“Hopefully this result will put out a statement”
Waterford FC's Connor Parsons loves a goal in Tallaght. Here he was celebrating after the win over Shamrock Rovers with Niall O'Keefe. Photos: Inpho/Ben Brady.
After his blockbuster strike that helped Waterford FC win promotion back to the Premier League, Connor Parsons continued his love affair with Tallaght Stadium as he scored another stunner in Bank Holiday Monday’s super SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division success over Shamrock Rovers.
Parsons grabbed the all-important crucial third goal with a brilliant left-footed effort after some good work from Maleace Asamoah and the English native is hoping that his side can gain confidence from this result as the Blues won for the first-ever time at the home of the champions.
Speaking after the game, Parsons said: “I love a goal in Tallaght and it’s my first goal of the season so what a place to do it. I’m buzzing with that. It’s a great weekend for the club to get six points in four days. It’s massive.
“It’s a very tight league so to pick up six points pushes us up a bit, and I think that it’s a proper statement that we’ve put out to the league. We’ve come here to Shamrock Rovers and got the three points. Nobody else has been able to do that this season so it’s a massive achievement.
“I love playing with Podge (Amond). He has so much experience and is so wise. Every day in training, he is giving me little tips. Honestly what he does for the group is unbelievable. For him to be doing the running and everything he does at 36 years old is unbelievable.
“I’ve never seen anything like it to be honest. He gives us all so much trust and confidence when the ball goes up the pitch that he is going to get a little head on it or somehow going to make something happen like me to run off him and gamble. Honestly he is great to play with.”
Asked how far the team can go this season, Parsons added: “As a group, we feel that we can be in the European spots. We’re just taking each game as it comes. Everyone at the start of the season was saying that we just want to survive and that is still the ultimate goal.
“But I think that as you can see, there isn’t really much in this league. It’s very tight and to pick up six points in our last two games and to win at Tallaght Stadium, I think that it shows what we can do and we just need to keep believing.
“I think that it’s more of the belief that we need to do. We need to believe in ourselves, continue to do the hard work on the training ground and under the gaffer, we can do great things I think. I think that you see how much this meant to the fans as well.
“I think that I saw something that we hadn’t won against Rovers in the last 13 visits or something like that so this is an evening and result that they will live long in the memory. To be a part of that is a great feeling and I hope that they can keep getting behind us. They’ll be going home very happy.”
Parsons heaped praise on the Tallaght pitch as a big reason for the result. “You know what it is as well – it’s the Tallaght pitch because you don’t get many pitches like that in any other stadium in the league. It really is second to none.
“It gives a lot of players confidence that they know that they don’t have to worry about a bobble or what’s going to happen under their feet. They can look up more. It does make a big difference. I think that if I could play in Tallaght every week that I’d have a nice time.
“I think that the confidence that we’ll get from these two games is going to be massive. I think that it also puts out a statement to the league that we’re not just here to take part, but that we’re here to compete.”
