Waterford FC manager Graham Coughlan insists his side will not get distracted by the potential rewards of moving up the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division table when they face Dundalk at the RSC tonight.

The Blues are in excellent form heading into the game, having gone 11 matches unbeaten in all competitions.

A win over Dundalk could see Waterford climb several places in the table, but Coughlan says the focus within his squad remains firmly on securing three points rather than where that victory could leave them.

“There’s no getting away from it. There’s no ignoring it. It’s there. It’s obvious,” Coughlan said.

“But again, you’ve got a massive, massive challenge.”

Coughlan has plenty of respect for a Dundalk side he believes are among the better teams in the division.

“When I took the job on, Dundalk were one of the informed teams, one of the better teams, talking about Europe, talking about the great job that the manager’s done and the players that they had.”

He believes tonight’s meeting at the RSC represents a major test for his Waterford side.

“Two good teams is going head-to-head, and that’s what we’re looking at. That’s what our next challenge is.”

Both sides will target the three points, but Coughlan refuses to look beyond the immediate task.

“We’re looking for the three points, as will they be, and where that takes us, who knows,” he said.

“But again, it’s getting the job done, and our focus is always on the next game. Winners win the next game.”

Waterford come into the fixture having reached the FAI Cup semi-finals last weekend following a 3-0 victory over Sligo Rovers.

Pádraig Amond opened the scoring before Tommy Lonergan added a second, with an own-goal completing the win and booking the Blues a semi-final meeting with Bohemians at Dalymount Park.

Coughlan believes the confidence and self-belief within his squad has played a major role in their recent run.

“Our mentality again going into games is confidence, is self-belief,” he said.

“It’s one of those that we feel we can win any game of football, and it stood us in good stead.”

However, the Waterford manager is under no illusions about the challenge facing his team.

“This won’t be easy. This will be tough. It’ll be really, really tough.”

Waterford produced a dramatic comeback when the sides last met at Oriel Park in June.

The Blues fell two goals behind after just half an hour, but Tommy Lonergan struck twice before John Mahon completed the turnaround with four minutes of normal time remaining to secure a 3-2 victory.

Tonight’s meeting gives Waterford another opportunity to build on their impressive recent form.

For Coughlan, however, the potential league-table rewards can wait until after the final whistle.

“The rewards and the prizes come after the game,” he said.

“Let’s talk about things like that after the game, rather than before it.”

Kick-off at the RSC is at 7:45 pm, with Waterford looking to continue their unbeaten run and Dundalk providing another major test for Coughlan’s side.

We will have live updates throughout the evening.