Henderson praises hard working squad
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Waterford United manager Stephen Henderson spoke to extratime.ie last night after watching his side beat Shamrock Rovers 2-1 to progress to the semi-final of the EA Sports Cup. The Suirsiders deservingly came out on top against their Premier Division opponents and continued their exceptional run of form in all competitions.
The Blues are operating with one of the smallest squads in the league and Henderson is placing trust in his younger players to step up when other players need a rest. Kieran Fitzgerald started last night and turned in an excellent display in centre-midfield and the Blues’ boss was impressed by the players who came into the side. “ Yeah Kieran was great, Gary Dunphy hadn’t played in a while but was great, Grincell hadn’t played in a while [but] played against UCD last week and worked his socks off. Then you have to look at the players carrying injuries as well, Kevin Murray with shin splints, Fletch [Kenny Browne] with shin splints, then we had Kevin Waters on the bench with a bruised calf. They’re all injured but you know, they’re coming out onto the pitch and we just ask of them to empty the tank every time they go out and play and I think when you do that and you have enough good players on the pitch, you know, you get your rewards.”
Quarter finals tend to be tight affairs and, with two of the three goals last night coming from set-pieces, this one was no different. The home side defended admirably and Rovers only had one clear cut chance during the whole game, but how much of this nullification was down to the manager’s tactics and how much down to the players’ efforts? “It was the player’s because ultimately what gets you clean sheets is hard work, obviously you have to have a good understanding of the game, which all our back four and goalkeeper do. We had a relatively inexperienced midfield but when we needed to keep narrow we did and when we needed to try and make the pitch a bit bigger I thought we did that as well. The conditions didn’t, kind of, allow for expansive football but it was going to be a battle, we turned it into a battle and then we came up with two great strikes.”
Waterford’s attention now turns back to the league and the chase for promotion. They travel to Morton Stadium on Friday to take on fellow challengers Sporting Fingal and it’s a challenge Henderson is looking forward to. “[I] can’t wait for that now, you know, these boys need a rest now, they’re all in the ice baths inside and we’ll get them massaged tomorrow. Hopefully they’ll all be charged up for the Fingal game on Friday.”
The Blues are operating with one of the smallest squads in the league and Henderson is placing trust in his younger players to step up when other players need a rest. Kieran Fitzgerald started last night and turned in an excellent display in centre-midfield and the Blues’ boss was impressed by the players who came into the side. “ Yeah Kieran was great, Gary Dunphy hadn’t played in a while but was great, Grincell hadn’t played in a while [but] played against UCD last week and worked his socks off. Then you have to look at the players carrying injuries as well, Kevin Murray with shin splints, Fletch [Kenny Browne] with shin splints, then we had Kevin Waters on the bench with a bruised calf. They’re all injured but you know, they’re coming out onto the pitch and we just ask of them to empty the tank every time they go out and play and I think when you do that and you have enough good players on the pitch, you know, you get your rewards.”
Quarter finals tend to be tight affairs and, with two of the three goals last night coming from set-pieces, this one was no different. The home side defended admirably and Rovers only had one clear cut chance during the whole game, but how much of this nullification was down to the manager’s tactics and how much down to the players’ efforts? “It was the player’s because ultimately what gets you clean sheets is hard work, obviously you have to have a good understanding of the game, which all our back four and goalkeeper do. We had a relatively inexperienced midfield but when we needed to keep narrow we did and when we needed to try and make the pitch a bit bigger I thought we did that as well. The conditions didn’t, kind of, allow for expansive football but it was going to be a battle, we turned it into a battle and then we came up with two great strikes.”
Waterford’s attention now turns back to the league and the chase for promotion. They travel to Morton Stadium on Friday to take on fellow challengers Sporting Fingal and it’s a challenge Henderson is looking forward to. “[I] can’t wait for that now, you know, these boys need a rest now, they’re all in the ice baths inside and we’ll get them massaged tomorrow. Hopefully they’ll all be charged up for the Fingal game on Friday.”
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