Tommy Lonergan could be forgiven for spending this week talking about goals.
After all, the Waterford striker has just finished as the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division’s top scorer, edging out strike partner Pádraig Amond to claim the Golden Boot with 16 league goals.
Instead, as he prepares for the biggest game of the season, his thoughts are focused elsewhere.
On Waterford. On the dressing room. On the supporters. And on a second chance that helped reignite his career.
“Waterford gave me the chance to prove who I am,” Lonergan said.
After a difficult spell with Fleetwood Town, the striker returned home searching for an opportunity to rebuild. Waterford provided exactly that and the gratitude remains obvious every time he speaks.
“I went over to Fleetwood, and it didn’t work out how I wanted it to.
“Waterford gave me that chance. I’m really happy that I’ve paid it back since I came to the club.
“The fans and the club took me in with open arms. They’ve made me happy as a player and happy as a person.”
The move did more than restore his confidence as a footballer.
It changed him as a person.
“I feel like I’ve really grown as a person,” he said.
“Playing with Podge and learning from Podge, not just as a footballer but as a man, has helped me massively.
“I feel like I’ve grown up.”
Amond’s influence has been enormous both on and off the pitch. Together, the pair have formed one of the most effective attacking partnerships in the country and have been central to Waterford’s remarkable season.
“Me and Podge were the best strike partnership in the league,” Lonergan said.
“I think that’s clear to see.
“When we finally got going, we showed everyone exactly what we could do.”
The chance finally came
Lonergan’s rise to the top of the scoring charts looked far from certain earlier in the campaign.
For long periods opportunities were difficult to come by and starts were limited. But rather than allow frustration to consume him, the striker remained patient.
The experience, he believes, showed how much he has matured.
“A few years ago I probably would have dealt with it worse,” he admitted.
“My head might have gone down. I might have doubted myself.
“But I’ve become mentally resilient over the last year or two.
“I knew the player I was. I knew that when my chance came I was going to take it.”
When that opportunity arrived, he did exactly that.
Goals followed. Confidence returned. Suddenly he was impossible to leave out.
Now he heads to the Aviva Stadium carrying the Golden Boot and playing some of the best football of his career.
Despite that success, Lonergan is quick to share the credit.
“It’s a nice individual accolade,” he said.
“But my job is to score goals to help the team win.
“Podge and I get a lot of the plaudits, but the boys at the back have been unbelievable.
“Stevie McMullan made two of the best saves I’ve ever seen in recent games.
“Everyone contributes.”
That attitude, he believes, reflects the environment created by manager Graham Coughlan.
“The gaffer keeps us all together,” he said.
“He never lets us get ahead of ourselves.
“He keeps everybody grounded.”
A season nobody saw coming
Few outside Waterford expected the club to be preparing for an FAI Cup Final this season.
At one stage, it appeared an impossible dream.
A 16-game winless run left confidence fragile and results elusive. Yet Lonergan believes the darkest period ultimately strengthened the group.
The turning point came when the club finally registered that long-awaited victory.
The momentum never stopped building.
“Even when we went 16 games without a win they still showed up,” he said of the supporters.
“They kept supporting us.
“Once we got that first win it just gave us momentum.
“The fans are the 12th man.”
As Waterford supporters prepare to descend on Dublin in huge numbers, Lonergan knows what their backing has meant throughout the campaign.
“It’s going to be unbelievable seeing all the Waterford supporters there,” he said.
“It’ll be a really special moment for all of us.”
The bond between players and fans has become one of the defining features of Waterford’s season.
So too has the unity inside the dressing room.
“It’s a family in there,” Lonergan said.
“We all love each other.
“The connection I have with this club and with the players is very special.”
That togetherness has helped create genuine belief ahead of Sunday’s final against Derry City.
While fully respectful of the challenge awaiting Waterford, Lonergan sees no reason why his side cannot finish the job.
“We’re a very confident team,” he said.
“When you look around the dressing room and see who’s beside you, why wouldn’t you be?
“I think we’re underrated.
“I don’t think people rate us highly enough.”
He points to quality throughout the squad as the foundation for that belief.
“I’m very confident in Podge.
“We’ve got such good players.
“Kev, John and Hayden at the back are three of the best centre-halves in the league and nobody really talks about them.”
For Lonergan, confidence is not built on talk.
It is built on performances.
“Derry are obviously a really good side,” he said.
“But if we’re on it we’ve got a really good chance.”
Doing it for Waterford
Lonergan has been here before.
He knows what it feels like to score in an FAI Cup Final.
This one, however, feels different.
The connection he has developed with Waterford makes the occasion feel more significant than any previous showpiece appearance.
“It’ll probably be a bit more special for me this time around because of the connection I have with this club,” he said.
“The connection I have with the players in the dressing room.
“I feel like any of them will tell you it’s a family in there.”
As the conversation draws to a close, he returns once more to the supporters.
It is clear they remain at the centre of his motivation.
“I really want to do it for the fans,” he said.
“They’ve stuck by us all season.
“They’re great people. They’ve always backed us. We’re not just saying it.
“I really want to do it for the people of Waterford.”
From uncertainty at Fleetwood to Golden Boot winner in the League of Ireland, Lonergan’s story has already been one of the season’s most compelling tales.
But with one game remaining, the Waterford striker has the opportunity to turn an impressive comeback into something far more memorable.
One more victory would secure a place in club history.
And for Lonergan, there would be no better people to share it with than the supporters who never stopped believing.
