Waterford FC's interim boss Mike Geoghegan has confirmed that veteran keeper Brian Murphy has been recalled from his controversial exile under previous manager Kevin Sheedy and will start in Saturday's league game against Drogheda United.

Murphy (37) began the season, his second campaign with his hometown club, as first-choice keeper but four games into the campaign he was axed by Sheedy and did not even make the matchday squad. It's believed that former Bohemians man Murphy made representations, initially to Sheedy and his assistant Mike Newell, and subsequently to club owner Lee Power, with concerns over the standard of training.

The managerial pair then declined to attend a meeting which Power had arranged with Murphy to sort out their differences, leading to speculation that Sheedy and Newell had resigned.

Murphy issued a statement saying he was “fit and available” to play but that he was “disappointed” at how events had turned out.

Sheedy and Newell stayed on in their posts but on Wednesday, 48 hours after a 3-0 loss to Shamrock Rovers, they left the RSC "by mutual consent".

Academy coach Mike Geoghegan will take temporary charge this weekend as the Blues seek their fourth permanent manager in less than a year, but he confirmed to the club's in-house media that Murphy was back in training and was also playing a role in coaching.

"I want to get the senior players like Brian working on the pitch for me to get their ideas across. There's no doubt at this stage that Brian will start on Saturday," Geoghegan said.

"The way I want to play I need that experience. Paul [Martin] has done fabulously well and has a long-term future as a No.1 keeper in front of him but it's such a young squad I need all the experience I have, and Brian has that. And we will fill the bench this weekend, with U-19s."

Sheedy had just four of the permitted nine subs on the bench for Monday's loss to Rovers.