Attention turns to the Club Orange Men’s FAI Cup this Friday night, as the Blues host First Division side Athlone Town at the RSC for our Third Round meeting, and we have everything you need to know ahead of kick-off.
Waterford FC vs Athlone Town AFC
Club Orange Men’s FAI Cup Third Round
Friday 14th August, 2026
RSC, Waterford
7:45pm
WATERFORD FC
The Blues welcome Athlone Town to the RSC this Friday evening as Graham Coughlan’s side will look to make it three home wins on the bounce following wins over Shelbourne & Bohemians in recent weeks.
Tommy Lonergan’s early second-half header gave the Blues a valuable 1-0 win over Shelbourne almost a fortnight ago, before a first-half blitz from Waterford last Sunday at the RSC gave Graham Coughlan’s side a 3-1 win over Bohemians, with Pádraig Amond netting a brace after Tommy Lonergan’s 21st minute opener.
Waterford defeated Cobh Ramblers in dramatic fashion in the Second Round of this years Club Orange Men’s FAI Cup, with Evan McLaughlin coming off the bench to net his first goal for the Blues in the 78th minute before Pádraig Amond secured our place in the Third Round with in the 93rd minute, just as the game was set for extra-time.
The Blues will look to reach the quarter-final stage for the first time in four years with a win on Friday night, with the Blues – at the time in 2022 in the First Division – defeating Dundalk 3-2 before agonisingly losing at home to Shelbourne at the semi-final stage four years ago.
ATHLONE TOWN AFC
Athlone Town make the journey down to the RSC on Friday evening looking for a similar outcome to their trip to the Blues two years ago – defeating Waterford 3-2 after extra-time in our 2024 Third Round tie.
Freshly appointed at the Midland side as Head Coach, Sean O’Connor brings his side down to the RSC looking to create another cup upset tomorrow night, having defeated Munster Senior League side Midleton in the Second Round last month.
Athlone currently sit in eighth positions in the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division table, and come into tomorrows cup game on the back of a 2-1 home win against rivals Longford Town last Friday night at the Athlone Town Stadium.
With veteran ‘keeper Brendan Clarke in between the posts for Athlone, as well as being their club captain for 2026, Athlone will look to cause further drama on suirside tomorrow night.
WATERFORD FC TEAM NEWS
Graham Coughlan has no new injury concerns to worry about ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Athlone following last weekends win over Bohemians at the RSC.
Benny Couto was forced off in the final minutes of action last Sunday due to cramp, but has trained all week in the build up to tomorrow night.
Will Johnson (hamstring) misses out.
GRAHAM COUGHLAN QUOTE
“The mentality the players have going out onto the pitch each week, it’s machine-like. They just want to play the next game, they’re really looking forward to playing games. If anything, training during the week gets in the way for the players, they just want to be on the pitch playing. They’ve built up a great rapport with the fans – the atmosphere has been brilliant in the ground, and we’ll need more of that this weekend.
It’s going to be a tough game tomorrow against Athlone, let’s make no bones about it. These games come down to getting it right, getting the basics right, and who wants it more. This will be a tough test mentally & physically for us. We need to be at it and approach it the same way as we did against Pats, against Bohs, against Shels, against Rovers. And if anyone comes off it an inch or a yard, I’ll be onto them, the lads will be onto them, the staff will be onto them, so let that be the warning for the players: nobody takes a backward step and everyone needs to be at it and start the game how we have been starting games over the last couple weeks.
I don’t look into previous games, I don’t know anything about the history. Athlone are a tough opponent, it’ll be a tough game, a game that we’ll want to win irrespective of the team we’re playing against. We’re in that type of mood where you just can’t wait for the next game, so whatever gone on in recent years has gone on, that’s not by concern, that’s in the past. We want to win every game. We’re a professional football club. We want to perform at our maximum levels and keep ourselves in a good place.
I’m looking forward to being at home again. Three home games on the bounce has been great, and then we go away to Sligo next week, so lets deal with tomorrow’s home game first and finish the home run in the best way we can. I don’t know when the last time we’ve won three home games on the bounce, so to do that tomorrow night is certainly something we’ll be aiming to do.”
MATCH TICKETS
Match tickets for Friday’s Club Orange men’s FAI Cup Third Round tie against Athlone Town remain on sale now in-store & online.
A reminder that season tickets are not valid for this game, and all 2026 season ticket holders will have to purchase a match ticket ahead of kick-off.
Click HERE to purchase your match ticket online.
(Photo credit: Sportsfile)
