WATERFORD FC vs TREATY UNITED
SSE AIRTRICITY FIRST DIVISION
FRIDAY 2ND JUNE 2023, 7.45PM KICK-OFF
Good evening and welcome back to the RSC for tonight’s SSE Airtricity First Divison league encounter with Treaty United FC.
I would like to welcome Tommy Barrett, players, staff and all connected with Treaty United for tonight’s game.
Tommy’s teams are always well organised and difficult to beat and I have no doubt tonight’s game will be a keenly contested affair and we know we have to produce a really good performance to affect the outcome in a positive manner.
We are constantly trying to improve performances week on week and the players deserve great credit in terms of taking on board the information and their willingness to try and get better.
Every time we take to the pitch, we are looking for improvement in performance levels and to be consistent in terms of our displays. We have plenty of work to do in that regard but I believe we are getting better and there is growth within this group.
All of us at the club need to understand that we have a young group of players who will make mistakes at times and sometimes underperform. This is natural when you consider where some of the players are in terms of their development.
I can assure everyone the players are applying themselves daily in an effort to improve, and if we can help them in the next window by potentially bringing some players into the group to make us better, we will try and do that effectively.
We have to strive for better, we have to strive for more consistency and we have to improve standards across all facets of the club. We are diligent and thorough in our approach; revising and reflecting on mistakes with a focus on getting better and coming back stronger. The players
Keith Longhave welcomed that challenge and I am excited to see how much we can grow together.
Get behind the lads tonight, your support is never taken for granted and it cannot be underestimated how important you are to the team. If we are going to achieve anything this season, we need to be united - players and supporters together.
There will be ups and downs, highs and lows and that’s part of the beautiful game.
This is your club; the boys are proud to represent you and we will try and do that with an unrelenting work ethic, willingness to learn and improve, and a determination to move forward and not to stand still.
Enjoy the Game.
Keith Long
Also known as: The Shannonsiders
Manager: Tommy Barrett
Home Ground: Markets Field
Distance travelled today: 128km
Colours: Red &white
Last year’s finish: 5th in First Division
NAME: DYLAN BARRY
AGE: 7
CLUB: TRAMORE AFC
FAVOURITE TEAM: WATERFORD FC / MAN UNITED
FAVOURITE PLAYER: NIALL O’KEEFFE / LISANDRO MARTINEZ
Thirty-eight players and their coaches visited our sister club Fleetwood Town FC to play in tournaments that they were hosting.
The Under-14s were the first up on Saturday playing in a group that included Burnley, Newcastle Utd, Port Vale, Fleetwood Town among others.
The lads progressed through the group stage conceding only one goal in the short format games.
They met Workington in the quarter final and won 3-0 to set up a semi final v Newcastle United.
The squad played very well and created some good chances but could not force the breakthrough. The game went to penalties and Newcastle won though to the final.
The Under-15s were in action on the Sunday in a group containing Shrewsbury, Chester, Fleetwood, Port Vale and Crewe. They took their place in the quarter final against Port Vale
and came out with a 1-0 win.
They were up against Crewe in the semi final and played very well,however they were undone by a late penalty and lost 1-0 to the eventual winners.
We would like to thank everyone at Fleetwood Town FC for hosting our teams, the staff for their hard work, the parents and everyone else who helped make it happen.
Good evening all and welcome to Treaty United’’s management, players and supporters to the RSC. Firstly, on behalf of the BSC members and committee, I want to thank Mary and Jean Doyle for all the hard work and help with the BSC over the last few years. It have been a pleasure working with both ladies.
Huge congratulations to Jason and Romeo on representing the Republic of Ireland U17s over the past two weeks. Thanks to all the supporters who travelled to Finn Harps and Longford last Saturday, it was much appreciated by the management and the squad.
The BSC will run an overnight trip to Tralee this Monday and there may be few spaces available on the bus, so you can contact Debbie, Ray or Paul to find out more. Finally, best of luck to Keith, Rennie, the management team and the squad for tonight’s game.
Come on the Blues.
Martin Walker
To discuss any of the wide range of sponsorship options available to suit all budgets please contact:
Burke at tony.burke@waterfordfc.ie
It’s been a long 37 year since our last foray into Europe on the back of a domestic achievement.
In 1979/80 and 1980/81 the Blues had tasted back-to-back European campaigns, but Waterford would have to wait another full six years before the 1986 FAI Cup Final defeat to Rovers made sure we entered the continent again. Rovers, having won the League by two points from Galway, insured this fate and then United could hope to draw some of Europe’s finest when the 1986/87 Cup Winners Cup.
