Legendary Waterford kitman Mick Walsh backs Blues to be whiter than white

Mick Walsh and grandson Richy Walsh. Now 73, Michael started working with Waterford in 1965 and one of his first jobs was preventing ‘chancers’ scaling the gate for free into matches.

If Waterford are seeking a formula for success in tonight’s FAI Cup semi-final at Dalymount Park, they need only ask the sole man in the dressing room linked to their last triumph in the competition.

Mick Walsh was at the Phibsborough venue in 1980 when Al Finucane lifted the trophy and, all of 41 years later, he’ll be performing the same function as kitman.

And the wise sage has identified a parallel from that run to pique the interest of manager Marc Bircham in his bid to end that Blue Riband hoodoo.

While Waterford are best known as the Blues, being whiter than white is the symmetry between the two generations of Cup hunters.

“We wore our away kit in every round, including the final, during the 1980 competition,” notes Mick. “It’s been much the same this season. Apart from the home tie against Kilnamanagh, white has been our colour.

“We’ve knocked out Athlone Town and UCD in that kit and are aiming to do the same to Bohs in the colours on Friday.”

Now 73, Mick’s enthusiasm hasn’t dimmed since he first started working with Waterford in 1965.

Sitting in his playground of Waterford’s dressing-room at the RSC, he sifts through his scrapbook to chronicle the highs of his dedicated service.

Although he says he began as “general dogsbody”, preventing chancers scaling the gate for free into matches was his first function.

That was the start of the golden era for the Déise, six league titles in eight years, and he was there when the visits of Manchester United and Celtic for European Cup ties necessitated switching the fixtures to Dublin.

“The FAI threatened to expel us from the league for what they described as lining the pockets of Irish rugby,” he explains of the move to Lansdowne Road. “They were huge games and attracted crowds of over 45,000. We moved to get as much support as possible”.

Denis Law’s hat-trick for then European Cup holders United sticks in Mick’s memory but there would be more European excursions after he was invited into the sanctuary of the dressing-room in 1978.

There was the narrow 2-1 aggregate defeat to Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Gothenburg in 1979 and a duel with another emerging manager, Aimé Jacquet, leading a Bordeaux side captained by Jean Tigana to Kilcohan Park six years later.

In between, the Cup Winners’ Cup threw up a tie that dwarfed that turnout for the meetings with United and Celtic.

“Our FAI Cup-winning side of 1980 were drawn against Dinamo Tbilisi and 72,000 fans were crammed inside the national stadium,” Mick recalls. “I’ll never forget that trip. Flying to Moscow only got us halfway there.”

A lifetime of memories qualifies the local hero to speak authoritatively on the best player to wear his Waterford shirt.

Surveying the options, he insists on naming two for reasons of position. “Peter Thomas was the best goalkeeper we ever had but Al Finucane was our best outfield player,” he says.

Some of the current crew have scope to elevate themselves into Waterford folklore too. The demands from players may have changed from wintergreen to lycra yet, now assisted by his grandson Richy, the job satisfaction remains.

He’s got Cup heartache in his portfolio too as Waterford’s last final in 2004 was blighted by controversy.

“Winning 1-0 with five minutes left, two footballs were on the pitch but the referee played on to allow Longford equalise. To make it worse, the scorer was one of our own, Alan Kirby.”

The Blues haven’t been back to Lansdowne Road since that 2-1 killer defeat but he’s got a good feeling about ending the 17-year wait.

Bircham has lifted the team from rock bottom since succeeding Kevin Sheedy in May.

Even if their haul of 23 points from the last 33 hasn’t seen them escape the relegation playoff berth, the team is playing with enough panache for their 900 fans to travel with optimism.

“If we’d had this manager at the start of the season, we’d be challenging at the top of the league,” states Mick.

“I’ve seen a lot of Waterford teams in my time here and I’d back this one to take any side on current form. For the first time in years, there’s harmony off the pitch as well.”

Should Bircham’s battlers go all the way and complete Mick’s circle by claiming the trophy on November 28, he won’t bow out.

“I was supposed to fill the job on a temporary basis but am still waiting 43 years later,” he says with a grin.

“Once you get the taste of working with a team, unless you turn against football, you can’t leave it. I’ll keep going till I’m kicked out or drop dead.”

There’s still plenty of life in this legend yet.