Waterford United -v- Mervue United
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Waterford United play host to Mervue United on Saturday (3pm kick-off) in the first ever meeting between the clubs. The Galway side have made a promising start to their inaugural season in the league. They will travel to Suirside aiming to consolidate their mid-table position and with confidence of matching promotion chasing Waterford. Indeed two of Mervue’s three wins this season have come away from home so their challenge should not be underestimated in what should prove to be a fascinating game.
The Blues’ are in excellent form however, they have won their last five games and boast the most prolific frontline in the league. Graham Cummins is the league’s top scorer with seven goals while strike partner Willie John Kiely is one behind on six. They travelled to Jackman Park last time out and came away with a very impressive 2-0 win, a display which saw Waterford patiently subdue the Limerick challenge before their free-scoring front men bagged a goal each. Manager Stephen Henderson was understandably delighted with the result:
"This was a fantastic result for us, under very difficult circumstances. As I always said about this team, if you want to play football we can play, if you want a battle then we can do that as well. Limerick are a good side, one of the best we have played to date this season. They had five players spread across the middle and their No. 10 [Wayne Colbert] was allowed make some good runs into our box, but thankfully we put that right in the second half. It was not pretty by any means, but I felt we dominated the second half completely.
"It was our defence that really pleased me this evening, we never looked like conceding, the clean sheet really pleased me and when they did get a chance Michael Devine was excellent between the posts. At the moment we have Willie John [Kiely], Graham Cummins and David Grincell [who scored two in the recent Munster Senior Cup match] all in good scoring form, and they will worry any defence. Waterford United at the moment are a well balanced side with each player giving his all for the club, and that is a combination that could take us far."
Mervue also played well in their last outing. Johnny Glynn’s men conceded a 92nd minute winner to UCD when they looked to have all but secured an excellent point against the league leaders. Having matched a top-three team for much of the game last time out, the Westerners will not be over-awed by this encounter.
They will be without a couple of players through injury and suspension however. Nigel Keady (knee) and Noel McDonnell (groin) are still out while Ger McGrath won’t travel having injured his groin and back against UCD. Another loss from that game is goal-scorer Nicky Curran who is suspended following his late red card. Waterford have benefited this season from a settled side, with six ever-presents in their eight league games thus far. This trend looks set to continue as Henderson has virtually the same panel to select from with his only injury worry being midfielder Paul Carey who took a knock to his ankle.
This game is shaping up to be an intriguing test of the home side’s promotion credentials. Mervue have not looked out of place in any game so far this season and pushed the leaders all the way last week. With ten points from their eight games they have shown they can hold their own in this league. Waterford are in superb form however and will be hoping to make this their sixth straight league victory.
Betting: Waterford: 2/7, Mervue: 15/2, Draw: 7/2
Extratime.ie prediction: This will be a tight game but Waterford are scoring goals for fun at the moment. 2-0 Waterford.
The Blues’ are in excellent form however, they have won their last five games and boast the most prolific frontline in the league. Graham Cummins is the league’s top scorer with seven goals while strike partner Willie John Kiely is one behind on six. They travelled to Jackman Park last time out and came away with a very impressive 2-0 win, a display which saw Waterford patiently subdue the Limerick challenge before their free-scoring front men bagged a goal each. Manager Stephen Henderson was understandably delighted with the result:
"This was a fantastic result for us, under very difficult circumstances. As I always said about this team, if you want to play football we can play, if you want a battle then we can do that as well. Limerick are a good side, one of the best we have played to date this season. They had five players spread across the middle and their No. 10 [Wayne Colbert] was allowed make some good runs into our box, but thankfully we put that right in the second half. It was not pretty by any means, but I felt we dominated the second half completely.
"It was our defence that really pleased me this evening, we never looked like conceding, the clean sheet really pleased me and when they did get a chance Michael Devine was excellent between the posts. At the moment we have Willie John [Kiely], Graham Cummins and David Grincell [who scored two in the recent Munster Senior Cup match] all in good scoring form, and they will worry any defence. Waterford United at the moment are a well balanced side with each player giving his all for the club, and that is a combination that could take us far."
Mervue also played well in their last outing. Johnny Glynn’s men conceded a 92nd minute winner to UCD when they looked to have all but secured an excellent point against the league leaders. Having matched a top-three team for much of the game last time out, the Westerners will not be over-awed by this encounter.
They will be without a couple of players through injury and suspension however. Nigel Keady (knee) and Noel McDonnell (groin) are still out while Ger McGrath won’t travel having injured his groin and back against UCD. Another loss from that game is goal-scorer Nicky Curran who is suspended following his late red card. Waterford have benefited this season from a settled side, with six ever-presents in their eight league games thus far. This trend looks set to continue as Henderson has virtually the same panel to select from with his only injury worry being midfielder Paul Carey who took a knock to his ankle.
This game is shaping up to be an intriguing test of the home side’s promotion credentials. Mervue have not looked out of place in any game so far this season and pushed the leaders all the way last week. With ten points from their eight games they have shown they can hold their own in this league. Waterford are in superb form however and will be hoping to make this their sixth straight league victory.
Betting: Waterford: 2/7, Mervue: 15/2, Draw: 7/2
Extratime.ie prediction: This will be a tight game but Waterford are scoring goals for fun at the moment. 2-0 Waterford.
About Dean Hayes
Dean covers Waterford United and, due to a challenge from Gareth, writes in an increasingly Gonzo style. Having found himself with a considerable surplus of a culinary herb, Dean founded sister 'site extrathyme.ie some years … View Full Profile