Waterford FC manager Alan Reynolds looked back at the 2019 season following the full-time whistle at the RSC on Friday night. “To finish sixth is a good return for us considering where we were some time ago. People have been talking about how good Sligo Rovers have been doing but we have finished above them, so we have come a long way considering all of the chopping and changing that went on during the course of the season. To be honest it felt more than two or three seasons to me. I believe if we had the group of players we have now we would have finished higher on the league table. It took players like Sam Bone, Walter Figueira and Michael O’Connor time to get up to speed but when they did we looked a real threat and I believe we would have been closer to Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers and so on.
Frankie Walsh was the October winner of the Blue Supporters Club Draw and he is pictured receiving his prize sponsored by Dungarvan Brewing Company from Martin Walker, Chairman BSC and Owen Power, Treasurer BSC
“Having said that with all of the chopping and changing we were not good enough to qualify for Europe. Lee Power is staying on which is good and I will be having a conversation with him to see what his plans are. Despite the fact that we were leading 2-1 I had a right pop at the players at half-time tonight and then I realised that they are now all unemployed and they will have no wages and that is very tough on them. I know other clubs have been on to them and rightly so. We simply do not have our house in order at the moment to offer them anything.
“It is hard to know right now how my talks with Lee Power will go. The fact is he cannot keep the club going on his own and he needs help. Just look at what is happening to Limerick at the moment. There will be cutbacks next season and he needs support from the business community of Waterford. He has given me a chance to manage this club and I really appreciate that fact. We need help from the community and we also require bigger gates at our home games. Of course, I would love to be in the dugout again next season but I will have to wait and see what happens. We have had three great seasons and I am proud of that fact. We have won promotion, then finished fourth and now sixth and no one can take that away from me. People may not agree with me and I know everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I am proud of what I have done here. There is a lot of talking to be done during the coming weeks so let’s just wait and see what happens”, concluded the Blues gaffer.
