Limerick FC aim to boost chances of safety against champions elect Cork City

Limerick FC host Cork City at the Markets Field on Friday night in a bid to create some distance between themselves and the bottom three in the Airtricity League Premier Division (kick-off 7.45 pm). This is the fourth competitive Munster derby meeting between the sides this season with Cork winning all three previous games, including two league wins and an EA Sports Cup victory.

In recent weeks, Neil McDonald’s side have been dragged into a survival battle, having seemed relatively safe at the midway point of the campaign. However, since then just one win in eight league games has resulted in the Shannonsiders sitting just three points above second bottom Galway United with three teams going down.

The Super Blues earned a hard fought 1-1 draw against Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds last weekend. Chiedozie Ogbene embarked on a superb solo run before equalising in the second half. Goalkeeper Brendan Clarke was the hero for Limerick as he saved a late Gary McCabe penalty to ensure the draw.

Despite the encouraging result, Limerick lost ground on the chasing pack as Galway and Sligo both picked up valuable victories.

Limerick appeared to be in the ascendancy in the second half in Bray until the substitution of John O’Flynn for Lee-J Lynch. Limerick reverted to a total direct approach towards Rodrigo Tosi with the hope that John O’Flynn would latch onto second balls. However, Neil McDonald’s men lost their way at this point, with no link up between midfield and striker which Lynch can provide.

Although failing to keep a clean sheet in the previous two games, the new look back four of Barry Cotter, Tony Whitehead, Dave O’Connor and Shane Tracy have performed quite well. O’Connor in particular, is benefitting from the switch to centre-back from an unfamiliar left-back role.

Bastian Hery struggled to impose himself on the match last week but the Frenchman will be hoping to recapture the form from the Galway United game the previous week where he was unanimously named man of the match. Hery’s ball retention as well as his ability to make crucial interceptions will be vital if Limerick are to upset the odds at the Markets Field.

Limerick adopted a 3-5-2 formation for the last league match against Cork in June which ended in a 4-1 defeat. It could be argued that Cork would find the weaknesses in any Limerick formation due to their quality.

However, the narrow 4-4-2 with Lynch playing behind Tosi appears to be McDonald’s preferred set-up and it is unlikely to change for the Cork game. Chiedozie Ogbene will certainly have to concentrate fully on his defensive duties as Steven Beattie likes to get forward in support of his winger. One of Dean Clarke or Stephen Kenny must do the same on the opposite side.

As well as that, Lynch, Ogbene and Clarke/Kenny must support Shane Duggan and Bastian Hery. Otherwise, the central midfield duo will be in danger of being overrun by the quality of Gearoid Morrissey, Garry Buckley and Conor McCormack in midfield.

Cork will be without long-term absentees John Dunleavy, who was injured against Limerick in June and Alec Byrne. Furthermore, the Lessiders will assess the fitness levels of Alan Bennett, Garry Buckley and Steven Beattie before the game.

The Leesiders did not play last weekend due to Dundalk’s involvement in the EA Sports Cup final. Their last outing was the convincing Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup victory over Longford Town.

Cork City manager John Caulfield has warned his side against complacency both publicly and in the privacy of the dressing room. He stated

“All of the teams in the bottom half of the table are fighting for their lives. Neil has come in and has put his own stamp on the team; we face them again in the cup semi-final and they have had a fantastic win over Galway in the last round to get there. Last week, they drew away to Bray, so we are under no illusions that they are on a good run of form and it will be a difficult tie for us.”

Caulfield is well aware of the threats Limerick pose and the key players in the Limerick side. However, the former Cork forward feels that if his side play to their best, the result will be positive.

“Limerick have some very talented players in the likes of Duggan, Lynch, Tosi and Ogbene, but, at the same time, we have been working hard for the last few weeks. We had a great win away to Longford and we know that we will have to play at our maximum; we know if we do that, we will have an opportunity to win the match.”

Match Stats: Limerick and Cork have met three times this season. Cork have been victorious on all occasions on scorelines of 0-3, 0-3 and 4-1.

Both meetings at the Markets Field ended 0-3 to the Rebels. The scorers in the league meeting were the departed Sean Maguire, Garry Buckley and Gearoid Morrissey.

Limerick have won just one game in nine against their Munster rivals, dating back to 2014. There have been no draws as Cork have emerged victorious in eight of the nine fixtures.

Referee: Sean Grant