Cathal Dowd
Waterford FC will be facing a Shelbourne team, that will be without league winning manager Damien Duff for the first time since his surprise resignation, at the Waterford Regional Sports Ground tomorrow night in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division.
Last season’s champions will have to face the trip down south in the absence of their controversial manager. Duff, who has made constant headlines for his off field antics and on field success since his appointment in 2021, left the Dublin outfit today with his team sitting in 6th place and 15 points behind league leaders Shamrock Rovers.
Several touchline bust-ups and lethargic performances in the first half of this campaign have taken the shine off a historic season at Tolka Park in 2024.
Waterford, who are coming off an impressive win against Bohemians on Friday night will take even greater confidence from the separation of the former Irish international star and the struggling Reds going into the third match-up of the sides this season.
Two quickfire goals on the cusp of halftime by Padraig Amond and Conan Noonan was enough to see off Bohs despite a second half charge at the RSC last time out to bring Waterford back onto the fringes of the race for Europe after a disappointing 1-0 loss to Sligo Rovers on matchday 20.
Waterford Manager John Coleman commented after the game “We have been hammering home to them all week the importance of 3 points at the end of a good performance and we got both tonight I thought. We played some brilliant approach play, disappointed we didn’t put the game to bed, if it had gone to 4-0 by an hour no one could complain.”
Meanwhile Shelbourne will have to pick themselves not only from the loss of Duff but also a 1-0 home defeat to Derry in their previous fixture, after which their recently departed boss lamented how “A pub team would have better energy”.
The previous two meetings between the sides ended 1-0 in favor of the away team, a trend Shels would be delighted to extend. Waterford sit only 4 points back of the visitors with the Blues holding 2 games in hand.
The game kicks off at 7:45 pm as Waterford attempt to reel in the Shelbourne side that is facing a new, post-Duff era.
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