Conan Noonan: 'I wouldn't want to play against us because it's horrible football to play against'

Noonan's retained some classic No 10 attributes despite sacrifices being necessary to thrive in Graham Coughlan's unit which he admits must be ‘horrible’ to play against.

Waterford midfielder Conan Noonan. Pic: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho

As the conduit to the league’s pair of top scorers, Conan Noonan’s role at Waterford is based on a style of intricate passing and assists.

He’s retained some classic No 10 attributes despite sacrifices being necessary to thrive in Graham Coughlan's unit which he admits must be ‘horrible’ to play against.

Waterford, Noonan and their pair of sharpshooters Pádraig Amond and Tommy Lonergan were plummeting towards certain relegation when Coughlan was handed the firefighting mission in May.

By bolstering belief, allied to adopting a direct approach reliant on set-pieces, they climbed from tenth position to seventh and secured a place in Sunday’s FAI Cup final.

For 23-year-old Noonan, a dainty player they activated a release clause of €50,000 to convert his loan from Shamrock Rovers into a permanent deal, the broader picture was the priority over personal gain as the upturn unfolded.

“I wouldn't want to play against us because it's horrible football to play against,” explained Noonan about the instructions they implement on behalf of the no-nonsense former Sheffield Wednesday centre-back.

“We just get the ball in the box and just keep piling, piling on.

“I love to get on the ball, create chances and score goals but that's not my role now.

“When Graham came in, it was about adapting by finding a way to be effective in the team.

“That was from playing a number of different positions and roles, stripping back my game to be effective in the team.

“I'd love to be myself on the football pitch, but as long as the club keeps winning, I'll do whatever it takes.

“It's off the ball stuff, tracking back, playing left wing, right wing, deeper midfield, higher midfield. That all depends on what game we’re playing.

“So long as I'm helping the club, I don't mind.” 

Coughlan takes the description as a compliment to the identity he’s created for the team.

Their resurgence drew attention for managerial vacancies at home, with Derry City, and abroad in the UK, where he spent 32 years as player and coach. 

Yet he’s penned an extension that weds him to the Blues until 2028.

“Conan was one who's game had to change a bit,” explained the manager.

“He had to sacrifice his qualities for hard work and I'm delighted with how it’s worked.

“You can't get away from hard work, the essence of hard work.

“And let's have a right, winning helps.

“We won a few games and the lads have gone, ‘hey, maybe this manager knows what he's doing’.” 

Noonan, a former Ireland U21 international, isn’t content with just safety as the biggest day of his career looms at Lansdowne Road.

“It's a miracle that we're still in the league,” he surmised.

“We were 11 points behind Sligo at the bottom coming into May so it was all a bit mad to end up where we did.

“Waterford haven't won the FAI Cup since 1980 so everybody knows how important Sunday is.

"The manager is always telling us to concentrate on ourselves rather than the opposition and he’s right.

"Buying into what he wants, his way of doing things, was just about simplifying and going back to basics.

“He wasn't afraid to tell us about wrong things in the first few weeks. It didn't matter whoever it was and, maybe not fear, but it just stamps a kind of level of respect.

“He’s changed the tide since coming, got the group closer together, and we’re in a good place for this final. Hopefully we can complete a season that started so badly with a trophy.”