Bordeaux had just beaten Marseille in the French Cup Final to qualify for Europe. The French outfit which boasted current internationals like Bernard Lacombe, Patrick Battiston and Jean Tigana (and I’m naming just a few!) had finished fifth in the French league, but that 2-1 Cup Final victory made sure Aime Jacquet’s men would be mixing it with the best in Europe that autumn.
Jacquet was a hugely successful manager in France. As a player, he’d won five league championships with St Etienne and had moved into management with Bordeaux in 1980. Of course he would go on to manage France to their first World Cup in 1998, but back in September 1985, a small part-time team from South-East Ireland would be his first port of call.
The Blues had warmed up for the Kilcohan tie by hammering Bray
By Brian KennedyWanderers in the opening game of the league cup the week before. Goals from Paul Cashin, Jimmy Donnelly (2), Michael Bennett and Brian McEvoy made sure the watching Bordeaux contingent in the stand at least had an idea what they would be playing in Alfie Hale’s men.
Being the Blues first European outing in over six years, the excitement was tangible and crowds of 7,000 - 10,000 were predicted on the day of the game.
When it finally came round, it did not hit such heights, but nevertheless 4,500 brought themselves along to Kilcohan to watch the Blues mix it with the French aristocrats.
Not only was it an historic first meeting between the two, but the evergreen Al Finucane was creating his own piece of history that day. At 43 years of age, the Limerick man was at the time the oldest player to play in a European game. The man who’d won the FAI Cup with his native Limerick in the ‘70s, lifted the same cup for the Blues in the ‘80s and went on to play for Newcastle West near the 1990s started the game.
The Blues didn’t get off to the best start and lost Duncan Burns after only 15 minutes of the game. The injury didn’t help Kevin Power who had to work overtime with some brilliant work at the back.
In midfield, Bordeaux started to run the show and Macken and Kieran McCabe seemed to be fighting a losing battle, though Jimmy Donnelly did give the odd bit of trouble to the visitors. Up front, young Paul Cashin worked his socks off, but it was a thankless task, against such opposition.
Just after the half hour mark, Bordeaux took the lead. David Flavin, who had already made two world-class saves, was finally beaten by Girard. Moments before, Vujovic had struck the upright, but Girard finally beat the Waterford keeper on 33 minutes. Despite the bulk of the play, that was the only goal to separate the sides at half-time.
By the hour mark, it was two as Philippe Vercruysse put Bordeaux two ahead. Flavin had been a marvel to this point, but there was only so much the young goalkeeper could do. Then, in the final minute, the game exploded into life. Noel Synnott suddenly pulled a goal back for the Blues, the crowd went ecstatic and within seconds, from having been outplayed throughout the game Waterford could have snatched a 2-2 draw.
The towering Synnott came up from the back to score our first goal in Europe since Hibernians of Malta six years previous and made it 2-1. Within a minute, Bordeaux goalkeeper Dominque Dropsy was caught well out of position and Michael Bennett’s shot went just agonisingly past the post.
It was almost the last action of the game and had Bennett’s effort gone in, they’d
still be looking for the roof of the stand in Kilcohan. Even 20 minutes after the game had ended, the fans were still in the stand singing. Beaten yes, but a tremendous evening in Kilcohan that night.
In the replay, it was one-way traffic though the French side left it late to score their goals. Vujovic put the French team 1-0 up on 77 minutes and doubled it on 84. Further goals from Reinders (85) and Vercruysee (89) made the aggregate score 6-1 to Bordeaux.
Alas, it’s proved to be Waterford’s last venture into Europe. Who knows what the future will hold, but memories of Lansdowne and Old Trafford, Parkhead and the Iron Curtain, will live long in the memory of both players and fans alike.
WATERFORD FC -v- BRAY
WATERFORD FC -v- KERRY FC
WEXFORD FC -v- WATERFORD FC
WATERFORD FC -v- GALWAY UNITED
WATERFORD FC -v- ATHLONE TOWN FINN HARPS -v- WATERFORD FC
WATERFORD FC -v- COBH RAMBLERS
LONGFORD TOWN -v- WATERFORD FC
WATERFORD FC -v- WEXFORD FC
GALWAY UNITED -v- WATERFORD FC
KERRY FC -v- WATERFORD FC
WATERFORD FC -v- TREATY UNITED
Image Credit: Noel Browne
