Waterford FC striker Noel Hunt says his main objective is to keep the club’s momentum going in the right direction after the Waterford-native finalised his move to the club last night.
Hunt, a former Republic of Ireland international and Premier League striker, was unveiled at the RSC on Friday lunchtime. Noel will travel with the coaching staff and squad to Turner’s Cross for this evening’s match and is eligible to play from July 1st.
“I’m delighted to join the club. When you look around at the stadium and the facilities, it’s a much different club than the one I was at 16 years ago,” Hunt said, admitting that he was on the final week of his UEFA A Licence coaching course when he got the call to come to Waterford. “But it’s a club that’s going places and I’m delighted to be part of that going forward.
“All I want to do is try help keep the momentum going at the club. Some people might come in and try change this and that, but you don’t change something that isn’t broken.
“For me, and to everybody around here, the club is going in a very positive direction and it’s all credit to the players, staff, fans and everybody involved, and I’m just hoping to come in and add something to it and push it forward.”
Hunt played at the RSC while on loan from Shamrock Rovers in the 2001/02 season, but has been keeping check on the team over the years and didn’t hesitate at the opportunity.
“I have been keeping an eye out for the boys since I’ve been away and it hasn’t been easy for the club over the last few season, but when we spoke last week, and what’s happened to Alan over the weekend, I was ready to come over and get it sorted and be able to step in to help the lads. There was no real question of doubt in my mind. So, I spoke to my wife and she told me to go and do it, it’s a big step for me.”
Having trained with the squad this week, Hunt isn’t surprised to see the club where they are in the Premier Division table.
“You can see why the team have done so well, the sessions are really good quality from the boys. It’s more of a credit to themselves that they have that drive to keep the standards high and you know if someone gives a bad pass, then they’re always encouraging to get better and that’s a great thing to have in a squad.
“When you know you’ve got the confidence and the trust of your teammates it’s a massive thing, and they all seem to have that.”
And after a week of training and seeing the club, Hunt is thrilled with the facilities and the staff that the Blues have at their disposal.
“Everything is fantastic here, the ground, the pitch, the training facilities, they’re all superb. The training this week has been great, the boys have really been at it; Franny [Rockett] too has been brilliant this week, he’s a strong influence and a great character, along with the other lads. I think the more of them you have around the club the better, so for me it’s been a great start.
“Everyone has been really focussed and they’re looking to the three games now before the break to continue the positive season so far.”
