A new era begins for Waterford FC on Friday evening, as Graham Coughlan takes charge of the Blues for the first-time as we travel to Richmond Park to take on St. Patrick’s Athletic in our latest SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division clash, and we have everything you need to know head of kick-off.
St. Patrick’s Athletic FC vs Waterford FC
SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division
Friday 8th May, 2026
Richmond Park
8pm
WATERFORD FC
Graham Coughlan takes charge of his first game as Waterford FC Head Coach on Friday night, fresh from his appointment with the club on Wednesday morning.
David Breen & Brian Murphy oversaw Monday afternoon’s dramatic six-goal thriller at the RSC, as the Blues twice came from behind to pick up an important point against Dundalk at the RSC, with Tommy Lonergan, Pádraig Amond & John Mahon all finding the back of the Dundalk net – Mahon’s coming in the 88th minute to rescue a point for Waterford.
Attention now turns to Friday night’s clash against St. Patrick’s Athletic – a game that will be broadcast live on Virgin Media 2 & Virgin Media Play from 7:30pm – as the Graham Coughlan era at Waterford FC begins.
ST. PATRICK’S ATHLETIC FC
Stephen Kenny’s St. Patrick’s Athletic return to home action on Friday, looking to return to winning ways after picking up two points on the road over the Bank Holiday weekend last week.
A 93rd minute equaliser from former Saint Aaron Bolger salvaged a point for Galway United over St. Pats at Eamonn Deacy Park last Friday in a 2-2 draw, before a 1-1 draw followed on Monday afternoon at The Showgrounds against Sligo Rovers.
The Saints have lost just three of their opening 15 games of the 2026 season, sitting in second place in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division table ahead of Friday’s meeting with the Blues – just three points behind leaders Shamrock Rovers.
St. Pat’s defeated the Blues 2-0 at the RSC at the end of March, with goals either side of half-time courtesy of a Hayden Cann own-goal & a Luke Turner header gave Stephen Kenny’s side the points in our only meeting this season so far.
WATERFORD FC TEAM NEWS
Graham Coughlan has no major injury concerns to contend with ahead of his first match overseeing the Blues on Friday night, with Finlay Armstrong (quad) the only long-term absentee as he continues his rehabilitation process following an injury picked up in pre-season.
Will Johnson made his Waterford FC debut on Monday evening, coming on as a second-half substitute in our 3-3 draw with Dundalk at the RSC, after his loan move to the Blues from Fleetwood Town.
GRAHAM COUGHLAN’S THOUGHTS
“The move here happened very quickly to be fair. I had a phone call, then a meeting, packed my bag and now I’m here at the training ground, so it’s been a whirlwind 24/48 hours but I’m just looking forward to getting going now.
It’s a good group of lads we have here, everyone knows that. They’re struggling a bit with confidence, and maybe self-belief, but there’s a few different bits of pieces we can try instil in the players over a short period, but the players also have to start believing and learning. There’s plenty that we have touched on already, getting our DNA & our values and principles correct. Overall though after my first session, it’s very positive here.
There’s been patches of good performances this season. Football is about moments and about taking your moments & nullifying the oppositions moments, and that’s what we’ve said to the players. It’s up to us as coaches to help the players learn & grow, but I’d like the players to shift the mindset and be strong mentally & physically. We need to start restoring a bit of self-pride & pride in the badge of Waterford, and that’s the aim over the next week or two and hopefully we can grow from there. I have a lot of belief in my own ability, and the ability of the changing room, but it’s about what we do in those 90 minutes on Friday night.
Friday night in Richmond Park against St. Pats is a great challenge for our lads. Hopefully, we can build on the performance against Dundalk on Monday and bring out that character & resilience they showed. There’s some quality players in our squad, and it’s up to me to get that quality out of the players. We have to approach each game with the mindset of what can we do to hurt the opposition, and that’s what we’re trying to drill into the players, starting this Friday.”
TOMMY LONERGAN’S THOUGHTS
“Obviously St. Pats on Friday will be another tough test. They’ve got some great players and they’re on a really good run of form. But all we need is our first win and then we can start building on that. What’s easier said than done, it’s more about the action on the pitch, and hopefully we can play together as a team and that will help us on our way.
Graham is very clear on what he wants us to do and how he wants us to play. He has very good tactics on what he wants us to do and very clear on patterns of play, so he’s got a good game plan he wants us to execute on Friday night.
He has a great track record of getting teams out of bad situations, so it’s great for us to have him & his experience with us, and hopefully he’ll be able to help us get out of what we’re in.
Monday night was a great building block. The second-half, I felt it was our best performance of the season. We just need to start on the front foot and not give up goals in the first 30 minutes and then wake up. We need to be proactive from the first minute and just give it our all.”
MATCH TICKETS
Away-end tickets for Waterford FC supporters travelling to Richmond Park on Friday night are now on sale. Tickets are split into the following categories & pricing:
| Category | Price |
| Adult | €22 |
| Over 65’s | €17 |
| Student | €17 |
| U12 Child | €10 |
Seated tickets are currently only available for Waterford FC supporters in Block A of the Main Stand in Richmond Park. Should this sell-out, limited terraced tickets will become available to buy. Stay up to date with all ticketing information by following our various Waterford FC social media channels.
Tickets are available only online, with tickets available to be purchase right up until kick-off. Click HERE to purchase your ticket today.
