You would be forgiven for thinking that the phrase 'turning blue' is only associated with the US midterm elections this week, but you would most certainly be wrong.

A 'blue wave’ of a different kind has washed over Waterford this week, bringing with it a much-needed lift for the city and county.

Waterford FC will play in their first FAI Cup Final in 22 years this weekend and the Blues storming into Sunday’s showpiece against Derry City has captured the imagination of the region.

A ‘Blues Day’ will see those in schools and workplaces dress in the club’s colours today, the blue flags are flying high, and local landmarks are being lit up in blue.

More importantly, however, the team reaching the final has lit up the hearts and minds of so many at a time when Waterford needed it most.

The team and supporters alike were this week further galvanised heading into the final by the news that manager Graham Coughlan has signed a multi-year contract extension.

The Dubliner only arrived in Waterford in May and has made a stunning impact turning the club’s season around.

Despite making the final in 2004, the Blues have not lifted the cup since 1980, and the O’Callaghan family have experienced the many highs and lows since.

Martin O’Callaghan, who has been a Blues supporter for 50 years, was among the hundreds of fans who packed The Reg in Waterford city for the club’s cup final preview night earlier in the week.

Mr O’Callaghan said that Sunday’s final will be even more special given that he will be in the stands with so many members of his family.

"My dad is 86 now. My grandmother brought my dad to his first games when he was young. Then my dad brought me when I was 10 or 11. And so on with my son. I also have two granddaughters, and we bring them to the games.

"So, there are five generations in all of this. It’s a huge, huge thing for our family. It’s all Waterford and nothing else".

Mr O’Callaghan described the latter half of Waterford’s season as "amazing" after such a shaky start in the League of Ireland Premier Division.

"It has just been a buzz. After the start we had to the season this year, it was heart-breaking. We were destined to be going down. And if we were going to get anything, a little cup run might have been a little bonus. But we just done so well.

"The manager came in, and it’s a really, really good team now and we are just thrilled that we got to where we have. It’s just one more step now, and hopefully, we will be able to do it."

Pupils at Mount Sion Primary School welcome Waterford players ahead of final

Mr O'Callaghan's son Brandon, who was 10 years old when Waterford last reached the final, has said he will appreciate the occasion even more this time round.

"It means the world to us," he said. "It's brilliant to see the colours up around the city at the moment, and in Dungarvan and Lemybrien and other areas of the county.

"I think people are starting to sit up and take notice. You don’t need to look across the pond for a professional football club.

"There is one on your doorstep. People just need to get out and support it."

The FAI has said that the number of tickets sold for Sunday’s final is approaching 35,000.

One of the main people involved in getting these supporters from The Déise to The Aviva is the Travel Co-Ordinator with the Waterford Blues Supporters Club, Ray Malone.

He has said they will have five full buses heading up the M9 on Sunday morning.

"We have no more room, we have tried to get more," he said.

"The buses can’t be sourced because, apart from us, you also have The Block E Boys [supporters’ group]. They have three buses. You have probably 15 clubs in Waterford. They are all running their own buses.

"It’s going to be a fantastic day. I was up at the last final when we won it in 1980, and I was there the year before when we lost to Dundalk. So, it’s a long time coming, especially 22 years since our last final against Longford.

"We are all leaving from the RSC at 9.15am on Sunday and we are going by convoy down The Mall and we hear there will be hundreds of flags up for us and we will all cross the bridge together."

'Extremely proud'

Of course, reaching a cup final is not just an achievement by those on the field but also those off it.

Club secretary Sandra Myler has said that recent weeks have been "chaotic" but "for all the right reasons."

"The atmosphere around the town, there are so many flags up. I don't think there will be a single person left in Waterford on Sunday," she said.

"I believe that they are rescheduling GAA fixtures so that people can go to the game. There is not a bus to be got. Every seat on every bus is full. Every seat on the train, they put on extra carriages. All the carriages are full. It’s great excitement.

"It’s a privilege to be a part of it, I love what I do, and for the boys to have gotten this far, regardless of the result on Sunday, I’m extremely proud of them, and I’m privileged to be in the position I’m in and bring it on, as they say."

Asked for her prediction of the scoreline, Ms Myler declined to comment because of "superstition".

However, her daughter Sophie, who is also involved in the match-day experience at the RSC, and will also be cheering on the Blues from the stands this weekend, confidently replies: "3-0 to Waterford".

Meanwhile, former Waterford FC goalkeeper-turned-football operations executive and women's goalkeeping coach with the club, Kevin Burns, said the Blues have come a long way in recent years.

"It’s massive, huge for the club," he said. "I haven’t seen anything like this in my time. We had a kind of a tough few years in terms of being down around the relegation zone.

"For something like this, it’s huge for the whole town. It’s a great buzz about the whole thing, so it is brilliant.

"I was involved the last couple of years in terms of being the kit man as well, so I dealt with the players closely. And look, there is a good crop over there.

"I think they know enough at this stage, and they have dug in in league games recently. So, I think they are well equipped to give a good, good show of themselves on Sunday."

Brian Murphy, who is the Waterford goalkeeping coach, also had a successful career cross channel which saw him play at the likes of Manchester City, Ipswich Town and Cardiff City.

He believes that Waterford have defied the odds of many this season to make the final.

"The league has become so competitive," he said. "You see the European money that the top teams get in the league.

"We are probably classed as being kind of survival candidates every year. We really need to get everything right to have a really good season. There is a lot that needs to happen for us to succeed.

"Look at our last 20-25 games, it has been exceptional. I mean probably the best run of games the club has had in a long, long time.

"Hopefully we can finish it off on Sunday."