FAI CUP FINAL 2026 COUNTDOWN: ‘My loyalty has to be to Waterford’ – Alan Reynolds

For Alan Reynolds, discussing the upcoming Club Orange FAI Cup Final is bittersweet. Waterford FC knocked his Bohemians side out in the semi-final, but memories of leading his hometown club to the 2004 decider still bring a smile. Twenty-two years later, that campaign remains a defining chapter in his coaching career.

His move into management came earlier than expected. Jimmy McGeough, who brought Waterford back to the Premier Division in 2002, departed at the end of 2003 amid turmoil and local unrest. Reynolds was away when the opportunity arose.

“I went to Australia for a month, say around Christmas time, and it was all chaos over Jimmy getting sacked or whatever was going on, and then I was getting a call, would I be interested in taking over,” he recalls. His father urged him not to get involved.

Instead, discussions with chairman Ger O Brien produced a plan: Reynolds would become player-manager, with Paul McGrath as director of football. The partnership generated international headlines but proved short-lived, McGrath departing within months. On the pitch, however, the players responded.

“It was a really good year. I had brilliant players there,” Reynolds says, naming Daryl Murphy, Dave Mulcahy, Pat Purcell, David Breen, Dan Connor, Willie Bruton and John Frost. He is modest about his own contribution: “But they had a manager that really hadn't a clue, you know, that was coming in, and never thought about managing, and just had a good group of players.” A comfortable mid-table league finish represented a decent return for a rookie manager. The cup run offered something more, with Murphy and Bruton supplying the goals that made Waterford dangerous.

Murphy scored twice against First Division Sligo Rovers, then four against Kilkenny City, while Bruton added a hat-trick. “Having him in your team and Willie Bruton, and you always had a chance in all the games,” Reynolds says.

The quarter-final brought a scare against Rockmount. The Cork side led by two goals before Waterford recovered, with Pat Keane (Roy’s brother) having an injury-time goal disallowed. In the replay, a late PJ Banville goal secured a narrow 2-1 victory.

An away semi-final against Derry City at the Brandywell looked an unforgiving draw. In dreadful conditions, Murphy gave Waterford an early lead, but Derry equalised within five minutes. Then, late in the first half, the Blues won a penalty and the unlikely figure of Dan Connor stepped forward.

Reynolds remembers Stephen Kenny's side as favourites. Murphy would normally have taken the penalty, although Reynolds cannot recall precisely why he did not. Preparation helped make an unusual decision possible.

“We'd obviously practised, because you're coming to a semi-final in the Cup, make sure you leave no stone unturned. You practise penalties but I don't know if it was brave or foolish, but it obviously worked out in the day, and Dan still talks about it to this day.” The final against Longford was tight, its outcome transformed by four frantic minutes near the end. Reynolds's recollection begins with an injury and a decision he still regrets.

“I got a dead leg early in the game. I really should have taken myself off, you know, but being stubborn, stayed on.” He reassured goalkeeping coach Wayne Russell that he could continue, although he was limping.

Alan Kirby's goal remains vivid. With a second ball on the pitch, Reynolds walked past Kirby to kick that ball into the stand rather than deal with the one Kirby received. Their conversations since have revisited the moment.

“He thought he was waiting for the referee's whistle to blow. So he said, look, it's a free shot. And he hit it so well and went in!” Another goal minutes later allowed Longford to retain the cup. Waterford's dream was over, leaving a defeat whose disappointment endured well beyond the final whistle.

Now Reynolds believes the Blues have a fair chance of ending their 46-year wait. He sees match winners on both sides and contrasting approaches that could make this a compelling final.

Derry's Micky Duffy and Darragh Burns stand out for him, while Waterford's two forwards offer their own threat. Much may depend on how those attacking strengths meet the opposition's defensive organisation.

“You know, Waterford are more direct, get it up to a few strikers and try and deal with them, where Derry will use the pitch, the pitch is massive. It'll be interesting to see how the two Derry centre-backs deal with the two Waterford centre-forwards.” There are personal connections on both sides. Reynolds has worked as Derry's assistant manager and retains friendships there. Waterford, meanwhile, ended his own cup campaign with Bohs. Yet when asked where his allegiance lies, the answer is straightforward.

“My loyalty has to be to Waterford, isn't it? Like, I want to see them do well, but I have a lot of good friends up in Derry, and it's a great club, and I think it will be a great final.” 

He hopes Waterford supporters match the large Derry following he expects. His own experience explains why the occasion matters: “As I said, you mightn't get the chance for a long time!” For Reynolds, another final brings fresh hope alongside memories that have never entirely faded.