Bastien Hery joins Munster rivals Waterford United in bitter blow to Limerick FC

Limerick FC midfielder Bastien Hery has agreed to join Alan Reynolds’ Waterford United ahead of the 2018 season. The news first broke on Waterford United’s official Twitter account this afternoon where they also announced the signing of Bohemians striker Ishmaeil Akinade in a double swoop. The announcement read; “Waterford FC is delighted to announce the signings of Limerick FC midfielder Bastien Héry and Bohemians striker Ismahil Akinade ahead of the 2018 SSE Airtricity League Premier Division campaign. The signings of Héry and Akinade bring the total number of players now signed to Alan Reynolds’ squad to twelve.”

The defensive midfielder spoke of his delight at signing for the Suirsiders this morning.

“I am very pleased to have signed for Waterford, a club with plenty of history and success in the past; a club that is on the up again now. I met with Director of Football Pat Fenlon and visited the city and the facilities available to the club and I was really impressed with what I saw. For my family and me, to sign with Waterford was the best option.”

The Frenchman will be a huge loss to Limerick FC as he became a pivotal part of Neil McDonald’s team which finished seventh in the premier division and reached the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup semi-final. He made 28 appearances for the Shannonsiders after taking some time to settle at the beginning. Once he overcame fitness issues, Hery performed admirably in games against Bohemians and Cork City in particular where he was often doing the work of two midfielders. He was a fans favourite at the Markets Field for his ball winning capabilities and positional sense.

The move will come as a shock to manager Neil McDonald who will be bitterly disappointed to lose Hery, particularly to main rivals Waterford. The Super Blues certainly need to act fast to add to the signings of Cian Coleman and Danny Morrissey over the coming weeks. The Airtricity League is an unforgiving place during the transfer window.