Waterford FC v Derry City FC, League of Ireland Premier Division Round 34, RSC Waterford, Friday 17th October 2025 kick-off 7.45pm
As we head into the final trio of Premier Division matches
in 2025, Derry City have strengthened their standing in the European spots with
a 94th minute Michael Duffy winner at home to Sligo Rovers last time
out. That’s extended City’s unbeaten run to six, but they face a resurgent
Waterford side who, under new management, want to distance themselves from the
relegation zone between now and November 1st.
Derry City:
With the game against Sligo Rovers moved to Sunday thanks to
Storm Amy, it was the home side who had to weather another storm from the south
in the first twenty five minutes of the half. Sligo Rovers were all over Derry,
pressing high, getting balls into the box and keeping City penned into their
own half. Teenage sensation Owen Elding and Ireland U21 international Jad
Hakiki ran the show for the away side in the early stages.
As the half hour mark passed, it was Derry City who
should’ve opened the scoring when Adam O’Reilly side-footed the ball over the
crossbar from within the box after being laid off by Michael Duffy. The
midfielder, who has been in fine form of late, fired straight at Sam Sargeant
just five minutes later with another golden opportunity. Despite taking a while
to grow into the game, City should’ve led at the break.
Derry turned the screw in the second half as Sligo Rovers
changed their approach. Michael Duffy was a thorn in the side of the Sligo
rearguard and forced Sargeant into big saves with strong efforts from near and
far range. Duffy flicked it over the keeper later in the half but found the
angle too tight to finish, before seeing Danny Mullen’s follow-up effort
brilliantly blocked by Sean Stewart.
Brandon Fleming and Michael Duffy again came close for the
hosts, the former fizzing one across the face of the goal and the latter firing
narrowly over from outside the area. City were coming closer as the game went
on and, with the clock seconds away from striking 94, finally found a precious
opener. Robbie Benson did well to deceive the defender and float a left-footed
ball into the box. Missed by Patrick McClean, the ball bounced perfectly for
Michael Duffy to nod back across goal and send the Brandywell into raptures.
The winger’s eleventh of the year in all competitions, and it may prove to be
the most important.
The game against Sligo Rovers wasn’t a classic. For the
early part of the first half, Derry looked like the side who were playing away
from home. The energy and shape of Sligo meant that City struggled to grow into
the game and fashion any chances in the first half hour. In saying that, Rovers
didn’t create many good opportunities. Those fell to Adam O’Reilly for Derry,
who would’ve been kicking himself by not finishing at least one of the two big
chances. Despite that, his engine playing in the midfield and out wide was
formidable – it was another brilliant performance by City’s number eight.
Brandon Fleming and Michael Duffy look to be building a
great relationship on the left flank, clearly on the same wavelength and
knowing how to get the best out of each other. Fleming came close twice for
City, while Duffy could’ve had three on another night. That new contract for
City’s star player looks more worth it with every touch of the ball. What a
player.
Sam Todd went his second consecutive game without playing
due to an injury concern, and Carl Winchester’s first half departure won’t have
filled Tiernan Lynch with much faith. With Dipo Akinyemi, Liam Boyce, Ben
Doherty and Alex Bannon all out for the rest of the season, we can’t be
affording many more casualties.
Robbie Benson played almost seventy minutes and fashioned
the winner late on, while Cameron Dummigan saw more minutes in the tank after a
hefty injury layoff. Gavin Whyte was introduced before the hour mark and showed
a few nice touches as the game went on too. If I was Tiernan Lynch and had a
chequebook and pen in front of me though, I’d be all over Jad Hakiki and Edwin
Agbaje who both looked like quality players for the Bit’O’Red.
With Bohemians and St Pat’s both having games in hand on
Derry City, and Shelbourne winning both of theirs, Michael Duffy’s last-gasp
winner means that our European fate is still in our own hands. I won’t get too
carried away, because I remember what happened this time last year when we had
our title hopes in our own hands, but victory in Waterford could all but
confirm a top three finish. Holding onto second spot could be huge though -if
Shamrock Rovers win the cup, second place in the league will enter the Europa
League rather than the Conference League, meaning we’d have at least two separate
European ties next summer.
With just nine points left to play for, and our last three
games being two trips to Munster and a home game against the to-be champions,
this Waterford game is absolutely not one you’d want to be losing. The Blues
picked up their first win in eight games in all competitions las time out,
albeit doing us a favour by beating Drogheda United, but it’s paramount that we
don’t fall victim to the new manager bounce. Victory on Friday would be worth
it’s weight in UEFA-distributed, European qualification gold.
Waterford:
Waterford’s second season back in the Premier Division after
being promoted ahead of the 2024 campaign has been, all-in-all, unremarkable.
