3  MILES DOWN....2853 TO GO!

I don't know was it a sense of excitement or depression when I got into the car of March 4th this year to make the short 3 mile journey to the Regional Sports Centre in Waterford to visit the first of the 21 grounds scattered around the Emerald Isle for this book.
Whichever it was, I knew the only way to give the book any credibility would be to make these journeys and talk to the players, fans, ex-players and staff to get a true picture of their club.  I also knew it hadn't been done before and although the League of Ireland is like a defenceless seal being battered with a club by the Barstool Brigade at the best of times there is still a market for a book like Just Follow The Floodlights.
A crowd of just over 535 were present for Waterford United's first game of the season. It was cold. There was drizzle. It was bitter,
Did I mention it was cold?
My abiding memory of the scoreless draw that night was the fact Athlone Town looked like entering the Guinness Book of Records for the youngest team ever to play League of Ireland , and their ex-manager - Mike Kerley..a name that doesn't sit well with fans of the 'Blues after a disasterous tenure as United manager some years ago.
You can throw the phrase "Sleeping Giant" at several clubs in the League and they'll happy let it resonate. Limerick FC will tell you they fall into that catagory whilst Athlone themselves won the title for fun at the start of the eighties under Turlough O'Connor.
As for the 'Blues?  We'll you don't win six titles in eight years and then go a couple of decades without that success again without being labelled a "Sleeping Giant". The trouble with that tag of course is that it tends to break out more misty eyed nostalgic memories to days gone by rather then what's happening in the 21st century.
Whether you love or hate Waterford United , Athlone or Limerick at present, you cannot deny their past can be a burden to the present.
The game itself? Well it wouldn't have done much to confound the critics. United had entered yet another season of First Division football with Stephen Henderson , a man who would shortly depart, whilst Athlone could have easily hid behind the "transitional" phrase that's trotted out by clubs who haven't won anything in ages.
All in all not the most inspiring of starts to my journey, but I think its the adversity of these things that bring out the best in you. How much fun would it have been if every ground I went to was bright sunshine, free entry and a 17-0 home win each game?

If you find a path with no obstacles, chances are it doesn't lead anywhere.