David Webster is well placed to know just how ‘gutted’ Waterford are at seeing their Europa League spot handed to his St Pat’s side.
That’s because he was one of the Blues players last season who grafted for their fourth-placed finish to qualify for this summer’s continental adventure.
And he thought his chance of returning to European action for the first time since his Shamrock Rovers days were gone when he left for the Saints.
But the Inchicore club wrote to the FAI objecting to Waterford getting a European licence as the club - rather than the old Waterford United - is less than three years old.
That is a UEFA requirement for any club competing in the Champions League or Europa League, while Saints also queried if all the Blues old creditors were paid.
It’s bound to lend a fiery edge to tonight’s clash between the clubs at Richmond Park and Webster knows his former team-mates are hurting.
“I'm actually gutted for them,” said the centre-back. “I was talking to a few of them when the news was coming out.
“I'm also gutted for Rennie (Alan Reynolds) as he put a lot of work in last year and all the stuff he went through himself, so for this to happen is a sucker punch for him.
“It's a difficult situation and I'm in the middle on how to feel about it. These things happen and rules are rules. They should have covered their side of it, I suppose.
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“They got merchandise out, they were talking about European runs so they must have had something in the back of their mind that it was set in stone.
“What I was getting told at Waterford was it was going to be fine and don’t worry about it. I don't know what's changed. Rules are rules at the end of the day.”
On the prospect of a grudge match tonight, Webster sad: “For the players? It’s nothing to do with us - it’s in the background.
“The Waterford are great. Maybe they will go mad at our fans over it, but our fans didn't do anything wrong.
“Maybe they’ll go mad at their own board. But footballers try forget about things and move onto the next game.”
St Pat’s saw their three game winning run end with a 1-0 defeat to Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght on Monday but Webster is drawing on the positives.
“People realise what it's going to take and the hard work involved, the desire to win games and the need to burst your b******s for each other.
“We've got it the last few games and maybe we were missing that. We need to get the head down and make sure we climb the table.”
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