An impressive start of three wins from their first four league games saw the
Blues floating around the top four by early March. Their youthful side looked
the real deal in their 2-1 win in the Brandywell in late February, but a run of
seven straight losses between March and mid April put an end to any hype.
Another 2-1 win over Derry City, this time at home, began a
four game winning run coming out of the Easter period but that too was followed
by just one win in the next eight. That run was eventually compounded by a 7-2
demolition in the Brandywell in July.
With just one league win in three months, and knocked out of
the FAI Cup at the third round stage by Munster rivals and eventual finalists
Cork City, the Blues’ season began to peter out. Embroiled in the relegation
scrap after seven straight losses, victory at home to Drogheda United may prove
to be Waterford’s most vital win of the year.
Now on their fourth managerial change of the season, and
third different manager, it’s a turbulent time for the Munstermen. Keith Long,
who led Waterford to promotion in 2023 and a 7th place finish last
year was sacked with three wins from ten this season. His interim replacement
Matt Lawlor, who has once again taken the reigns, won three of his four games
in temporary control. John Coleman, a man with plenty of experience in the
English Football League and who has been meme’d on multiple occasions, is the latest
managerial casualty after four wins from eighteen matches. That doesn’t make
for good reading at all if you’re of a Waterford persuasion.
Anything that’s been positive for Waterford this year has
come from their young players. 20 year old Fleetwood Town loanee goalkeeper
Stephen McMullan has been called into the Northern Ireland senior squad twice
and was on the bench for World Cup qualifiers against Germany and Luxembourg.
21 year old striker Tom Lonergan has bagged eight goals in thirty league
appearances, while Shamrock Rovers loanee Conan Noonan has chipped in with six
goals and five assists in league action. Northern Ireland U21 international Sam
Glenfield has been given plenty of gametime and it was 21 year old Kyle White
who opened the scoring in the Brandywell back in February.
Pádraig Amond, who seems to be aging like a fine wine, has
been Waterford’s standout for the second year running. A man with bags of
experience across the water, Amond has bagged thirteen league goals in 2025, just
one shy of his tally of fourteen from last year. With excellent movement and a
brilliant finish, Amond isn’t showing any sign of slowing down and is
talismanic in a struggling Waterford side. Andy Boyle, a former Ireland
international and one of the most experienced heads in the Waterford camp, recently
called time on his playing career and could prove to be a miss in the last few
games.
Eighth in the league and coming out of their poorest run of
form this year, Waterford will be desperate for a third win in four league
games over Derry City. Victory would avenge July’s 7-2 humiliation and dent the
Candystripes’ European aspirations. Not only that, it could haul Waterford
further away from the bottom two going into the final two games of the
campaign.
Once again hoping for the classic new manager bounce to take
effect, there’s pressure on the shoulders of Waterford’s big game players to
make the difference. With games against European hopefuls St Pat’s, and fellow
relegation rivals Galway United to follow, absolutely every kick of the ball
will be vital for Waterford in the next two weeks.
A large part of Waterford’s inconsistency is the amount of
change off the pitch. If four managerial switches in 33 games weren’t enough,
Waterford have a number of key players on loan while others have come in with
no experience of the league. Former Arsenal midfielders James Olayinka and Trae
Coyle have failed to set Munster alight, although former Liverpool and Rangers
man Jordan Rossiter has gone straight into that deep midfield role since
signing in the summer. Navajo Bakboord, who came in with big expectations after
making 22 Eredivisie appearances in 2023/24 lost his starting place after just
eight games and has failed to get back into the fold. The tough part for the
Waterford faithful is knowing that the likes of Lonergan, Glenfield, Noonan and
McMullan will all be departing at the end of the season. They can only hope to
be rebuilding in the Premier Division and not the First.
Round-up:
With just three games remaining, the outcome of Friday’s tie
will have consequences at either end of the table. The hosts Waterford find
themselves just three points above the relegation zone, but victory last time
out was their first in eight games and came at the perfect time, hoisting them
back to eighth from ninth place.
Derry City, making the long journey to Munster, sit just two
points clear of Shelbourne in third and four ahead of Bohemians in fourth.
Three points here, with just nine left to play for, could be Derry’s most vital
victory of the season and would be massive in guaranteeing a European spot.
2025 has seen a mixed bag of results between these two, with
Waterford beating City 2-1 both home and away. The Candystripes recorded their
biggest win of the league season at home to Waterford in July, winning 7-2.
Michael Duffy recorded four assists and a goal in that, while Gavin Whyte
picked up three assists and scored the seventh. No doubt the highlights reel
for that game will have been on repeat all week. With Derry City now unbeaten
in six matches, the Candystripes have hit form and begun to grind out results
at the perfect time.
Pól O’Hare – 14th October 2025
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