With an undefeated start to the campaign for new boss John Furlong, his U17 side goes into today’s game with UCD full of confidence. Furlong caught up with www.waterfordfc.ie ahead of the game to share his thoughts on the season so far.
Speaking on the games to-date, Furlong reflected:
“We have had a reasonably good start to the season and are unbeaten after four games with two wins and two draws. The team will take a while to gel as players have been put together from various counties but the signs are good and we hope to be very competitive this year in the Southern Elite Division.”
Goals have not been a problem for Furlong’s side and the manager was pleased with how the campaign got off to a great start:
“The first game against Cork was always going to be tough and we acquitted ourselves very well with the 2-2 draw. The long journey to Tralee was next where we scored 6 after a slow start and this form continued against Galway with a 5-2 win. Last week against Bray it was a tough physical challenge but we earned a deserved point.”
The Blues played in the First Round of the Mark Farren U17 Cup in midweek and whilst it was a comfortable score line in the end, it wasn’t all plain sailing against local rivals Wexford:
“The cup game against Wexford was a more frustrating affair. Our opponents set up very defensively and it took a while before we could break them down. We had the monopoly on possession and remained patient. Once the breakthrough occurred the result was almost guaranteed. 3-0 was a fair reflection on the game I thought.”
Furlong goes into today’s clash with UCD missing Darryl Walsh with the defender on International Duty with the Republic of Ireland U17 side in Croatia. Adam Conway and Regix Madika also miss out through concussion protocol.
Summing up, Furlong concluded:
“The UCD game will be another big test but the squad is confident and we hope to give a good account of ourselves.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Elliott
