The Blues are on the road for the first time in 2026 tomorrow, making the journey to Sullivan & Lambe Park to take on Drogheda United, and we’ve put together everything you need to know ahead of kick-off.
Drogheda United FC vs Waterford FC
SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division
Friday 13th February 2026
Sullivan & Lambe Park, Drogheda
7:45pm
Waterford FC
The Blues make the journey to Sullivan & Lambe Park this Friday looking to build on last week’s opening night draw against Shelbourne FC at the RSC.
Over 3,000 spectators were in attendance as the Blues came from a goal-behind to secure a 1-1 draw on the opening night of the 2026 SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division season, as Tommy Lonergan’s 56th minute header cancelled out John Martin’s first-half opener for the away side.
After an impressive second-half display from Jon Daly’s men, the Blues will look to earn their first win of the season in Drogheda tomorrow night – a venue where we picked up our first win of the 2024 season with a 4-2 win against the Claret & Blue.
Jon Daly saw eight of his new signings make their debut for Waterford last Friday evening – Benny Couto, John Mahon, Cian Barrett, Conor Carty, Evan McLaughlin, Luke Heeney & Hayden Cann all starting with Jorgen Voilas coming off the bench in the second-half.
Drogheda United FC
Kevin Doherty’s Drogheda welcome the Blues to Sullivan & Lambe Park this Friday as they kick-off their home action in the 2026 SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division.
It took a 91st-minute strike from New Zealand-native Jago Godden to give Drogheda all three points as the Boynesiders defeated Galway United in Eamonn Deacy Park 1-0 last Friday. Godden had only joined Drogheda on a season-long loan two days before the season kicked-off before earning his new side maximum points on the opening night of the season.
Drogheda picked up four points at home against the Blues in 2025 in Sullivan & Lambe Park with a 2-0 win in April before a tight 0-0 draw last August, along with a 2-0 win against the Blues at home in the back-end of 2024, as they look to continue this home run of form against the Blues tomorrow evening.
Waterford FC Team News
Blues Head Coach Jon Daly is hopefully of having Arlo Doherty & Dean McMenamy involved in the match day squad for the first time this season tomorrow, with the pair missing last Friday’s clash against Shelbourne due to knocks.
Finlay Armstrong remains sidelined through injury, as the Blues number 12 continues his injury rehabilitation process.
Jon Daly’s Thoughts
“Drogheda are a top side. They had a fantastic result last weekend out in Galway which is a difficult place to go, so I’m sure they’ll be full of confidence on Friday & they’ll be going into the game feeling they can get a result so it’s up to us to make sure we learn from last Friday [against Shelbourne].
We’ve done our homework on Drogheda & we’ve done on the training ground the work in areas we feel we can exploit them & hurt them, but we need to be mindful of what they do & where they can hurt us. It’ll be a tough game, but one we have to feel like we can go and get something from.
Every team in the league offers something a little bit different and every game is always a different challenge, and I think Friday is certainly one of those [compared to last Friday]. Drogheda will make it difficult, they’ve got some really quality in their side. I’ve worked with the likes of Mark Doyle & Brandon Kavanagh, two proper football players, so if you give them time and space they can hurt you. They’ve got a good mix of experience & players that know the league, so they’re well versed in how they do it.
We have to go into every game confident that we can get something from it and Friday is no different.”
John Mahon’s Thoughts
“I felt we defended very well on Friday night [against Shelbourne]. Myself & Hayden won everything in the box, and working under Jon he gives us the licence to go out there and be a defender – something I think is almost forgotten about in football at times. I’ve been brought in to keep those clean sheets and do our job at the back so we can give the fire power we have up front the freedom to do theirs.
When you’re coming up against Drogheda, you know what you’re going to face. Lots of long balls, they’re going to apply pressure, so if we can get the ball down as a team and play, and be tidy at the back, then hopefully we can come away with a result.
We’ll have to be switched on for the game. If we as a back four can win our duels in the back and get the midfield on the ball and then give our attack involved, and we know what they can do, hopefully they can do that for us tomorrow night.”
Ticket Information
Away-end tickets for Friday’s game in Sullivan & Lambe Park remain on sale.
All away-end tickets for this clash against Drogheda United are standing only, with anyone with accessibility queries advised to contact Drogheda United’s DAO at dao@droghedaunited.ie.
Adult tickets will be priced at €20, with Student/OAP tickets at €15. U12 Child tickets will cost €6 for Blues supporters. Please note that tickets will be sold online only, and no tickets will be available to purchase at the stadium on match night.
The ground will open at 6:45pm for supporters to enter on match night ahead of the 7:45pm kick-off against Kevin Doherty’s side.
| Category | Price |
| Adult | €20 |
| Student/OAP | €15 |
| U12 Child | €6 |
Please note there is a €2 booking fee applied to each ticket purchased.
Click HERE to purchase your ticket.
