road to Ballybofey beckons for Waterford FC this Friday, with Keith Long's team aiming to narrow the gap to Galway at the top of the table with a win in Donegal.
After a two-game stutter with losses to both Wexford and Galway, the Blues got back in the saddle last weekend in the best possible fashion, thumping Cobh 5-0 at the RSC. Ronan Coughlan continued his goal-scoring run when he found the back of the net inside ten minutes, with Shane Griffin, Roland Idowu, Barry Baggley and Wassim Aouachria all adding to the full-time tally.
Coughlan has now netted 16 times this season, putting him out in front on the First Division top scorers list by 6 goals.
Aouachria was back on the scoresheet after an eight-game drought following his hattrick on the opening day of the season. Idowu got his fourth, Griffin got his third and Baggley picked up his first since joining the club.
While the win over Cobh was a good tonic for the players following their two straight losses, the fact remains that they are still some way off the pace off the league leaders.
Losing to Wexford at the RSC proved costly, considering the fact that on the same night, Galway were handed their first defeat of the campaign when they lost to Longford. If the Blues had managed to turn over Wexford they would have been just four points off the pace before facing the Tribesmen three days later with the chance to make it a one-point gap. That weekend did not go to plan though, and instead of closing the gap, it grew back to a 10-point differential.
Finn Harps provide a different challenge this Friday evening, and one that Long et al will need to be careful with if they are to continue to put the pressure on Galway.
The pitch at Finn Park is never a pleasant one to play on. It favours the home side, but the numbers are not in their favour - at least so far- this season.
One win from seven home games, and just three wins in all makes for poor reading for a team who are newly installed in the First Division. Unlike when Waterford were first relegated two years ago, the pundits and tipsters have not predicted an automatic tilt at promotion for the Donegal outfit, however, anyone who makes the trip to Finn Park will readily admit how little they like being there.
Long's team needs to get in and out, with three points in tow and then make it home for their recovery ahead of the trip to Longford next Friday.
Aside from the expected dangers, the form guide points heavily in Waterford's favour this week. Harps are without a win in four games and the only team they have beaten at home is Treaty, who have moved up the table quickly with four straight wins following their loss to the Donegal side.
The last time these two sides met was at the RSC at the end of March. It was Keith Long's first game in charge, and Harps will not be looking back at that game with fond memories. It ended 7-1 and kickstarted a six-game winning run for the new boss.
Maybe this trip to Ballybofey can be the start of another streak of victories.
