'I genuinely believe that we can overachieve' - Jon Daly
Waterford head coach FC Jon Daly during the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division Launch 2026 at Whelan's in Dublin.
Waterford FC manager Jon Daly believes that his side can overachieve and really compete in the top half of the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division that gets underway with a home game against Shelbourne at the RSC on this Friday evening, February 6, with a 7.45pm kick-off.
After the Blues needed three managers to get them through 2025 that ultimately ended in relegation/playoff win over Bray Wanderers, new boss Daly is hoping that it will be better stuff this year and that his squad can be overachievers.
Speaking ahead of the new season, Daly said: “Look we want to try compete. When you look at the league, 40% of the league will qualify for Europe every year with the cup included. It’s obviously a high percentage. We have to feel and believe that we can punch above our weight.
“We know where we are in terms of budgets and stuff like that. I do think that there is a bit of split when it comes to the budgets and how much other clubs are offering players. We have to believe that we can compete with anyone. I know that we can win any game that we go into otherwise it will be a waste of time.
“I genuinely believe that we can compete and we can overachieve, which is what I’ll be looking to do. Whether that comes off or not we’ll see, but I think first and foremost that we have to make sure that we’re nowhere near where we were last year.”
Commenting on the off-season and whether the club were approached for Padraig Amond, Daly added: “ “I don’t know. It didn’t come to me. Probably one of the first calls I made was to have a chat with him. I expressed how much I wanted to keep him in the building and how much I seen him play a big part for Waterford this year and beyond. He’s happy, he’s settled, and obviously he is a Waterford FC player for the foreseeable.
Daly continued: “It was a complete rebuild and it was probably a bigger job that I anticipated when I went in. We obviously lost a lot of bodies. I think that there was 15 players including Stevie McMullan that had left the club, but we brought Stevie back.
“We’ve brought 11 in so far. It’s a complete rebuild of forming new relationships with players and with the group to understand what everyone wants. I’ve worked with one or two of them before which is helpful, but as I said, I probably didn’t anticipate that it was going to be like that when I spoke to the club and accepted the job.”
Daly admits that it would be a more ideal scenario if have a firmer squad choice. “I think that the ideal scenario is that you have a squad together and you build on that year on year by adding a sprinkle of players, which you can see that another lot of clubs are doing. They’ve a bones of a team together, but we’ve obviously had to come in and completely rebuild it.
“It’s a long term thing potentially, but as you said, results will dictate. Sometimes, as a manager, you don’t get that time. I’m obviously come in and made decisions that I felt were necessary. You obviously have to do that and back yourself to do that.
“Every season, I think that every manager and team go into the season with a great expectation and you have to try live up to that. I think from my point of view, we have to be real about where we’re at. Like we were one game away from getting relegated last year.
“There has to be a sense of realism and an understanding that a lot of the teams that were in the league previously have strengthened by two or three players after having the bones of squads there. We’re going to have to try hit the ground running by getting some points and results on the board.
“We will have to try build on that and try build confidence from that. I think it’s a league where everyone is capable of beating everyone on any gaining day. We just have to make sure that we stay in games and give ourselves the best opportunity to get points.”
Asked where he was with his squad under a week out, Daly said: “We’re a couple light, but we’re not a million miles away from where we need to be. We’ve obviously done a lot of work early in letting bodies go. We probably missed out on a few and that’s probably when I had the sense of realism that it was going to be more difficult than I had hoped.
“We’re probably two or three players light. I’m having conversations with players and clubs, but nothing is done until it is done. I’m happy with getting Benny (Couto) and Evan (McLaughlin) in. I thought Benny started the season really well last year until he got an injury.
“I was watching the league as a fan and I thought that he was excellent. He couldn’t get back into the team when he got injured. I think he is a fantastic player. Obviously Evan had a really good season in terms of his output in goals and assists. He is a talented player, who can play in a lot of different positions. He gives us good versatility and he’ll add to that attacking threat that we have.
“What I have learned is that a lot of players like to stay near Dublin and be close to Dublin. I’ve learnt that a lot about players that I’ve went after. It’s not a million miles away. I think it’s about two hours but that’s probably something that I’ve found more difficult when I was speaking to players as they were more inclined to stay near Dublin.
“That’s probably the central kind of hub. It’s only when you become a manager and into a club like Waterford that you realise and understand that. I think throughout my playing career, two hours was nothing so I find it difficult to buy that as an excuse.
“I found that really tough, but you quickly realise that you have to try get players, but you’ve got to understand that it is a priority for people in the league that they want to be close to Dublin so we’ve had to manage that which has been an eyeopener.”
