Limerick FC look to continue unbeaten run in Wexford

Limerick FC will be looking to continue their recent unbeaten run when they travel to Ferrycarrig Park to take on Wexford FC on Friday night (7.45).

Limerick are now unbeaten in three games having beaten both Cobh Ramblers and Galway United either side of a 1-1 draw against Athlone Town. The Shannonsiders are now situated in the last play-off place heading into the final game before the two week mid-season break.

The Super Blues defeated Galway 2-1 last weekend but it was far from a routine win against the struggling Tribesmen. There were 13 points separating the teams heading into last Saturday’s game but in a poor first half, the visitors took the lead when Limerick native Dara Costelloe set up Shane Doherty to tap home from close range.

A few harsh words must have been exchanged at half time as Limerick emerged for the second half with a sense of purpose and equalised when Lee Devitt scored his first goal for the club, much to the delight of the small home attendance.

Limerick pushed for the winner and Sean McSeeeney produced a dangerous cross which was acrobatically finished by Kieran Hanlon, despite the attentions of Maurice Nugent in the penalty box.

Manager Tommy Barrett was happy with the second half display and felt the win should not have been more comfortable.

“I felt the game was flat in the first half. I didn’t think either team was good in the first half. We probably still had the better chances and it was a mistake for their goal. We had to up it in the second half and we did and I felt it should have been three or four.”

Limerick will be boosted by the return of Darren Murphy wo returns from suspension for Friday’s game. Murphy scored the equaliser when his team drew with Wexford at the Markets Field earlier in the season.

Despite being rooted to the bottom of the first division, Wexford have been very competitive in this season’s first division. The Ferrycarrig Park outfit have faced four of the top five sides in the division in the last four games and have been defeated by the odd goal on all occasions.

Barrett is well aware that complacency can be costly in a division which regularly throws up surprising results.

“Every game is difficult. We haven’t beaten anyone by more than two goals outside of Cobh. We have to go to Ferrycarrig Park and they have some dangerous players in Danny Furlong and Jack Doherty and they have been losing by a goal to a lot of teams.

It happened is last week in Athlone when we went up there and we weren’t at it and tonight in the first half and if you do that you get turned over.”

Friday’s game produces a big opportunity for the Super Blues to cement their position in the top four as we enter the June mid-season break. Limerick host the top two of Shelbourne and Longford at the Markets Field. As Barrett alluded to in a recent interview with Sporting Limerick, the club’s home form against their promotion rivals is vital.

The Shannonsiders away form against their rivals has been poor with four defeats against Shelbourne, Longford, Bray and Drogheda this season. Despite being competitive in all games bar Shels, it heightens the sense that Limerick’s surprise promotion push could either slightly de-rail or become a very realistic possibility in the next month.

The progress made by Lee Devitt and Colm Walsh-O’Loughlen in recent weeks will be very pleasing for the management team as the club’s academy players are gaining valuable experience and providing headaches for Barrett in team selection that he may not have expected.

Karl O’Sullivan has struggled for form this season and many people may forget that the central midfielder turned right winger is still just 19 years old also. However, following an impressive breakthrough season in the premier division last year, the hope is that O’Sullivan can begin to add goals and assists that he is capable of on a regular basis, like we witnessed in the away game at Athlone Town recently.