Waterford FC return to the pitch this evening for their first outing following two weeks off.
A 3 nil loss to Boh's in Dalymount Park will have been fresh in the minds of Marc Bircham and his players while they began their "mini pre-season" as described by the manager.
Taking charge of the team early in May, the former QPR and Milwall midfielder opened his ledger with a 1-nil loss to Derry City at the RSC, followed by a 2-1 loss to Finn Harps also at home.
The results would have you believe that nothing has changed at the club since Kevin Sheedy and Mike Newell parted company with the team, but the lift of positivity among the players and fans is clear to see.
Speaking in his match notes for this week's game, Bircham is happy with the work they've gotten through this past fortnight.
“The lads are looking forward to getting on the pitch on Friday night. While most clubs may have been off during the break, we’ve tried to make the most of the time to work on the training pitch and get ready for the next part of the season."
“The players have reacted well and they’re raring to go. We know we needed to work on certain areas and the fixture break has allowed the coaching staff to work with the players to try to improve those areas".
The task at hand will be made that bit harder for Bircham with less players to pick from for this Dundalk trip, while he has been bolstered by the return of Kyle Ferguson, who is set to play his first game since April 24th, the manager will have to make do without James Waite and Josh Collins who have both left the club during the two-week break - the club have thanked them for their time in Waterford and wished them the best for the future.
Aside from the no longer available Waite and Collins, several players are unlikely to feature this evening according to the club "Isaac Tshipamba misses the game through suspension while Jamie Mascoll, Brian Murphy and Niall O’Keeffe are doubtful."
Speaking to WLR Sport midweek, Bircham stressed that his task at hand has been to build the right mindset within the playing group. It's a message he's pushed since his arrival at the RSC with the loss to Boh's marking his first time openly criticizing the player's attitude. When Boh's struck for the second time, Bircham remarked that he was very discouraged by the player's shoulders dropping and seeming to lose the drive to win the game.
"It's all about our mentality and we're trying to change that - it doesn't happen overnight, but this break was needed. Whatever happens in games, we just want that professional winning mentality to come through and hopefully take us through the rest of the season"
That mentality will need to be on show tonight, as the side are unfortunately bottom of the league and haven't looked like climbing from that spot as of yet. The manager went into the two-week break making the point that their season starts now, if that is the case, their "season" needs to kick off with a bang.
Once Dundalk have been dealt with, the defending champions Shamrock Rovers come to the RSC and then it's a proper six-pointer with Longford at Bishopsgate. If the team are to climb out of the relegation zone, 11 points are currently needed to reach safety.
Kick off this evening at Oriel Park is at 7.45pm and WLR will broadcast the game live thanks to McConnell's Toyota Waterford
