Waterford boss dismisses ‘suspicious’ betting on match

WATERFORD manager Alan Reynolds rejected any possibility of his players being involved in events which led to betting being suspended on last night’s game against Limerick.

A surge in wagers on underdogs Limerick, who were priced at one stage at 33/1, triggered Paddy Power and BoyleSports into action. Those who did back the visitors lost out, with Waterford winning the game 4-1.

Between those outlets and the betting exchange Betfair, an estimated €200,000 was laid during the day, around 10 times the normal activity for such a fixture. According to betting website Oddschecker, 93pc of the bets placed were on a Limerick victory.

Concluding games in the League of Ireland season have been subject to irregular patterns in the past and the FAI confirmed they were monitoring proceedings at the RSC. Reynolds addressed the rumours beforehand with his side, insisting they knew nothing of the developments in the betting market.

“Our dressing room wouldn’t tolerate that,” he said. “It’s a serious subject but our lads laughed it off.

“I’m not sure who the bets were on but we wanted to win the match. And I told the players that with an accusation like that one flying around the place it was a game we had to win.”

Limerick boss Tommy Barrett made no secret of the fact he was prioritising next week’s promotion/relegation play-off over last night’s match which was a dead rubber for both sides. Limerick make the trek to Donegal on Monday for the first leg against Finn Harps, with the return match at Markets Field next Friday.