Reynolds aims to put an end to Waterford’s Cup woe
Reynolds has been frustrated in three previous semi-finals with Waterford and Cork City.
As a club Waterford have to go back to 1986 for their last Cup final appearance and to 1980 for their last triumph.
The Waterford manager yesterday ruefully recalled his heartbreaking experiences at the semi-final stages - a loss in 1997 with Waterford to Shelbourne, a loss with Waterford to Longford Town and a loss with Cork to Derry City.
Reynolds will be hoping to avenge that previous loss to Derry and to overturn the success that manager Stephen Kenny enjoyed when he managed Longford to a win over Waterford.
Kenny has a very difficult task trying to revive Derry after their disastrous start to this season and he will be hoping that the happy relationship he has enjoyed with the Cup in his comparatively short career as a manager will be maintained.
Kenny has led teams to five Cup semi-finals so far and on three of those occasions his team reached the final. Remarkably, each of those Cup final appearances was with a different club.
“It would be a great achievement for me to reach another Cup final,” he said. “But it is not about me personally, it is about the Derry City team and club. It would help to give everyone a lift if we succeed but we know it will be hard; Waterford are fourth in the league on merit.”
Derry have a win over Waterford already this season but they have also lost to Waterford at the Brandywell.
Reynolds said: “We are pleased that the match is in Derry. Of course it will be hard, but we have got better results away from home this season so we were hoping to have to play outside of our own ground.” Waterford showed they liked playing away when they travelled to Drogheda last weekend and won.
“We worked very hard for that result and the lads deserved to win,” said Reynolds, “They had a player sent off and that influenced things but we are playing better away.”
Waterford will be without the suspended Vinny Sullivan but they welcome back Pat Purcell and Reynolds will have a difficult task in picking his team.
“It is a problem,” he said, “and one I have not had this season. The fact that everyone is fit shows in our training sessions, they are very competitive.”
The only Eircom League premier division game tonight will see Cork chasing a rare second consecutive win in the competition when they play Shamrock Rovers at Turner’s Cross (7.45 pm).
Cork fans will welcome the news that Derek Coughlan is back in training, though he is not ready to play just yet. Cork manager Pat Dolan is likely to start with the team that started against Dublin City last week.
Shamrock Rovers manager Noel Synnott again has to wrestle with the problems created by a long list of injured players and Liam Kelly, Trevor Crolly, Derek Treacy, Fiacra McCarville and Gavin McDonnell. They have not won in nine matches and will hardly break that sequence in Cork.
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