SSE Airtricity League Premier Division
Waterford FC -v- Dundalk
Friday, September 20, 2019
Kick Off: 7.45pm
Referee: Derek Tomney
Waterford FC will look to continue their good recent league form with the visit of league leaders Dundalk to the RSC this Friday.
The Blues have picked up seven points from a previous nine on offer in the league but know the visit of title-chasing Dundalk will offer a greater challenge.
The Blues came away with a 2-1 win and all three points from last Friday’s visit to Dalymount Park. The Blues scored early from Rory Feely’s header before Bohs levelled in the second half. Tom Holland proved to be the difference when his magnificent strike with six minutes remaining sealed the three points.
That result followed the 2-1 win in Turners Cross and a draw against Derry City at the RSC.
The Blues and Dundalk met as recent as last week when the visitors won 3-1 in the FAI Cup quarter-final. Behind 3-0 at the break, a better second half performance will give the Blues some confidence ahead of Friday’s match.
Manager View: Speaking to WaterfordFC.ie ahead of Friday’s match against Dundalk, manager Alan Reynolds said:
“It’s a massive win for us [against Bohemians]. I didn’t think that there was much in the game and I don’t think that there is much between ourselves and Bohs over the four games. Consistency is probably the big thing where they are third in the table and we’re fourth from bottom.
“We could have been three up at half time, but they put us under the cosh. I think that you need to take the bit of luck and we could have got that at the end. I’m not sure if it’s a penalty, but I’ll take it because we’re due a bit of luck.
“We were disappointed with the goals we conceded in the Dundalk cup game. You can’t give a team like Dundalk the time and space or they’ll punish you, especially in a cup quarter final. We had a go in the second half and we were much better. We scored and could have got another one or two so we took positives from that and will look to bring it into Friday night.”
Team News: Dean Walsh and Kenny Browne miss the game through injury. John Kavanagh is close to a return from injury but remains a doubt for Friday. Will Fitzgerald and Walter Figueira are both struggling with knocks and will need late fitness tests ahead of Friday’s game.
