MATCH PREVIEW: Waterford FC -v- St Patrick’s Athletic (25/06/2021)
SSE Airtricity League Premier Division
Waterford FC -v- St Patrick’s Athletic
Friday, 25th June, 2021
Kick-Off: 7:45pm
Referee: John McLoughlin
Waterford FC will look to build on Monday’s win when current league leaders St Patrick’s Athletic visit the RSC this Friday.
In what has been an action packed week for Marc Bircham’s side, the Blues will be hoping to pick up a second win in a matter of days.
A second half goal from Eric Molloy saw the Blues take all three points from Bishopsgate on Monday in a 2-1 win over Longford Town. John Martin had put the Blues ahead just after the quarter hour mark only for the home side to level minutes later.
Friday’s visitors St. Patrick’s Athletic come into the game on the back of a 4-1 win against Finn Harps on Monday evening as they sit top of the league table.
The sides last met back in April when a single goal separated the sides in Richmond Park. The sides last meeting in the RSC came in September when the Blues ran out 3-0 winners over Stephen O’Donnell’s side. Of the side’s last 12 fixtures, the Blues have won on seven occasions with not a single draw between the two sides across the same fixtures.
Managers View: Speaking ahead of Friday’s match against St Patrick’s Athletic, manager Marc Bircham said:
“We were happy to get another win on the board in Longford on Monday night. Everyone put in a massive shift up there and it paid off with another three points. That’s all I can ask of them.
“It’s another quick turnaround for Friday against St. Patrick’s Athletic, but the lads have been working hard all week in training. Recovery has been massively important over the last two weeks with a few games but everyone is looking after themselves and training has been good since Monday’s win.
“They [St Pat’s] are top of the league and are playing some good football. It’s going to be tough but the confidence among our squad is growing; you can see that day on day. We’ve taken two wins from our last three games so we’ll keep focusing on ourselves and keep pushing to pick up points.”
Team News: Kyle Ferguson (knee) and Niall O’Keeffe (dead leg) are both doubtful for Friday’s game. Daryl Murphy, Oscar Brennan, Tunmise Sobowale and Isaac Tshipamba are expected to miss the game.
