“We’re only focused on one game at a time”
Blues' Ben McCormack celebrates after scoring his side's winning goal against St. Pat's with captain Darragh Leahy.
Ben McCormack popped up with his second league goal of the season as Waterford FC overcame the challenge of St. Patrick’s Athletic in their SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division clash played in front of 2786 supporters at the RSC on Thursday last.
Speaking on the win, the match winner said: “I’m definitely claiming the goal. It actually went in as he was saved it, it’s over the line, but I’m not sure if the referee gives it if the keeper doesn’t keep it in. I think that we have to give big credit to the defenders.
“I think that’s from everyone really. From Podge leading from the front, he really sets the tone for us. I don’t think that they had many chances – they did have a number of half chances. We got back around and made tackles. That’s our second cleansheet in a row now, and that’s something we are building on.
“We know that if we can keep cleansheets, we have enough attacking threat in our team to try win a game. As a promoted team, you probably would have taken a couple of points against a team like St. Patrick’s Athletic at the start of the season, but seven points is unbelievable. Two wins and a draw.
“Those two wins at home is massive. Our home form is really good at the minute and if we can keep that up until the end of the season, we’ll be going very well. They threw in a lot of long balls and a load of crosses in the hope. They asked us questions and we had to win headers and tackles.
“I think that Darragh Power’s tackle right at the end when he gets right back around with Alex Nolan is in space just sums up how good we were at the back today.” McCormack said that the players aren’t looking at the table. “We’re just concentrating at one game at a time and I know that it’s such a cliché to say, but it’s true. That’s what the gaffer wants us to do because if we start getting ahead of ourselves, we’ll know all about it.
“I think when you look around the dressing room, we know what we have and we really believe what we have as well. Anytime we look like that we don’t have that bit of belief or we’re kind of slacking like we did in the first-half, the gaffer lets us know.
“He said at half-time that we needed to go out and show it. We wanted a performance regardless of what the result is. Every time that he says that, we come out in the second-half and we always come out guns blazing.
“I think that the final whistle showed what it meant to players and supporters. I think every single week the fans come out and when they held up the added time tonight, the fans got right behind us. It gave us that bit of boost. It got over the line in the end.
“When you get three points after working all week for that, ,it’s a good days work. Everyone is absolutely buzzing with the result tonight. We look straight for the next game now which is against Galway next weekend and we’re not worried about anyone else. We know it will be tough, but we’re looking forward.
“I’m absolutely delighted on a personal level. I think I’m playing well and I’m working hard. The gaffer has giving me a real opportunity to play, to flourish, and show what I can do. I’m delighted that I’m doing well, but this is only the start. There’s a long way to go.”
