Waterford FC
The Blues began their year with Kevin Sheedy and Mike Newell at the helm.
Before games had kicked off, it felt like a very positive spell for the club with several players signing up such as Darryl Murphy, John Martin, James Waite, Cian Kavanagh, Adam O' Reilly, as well as Tunmise Sobowale and Darragh Power.
While the senior team were busy preparing for their Premier Division campaign, the academy had hoped to play in Europe, but the U19's had to accept the covid-19 restrictions would not allow them to take part.
The Blues early season form was not what one would have hoped and they quickly started to fall to the bottom of the league table.
While manager Kevin Sheedy had moved to assure fans that the form would improve the result didn't come along with that promise. At the same time, issues on the training ground started to emerge with veteran goalkeeper Brian Murphy sent to the bench for an extended period. While Murphy was having his problems with management, Oscar Brennan also missed games due to a training ground clash which was widely speculated at the time as to what had actually happened.
Life under Sheedy and Newell was never going to last when the continuous flow of bad news stories and bad results never seemed to end. Early in May, the pair would leave the RSC with the team bottom of the table.
Academy boss Mike Geoghegan took charge of the next game for the club, with the U19's sent to wear the Blue jersey against Drogheda due to an outbreak of covid in the senior ranks. That game was a true men vs boys experience for the 19's who were easily beaten at the RSC.
The uptick for the club began in May when Marc Bircham was appointed. The London native guided the club to some of the best runs of form in the Premier Division but was never able to drag them safe from the relegation playoff spots - ending up fighting a battle with Finn Harps until the end of the season.
At the start of June, the club was sold by Lee Power to Richard Forrest. The new owner said that "Waterford FC is a sleeping giant that has instantly won my heart. I can’t wait to work closely with Marc and his staff, the fans, and local businesses to drive this club forward and create an amazing journey for the club and the local community."
A good cup run also helped lift spirits in the town. Beating Athlone, Kilnamanagh, and UCD on their way to a semi-final meeting with Bohemians.
The night in Dalymount proved to be a tough one to swallow with Georgie Kelly ending the hopes of bringing the 17-year wait to a close.
What had been a rollercoaster year for Waterford wasn't over yet.
A night at the RSC saw two Shamrock Rovers fans arrested for sending fireworks onto the pitch. While Bircham was left seething with his player's performance on the night.
The final league game of the year was at the RSC with St Pats coming to town. Finn Harps played at the same time, and the Blues needed to better their result if they were to secure their Premier Division status for 2022. It wasn't to be. Finn Harps ran riot in Ballybofey, with the Blues trudging their way to a goalless draw at home.
They would go on to face UCD in the relegation play-off, but they would be without their manager Marc Bircham - who was spectacularly sacked in the run into the game.
Bircham, who had a run-in with the club's owner, was suspended originally, but following a social media post, was given the sack officially. He went on TalkSport in the UK that week where he said that Richard Forrest had "bought Waterford for his two sons to play professional football".
For their crucial relegation game with UCD, Ian Hendon was put in charge but it was too little too late, with two former Waterford products Colm Whelan and Dara Keane doing the damage on the night.
The Blues were relegated to the first division for 2022.
In the past week, the club announced that former Shel's boss Ian Morris would take charge at the RSC for the 2022 season.
The club will begin their life in the first division away to Athlone Town in February.
