Henderson happy as Blues go ‘back to basics’
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
Waterford United easily overcame the challenge of Carrigaline United in the FAI Cup on Saturday. It was a very welcome win given the home side’s recent poor form. The Blues ran out 6-0 winners against their less-illustrious opposition and after the game extratime.ie caught up with a very relaxed Stephen Henderson.
The Waterford manager spoke in his pre-match notes about not underestimating the threat that the Cork side posed so he was understandably pleased by the manner of the victory even if he admits it wasn’t his primary focus. “It’s no disrespect to Carrigaline but today was all about the Athlone match. It was about getting back to the basics of pressing teams higher up the park, forcing teams into mistakes, playing the ball forward instead of sideways which we started to slip into over the last few weeks and getting at teams. And that’s what we done, you know, we got six goals but I don’t think ten would have flattered us, we missed some really good chances there as well.
"But overall the performance was something we spoke about during the week, about it being professional, working hard and carrying it through and if we could get two goals, get two and if we could get ten, take the ten.”
Willie John Kiely is currently the club’s leading scorer with 14 goals in all competitions; the striker netted two of the six against Carrigaline before being withdrawn with almost an hour played. Kiely has received plaudits from around the country, including here at extratime where he scooped our player of the month award for May and has gone from strength to strength so far this season. This is in stark contrast to last season when he could scarcely manage a run in the first team so how much credit does the new manager take for Kiely’s improved form?
“No I think it’s fair to say that when we’re talking to the players we tell them when things are going right they have to look at themselves, but equally when things are going wrong they have to look at themselves and we’ve tried to help Willie. We’ve put a bit of confidence into him alright but the majority of that is coming from Willie himself. Willie Kiely is a top footballer.
"You can see tonight the work rate, not only did he score the goals, but his work rate up front was phenomenal. We told him we were only giving him an hour because he’s suspended against Athlone and we had to get David [Grincell] used to working with Graham [Cummins] so I think if we had have left Willie on the pitch he probably would have doubled that tally.”
Another Waterford player having an excellent season is Kiely’s strike-partner Graham Cummins, the Cork man was signed from Cobh as a centre-back but has excelled up front. He also grabbed two goals on the night as well as taking home the man of the match award and Henderson believes that the big striker compliments his other forwards excellently.
“Yeah well I think the two of them up top kind of set the tone for us because that’s where we were, we were defending from wide at the back, our two forwards usually set the tone for us. I think we’re after dropping off so deep over the last weeks that the boys aren’t getting a sniff of the ball but the goals they scored tonight they made themselves from their work rate and closing down and that allowed the midfield [to get the ball]. Paul McCarthy seemed to be back to his best tonight, we’ve been missing Paul the last few weeks.”
Henderson already admitted seeing this game as a kind of warm-up for the Athlone game which takes place on Friday night at the RSC. A win in that game would go some way to getting the Blues’ title-challenge back on track after their recent slip-up and Henderson fully agrees and answers the question admirably, despite goalkeeper Mick Devine’s efforts to make him laugh as he watches on.
“Well yeah, [starts laughing at Devine]. Yeah, next week is the most [attempts to compose himself and continue answering]. Like I said no disrespect to Carrigaline but tonight’s match was about getting back to doing the right stuff for the Athlone match so, you know, I think we done that, we pressed hard, we worked hard and it just shows that anybody can play in goal for Waterford and not concede.”
The Waterford manager spoke in his pre-match notes about not underestimating the threat that the Cork side posed so he was understandably pleased by the manner of the victory even if he admits it wasn’t his primary focus. “It’s no disrespect to Carrigaline but today was all about the Athlone match. It was about getting back to the basics of pressing teams higher up the park, forcing teams into mistakes, playing the ball forward instead of sideways which we started to slip into over the last few weeks and getting at teams. And that’s what we done, you know, we got six goals but I don’t think ten would have flattered us, we missed some really good chances there as well.
"But overall the performance was something we spoke about during the week, about it being professional, working hard and carrying it through and if we could get two goals, get two and if we could get ten, take the ten.”
Willie John Kiely is currently the club’s leading scorer with 14 goals in all competitions; the striker netted two of the six against Carrigaline before being withdrawn with almost an hour played. Kiely has received plaudits from around the country, including here at extratime where he scooped our player of the month award for May and has gone from strength to strength so far this season. This is in stark contrast to last season when he could scarcely manage a run in the first team so how much credit does the new manager take for Kiely’s improved form?
“No I think it’s fair to say that when we’re talking to the players we tell them when things are going right they have to look at themselves, but equally when things are going wrong they have to look at themselves and we’ve tried to help Willie. We’ve put a bit of confidence into him alright but the majority of that is coming from Willie himself. Willie Kiely is a top footballer.
"You can see tonight the work rate, not only did he score the goals, but his work rate up front was phenomenal. We told him we were only giving him an hour because he’s suspended against Athlone and we had to get David [Grincell] used to working with Graham [Cummins] so I think if we had have left Willie on the pitch he probably would have doubled that tally.”
Another Waterford player having an excellent season is Kiely’s strike-partner Graham Cummins, the Cork man was signed from Cobh as a centre-back but has excelled up front. He also grabbed two goals on the night as well as taking home the man of the match award and Henderson believes that the big striker compliments his other forwards excellently.
“Yeah well I think the two of them up top kind of set the tone for us because that’s where we were, we were defending from wide at the back, our two forwards usually set the tone for us. I think we’re after dropping off so deep over the last weeks that the boys aren’t getting a sniff of the ball but the goals they scored tonight they made themselves from their work rate and closing down and that allowed the midfield [to get the ball]. Paul McCarthy seemed to be back to his best tonight, we’ve been missing Paul the last few weeks.”
Henderson already admitted seeing this game as a kind of warm-up for the Athlone game which takes place on Friday night at the RSC. A win in that game would go some way to getting the Blues’ title-challenge back on track after their recent slip-up and Henderson fully agrees and answers the question admirably, despite goalkeeper Mick Devine’s efforts to make him laugh as he watches on.
“Well yeah, [starts laughing at Devine]. Yeah, next week is the most [attempts to compose himself and continue answering]. Like I said no disrespect to Carrigaline but tonight’s match was about getting back to doing the right stuff for the Athlone match so, you know, I think we done that, we pressed hard, we worked hard and it just shows that anybody can play in goal for Waterford and not concede.”
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