Waterford extend Courtney Duffus loan until the end of the season

Waterford have extended the loan of striker Courtney Duffus from Oldham Athletic until the end of the season.

Former Ireland under-21 striker Duffus, who is the Blues' top scorer this season with ten, returned to his parent club during the mid-season break after spending the first half of the season at the RSC.

However manager Alan Reynolds remained hopeful of securing the Cheltenham-born striker until the end of the season, and the news was confirmed on Friday evening.

“I’m really happy to have it sorted and be back at the club,” the former Everton forward told the Blues' official website.

“It was uncertain whether I would be back for the rest of the season but I always wanted to come back.

"I wanted to finish the season and get a full season under my belt especially in a place where I’m comfortable and I’m doing well so I’m happy it’s sorted.

“There was a lot of speculation but my decision was to come back to Waterford. The first half of the season was great with how well we’ve been doing and I really feel at home here.

“I enjoy working under the manager and with the rest of the players. Everyone at the club has been great and the great fans here too

“Scoring goals is the best feeling in football for a striker so as long as it keeps happening you’re going to be happy."

Manager Alan Reynolds added: "I was hopeful we could get the deal sorted and we have. He's been playing well so hopefully he continues as he's a handful for defenders.

"He's scored some important goals this season and his all-round play has been good. We're delighted to have him here."

Duffus, who qualifies for Ireland through his maternal grandmother, started out with Cheltenham Town before joining Everton along with his brother Tyrone as a teenager.

The 22-year-old joined Oldham for an undisclosed fee during the summer of 2017 but, after suffering an illness, found gamtime hard to come by and joined Waterford on loan in early 2018.

Duffus spoke to the extratime.ie Sportscast back in May about his time in Waterford and his desire to stay until the end of the season.