Limerick amongst five teams set for relegation battle in final rounds of Division Two of the National League

Time is rapidly running out for Limerick in their bid to avoid relegation back to the third tier at the first time of asking.

Limerick’s hopes of survival from Division 2 of the National Football League took another hit on Sunday afternoon as the Shannonsiders were put to the sword by Cork in the Pairc.

The concession of six goals is worrying for Limerick who remain pointless and adrift at the foot of the NFL table. They are the only side without a win in the division and have the worst scoring difference in the entirety of the league.

Their accumulated difference after four losses is -47, with the most recent defeat to Cork (24-points) by far their worst display to date. However, heavy defeats to Derry and Dublin have them in a perilous position with the two-point loss to Louth the major bright spark, although Limerick will feel aggrieved to have left Ardee without anything to show for their efforts after earning promotion alongside the Leinster side last year.

Ray Dempsey’s side will need to turn things around rapidly if they are to avoid returning to the third tier at the first attempt but with Kildare, Clare and Meath to come, there are still opportunities for the Shannonsiders.

At the other end of the table, Derry and Dublin have all but earned promotion with four wins from four thus far. Derry have accounted for Limerick, Louth, Meath and Kildare while Dublin have seen off Kildare, Limerick, Dublin and Clare. They meet this Saturday in Celtic Park where the winner will guarantee promotion although it is hard to see either dropping points in their final two contests.

That leaves Cork, Louth, Meath, Kildare and Clare in a battle with Limerick to avoid the drop.

• Cork: 4pts | +31 | Clare (A), Louth (A), Derry (H)
• Louth: 4pts | +1 | Kildare (H), Cork (H), Dublin (A)
• Meath: 4pts | -6 | Limerick (A), Dublin (H), Kildare (A)
• Kildare: 2pts | -27 | Louth (A), Limerick (A), Meath (H)
• Clare: 2pts | -5 | Cork (H), Derry (A), Limerick (H)
• Limerick: 0pts | -47 | Meath (H), Kildare (H), Clare (A)

Cork’s victory over Limerick has them looking up the table and they can move clear this weekend with a trip to Clare. They face Louth, who are currently on the same number of points in the sixth round. The Rebels major advantage lies in their scoring difference as they sit on +31 after the huge victory over Limerick.

Mickey Harte’s Louth are in a similar position with two wins from four thus far and like Cork they can move clear of the pack with Kildare in town this weekend.

Meath are the other side on four points with a trip to Limerick on the horizon this weekend. After two wins to start the campaign, they have lost successive games and are again in relegation danger. Their Leinster derby in the final round could prove to be a straight shoot out.

Kildare and Clare are both on two points, although it probably should be four to zero in the Banner’s favour, as they lost out to the Lilywhites in round three following a late collapse. This weekend Clare host the Rebels and Kildare travel to Louth. Both face Limerick in the final pair of rounds.

For Limerick, two wins is a minimum from the last three games and it’s likely they will have to come against Clare and Kildare. Three successive wins would see them leapfrog Meath were they to lose their remaining three games but the extra win for the Royals gives them breathing room. Were Limerick to lose to either Clare or Kildare, then they would have to win their other two games and hope Meath (and whoever they beat) lose their remaining three games with Cork and Louth both holding a head-to-head advantage.

The path to safety for the Shannonsiders is far from easy but it is relatively straight forward starting with Meath this weekend. It’s a tall order but this group of players have defied the odds on numerous occasions over the past few years.

There would be no better time to end a sixteen year wait for a Division 2 league win than this Sunday in the TUS Gaelic Grounds.

Division 2 Round Five Fixtures

Saturday March 4

Dublin v Derry at 5pm in Celtic Park

Sunday March 5 (2pm throw in)

Limerick v Meath in the TUS Gaelic Grounds.

Clare v Cork in Cusack Park

Louth v Kildare in Ardee