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Austin Gleeson celebrates at full time on Saturday. Cathal Noonan/INPHO
Deise drive on

'The last 11 months were tough and people were asking were we ever going to beat Kilkenny'

Austin Gleeson says Saturday’s win over Kilkenny is a huge boost for Waterford.

IT WAS A long time coming, and Austin Gleeson admits people were beginning to wonder would Waterford ever brush off Kilkenny before Saturday’s thrilling victory at Semple Stadium.

Extra-time goals from Jamie Barron and Maurice Shanahan handed Waterford their first senior championship victory over the Cats since 1959 and with it a place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

It was a hugely significant victory for Derek McGrath’s side as they essentially had to beat Kilkenny twice during a pulsating championship encounter in Thurles, with Gleeson among the stars of the show.

The 2016 Hurler of the Year scored five points and admitted afterwards that while they can’t get carried away with one result, it will provide the Déise with a huge boost.

“Last year in Croke Park, it popped into our heads when we five or six points up and then they got a goal,” he said.

“It was almost an exact repeat of what happened then. The heads were down going in at full-time but we came out for the first half and said we were going to give it a roll and see where it takes us. Thankfully, our fitness showed and we kept going.

“The last 11 months were tough and people asking were we ever going to beat Kilkenny but thankfully we have now. It’s a huge boost for us and we just have to keep it going now. Nothing at all has been won. It’s a massive scalp but we know we have bigger things ahead.”

Waterford’s reward for Saturday’s win is a quarter-final showdown with neighbours Wexford at the newly-redeveloped Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday 23 July.

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