Waterford FC Jamu Shamrock Rovers di RSC

Waterford FC bakal menjamu juara bertahan sekaligus pemimpin klasemen, Shamrock Rovers, dalam lanjutan kompetisi SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division di RSC pada Jumat malam waktu setempat.

Klub berjuluk The Blues tersebut mengincar momentum kebangkitan setelah meraih kemenangan telak 4-0 atas Sligo Rovers minggu lalu lewat trigol Pádraig Amond dan gol Jorgen Voilas. Hasil itu memangkas jarak posisi ke-10 yang dihuni Waterford menjadi hanya terpaut lima poin dari Sligo Rovers di peringkat kesembilan.

Di sisi lain, Shamrock Rovers bertandang ke RSC setelah menelan kekalahan 2-1 dari Shelbourne FC pekan lalu. Tim asuhan Stephen Bradley ini masih memimpin klasemen dengan koleksi 40 poin dari 21 laga, unggul lima poin dari pesaing terdekatnya.

Skuat Shamrock Rovers dipastikan tampil tanpa kapten Roberto Lopes yang absen demi membela tim nasional Tanjung Verde di Piala Dunia FIFA 2026. Sementara itu, Waterford FC juga kehilangan Evan McLoughlin dan Finlay Armstrong akibat cedera, serta Cian Barrett yang terkendala klausul peminjaman.

Kendati demikian, rekrutan baru Waterford FC, Goforth Amedu, dipastikan sudah siap diturunkan setelah merampungkan sesi latihan sepanjang pekan ini.

Pelatih Waterford FC, Graham Coughlan, mengingatkan anak asuhnya untuk tetap membumi demi menjaga konsistensi permainan skuatnya.

"Games like last week the euphoria can soon disappear, but it’s up to our lads now to go try and maintain that and build on it, and try carry it on." ujar Graham Coughlan, Pelatih Waterford FC.

Coughlan menambahkan bahwa kondisi mental dan kepercayaan diri anak asuhnya saat ini berada dalam tingkat yang sangat baik untuk menghadapi tantangan besar dari sang juara bertahan.

"The squad is in a good place at this moment in time. That momentum can be built upon, or it can go the other way. So it’s up to us to try and keep our feet on the ground, keep them level headed, and make sure they keep the confidence they’ve built up." kata Graham Coughlan, Pelatih Waterford FC.

Arsitek asal Irlandia tersebut juga memuji kualitas Shamrock Rovers sebagai tim terbaik di negara tersebut selama beberapa tahun terakhir.

"We’ve got the massive hurdle of the champions coming to the RSC tomorrow night, probably the best team in Ireland over the last number of years. It’s a brilliant challenge for the group, and it’s one that the lads will be looking forward to" tutur Graham Coughlan, Pelatih Waterford FC.

Coughlan mengaku sangat puas terhadap performa disiplin lini belakang skuatnya saat mencatatkan hasil tanpa kebobolan pada pertandingan sebelumnya.

"It was a really good performance last Friday, especially in the second half. I thought that once Sligo went down to ten men, we managed the game really well and it was a really pleasing result for us. Probably the most pleasing aspect of it was the clean sheet." sebut Graham Coughlan, Pelatih Waterford FC.

Menurutnya, raihan poin penuh tersebut menjadi tolok ukur penting bagi sisa kompetisi musim ini agar timnya terus meraih kemenangan.

"It was a big win for us, coming off the back of the break & what happened to us in Drogheda before the break. It sets a marker for us for the rest of the year. We have to make sure we put in performances like that now each week and start picking up wins no matter how we do it." ungkap Graham Coughlan, Pelatih Waterford FC.

Ia menegaskan seluruh elemen tim telah bekerja keras sepanjang pekan demi mengamankan hasil positif di hadapan pendukung sendiri.

"I’m looking forward to the game tomorrow night now against Shamrock Rovers. It will be a tough game against the Champions, but we’ll go into the game believing in ourselves that we can cause trouble throughout the ninety minutes. We’ve recovered well from last Friday night, and the whole group has worked hard all week on the training ground, so now we'll do everything we can to go get a result at the RSC." pungkas Graham Coughlan, Pelatih Waterford FC.

Pada pertandingan lain di divisi yang sama, St Patrick's Athletic bersiap menghadapi Sligo Rovers di Richmond Park, sementara Bohemians dijadwalkan bertanding melawan Dundalk di Dalymount Park, dan Galway United akan bersua Derry City di Pearse Stadium.