Waterford United boss Tommy Griffin said he’d love to keep on-loan Town winger Jack Doherty for the whole of their Airtricity League First Division campaign after the winger was involved in all four goals during a 4-0 home victory over Cobh Ramblers last night. However, he believes that if the 19-year-old maintains his current form, the Blues will want him back at Portman Road when his current spell ends in July.
Willie John Kiely netted Waterford’s first two goals from Doherty corners in the 20th and 50th minutes then, after the visitors had been reduced to 10 men, Gary Delaney added the third from a freekick taken by the Town youngster on 63.
Doherty almost scored his third goal of the season in the 82nd minute when he broke into the area and hit a goal-bound strike which was well saved by Ramblers keeper Robert Birdsall.
Paul Quilty completed the scoring two minutes from time when he netted a rebound after his header from a Doherty cross had been saved.
"Jack I thought was excellent,” Griffin told WLRFM after the match. "Jack is with us until July and I don’t know what’s happening with Ipswich then.
"It would be great if Ipswich would allow us to hold onto him for the duration of the season. He’s a very exciting young player when he’s on form.
"Jack won’t mind me saying that he can be moody, but when he’s on form he’s excellent and I think in the last three or four games he’s been very consistent.
"That was something that was missing from his game and I think in the last couple of weeks his consistency levels have really, really come up.
"I’d love it if we had him until the end of the season, but I don’t really know what Ipswich [want to do] and if he’s on that type of form I’m sure they’ll will want him back.”
Doherty joined the Blues from Waterford last summer for a fee of £25,000, signing a two-year deal, but was unable to break into the first team and returned to his old club on loan in February. Waterford's Airtricity League First Division season runs until the end of October.