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eircom League Cup

Date	29/10/2001
Score (Blues First)	2 - 1
Venue	RSC, Waterford
Kick Off	7.30 PM (Delayed 15 mins Kilkenny players late)
Attendance	750
Weather	Cold and damp
Referee	P. Buttimer
Goal Scorers	Bradley, Wood
Cards	Yellow: Breen, C. O'Brien
Pitch	Looked good after October rain

Just as the Blues are starting to roll we got an unwelcome break in the way of the League Cup. After two wins in a row this meaningless competition came at the right wrong time, as we chasing down the top two in the First Division. The regionalised draw made by the FAI and a home tie for the Blues was the only consolation as we faced local rivals Kilkenny City. It must be said that games between the teams over the last four years have been a really poor standard with little or no goals.

Kick off was delayed by 15 minutes as a crash occurred on the Dublin To Waterford Road and with most of the Kilkenny players from Dublin they were delayed getting to the RSC. Whether PP used it as a tactical move to run hard at the Cats straight from kick off as they had little time to warm up it paid dividends as Bradley went through after 2 minutes only for former Blues goalkeeper David O'Neill to save well at Eric's feet. Only minutes later and Bradley made up for his miss as again the Kilkenny defence went missing and he slotted the ball home. The Cats were at sixes and sevens all over the pitch and Waterford continued to put them under pressure finding gaps everywhere in the backline as their defence pushed up the pitch. Then the moment we were all waiting for and thought would never come a Barry Wood goal. Leahy whipped the ball in from the left and two players at the near post completely missed it, then Wood sung his leg at the ball from 3 yards out missed the ball, but his standing leg got in the way, touched the e ball and it bounced into the net. No one in the ground looked as surprised as Woody himself as he finally recorded a goal in a Blue jersey. So after two goalless draws this year between the near neighbours Waterford had scored twice within 10 minutes. For the next 15 minutes we kept pushing Kilkenny back into their half but failed to add another goal as we missed chance after chance. It was the remaining 20 minutes which disappointed the supporters most, we stopped playing, never battled, and basically begged Kilkenny to attack us. The Cats didn't need a second invitation and duly scored late in the half when Brendan Rea slipped 5 yards outside our penalty area and let Kilkennys Moore in on goal to shoot passed Binder.

The second half was a typical of derby affair, scrappy with little or no football. What is it with the current Blues team, are we afraid to lose? afraid to hammer a team? lacking belief in our own ability? Because our second half display was the worst we played for sometime. We had Kilkenny on the run and never put them away, look what Limerick did to us, they turned the screw and drove us into the ground. We let Kilkenny off the hook and nearly paid for it as they came closest to scoring as we sat back. In the end we held on and recorded our third win on the trot and now have a break this weekend. Most of the individual performances were quite good on the night, but as we lost control of the game mid way through the second half, changes needed to be made. PP reluctance to make a change as the game slid away from us is worrying, we all remember Mike Flanagan never made a subsitution when players were on their knees or not having a good game, PP don't go the same way! Tactics play a big part in football at this level and you have to be able to changes things around during a game to turn it in your favour.

Through to round 2 or round 3 depending what the FAI do now that 11 teams are left in the League Cup and surely 6 teams will have to play in the next round with 5 getting a bye. The Blues could be only three games away from lifting the League Cup for the first time since 1985. Sorry starting to dream again!!!!!!

One more thing, I feel very sorry for David Moore, he played his best game for the Blues 2 weeks ago, we signed Colin O'Brien from Cork and he has been left out in the cold. Colin didn't do too much in Cobh, but this was understandable as it was his first game with new players, new system and adjusting to a lower standard of football. But last night against Kilkenny he didn't look interested, he never called for the ball and never helped Breener at right full. Moorey was sitting watching this beside PP and must have wondered what he did wrong? David take your time, that your position at right midfield and I feel PP will realise this soon. In this Division you need a heart and a will to play, you can't stroll around the pitch with bags of skill but unwilling to use it.