Limerick FC player profiles

As we continue the build up to this Friday’s opening league game against Longford Town at the Markets Field, we discuss the return of homegrown trio Jason Hughes, Sean McSweeney and Kieran Hanlon. All three players are entering their second spell at the club.

Jason Hughes: The central midfielder re-joins Limerick FC for a third spell following a two and a half year stint with local Limerick District League side Ballynanty Rovers. He was the captain and a key player for the northside club and his former teammate and current manager Tommy Barrett opted to bring him back.

Hughes started his League of Ireland career at the young age of 18 having signed for former manager Mike Kerley midway through the 2008 season. The signing of the former Geraldines man coincided with a massive pick up in form for the club. Limerick were bottom when he joined and ended up in fifth place. Key to the rise in form was the partnership formed by Hughes and fellow Limerick and current Janesboro man Thomas Lyons. For those who had been used to seeing Hughes run rampant as a striker for Geraldines at underage level, his switch to midfield was a surprise but one he took in his stride.

The departure of Mike Kerley and the arrival of Pat Scully did not end well for the Limerick native as he fell out of favour and joined Athlone Town under Brendan Place in 2010. Jason remained at Athlone under his old manager Mike Kerley until 2012 but signed for Ballynanty in August 2012. Exactly one year later, the hard working midfielder returned to Limerick under Stuart Taylor and played under Martin Russell, who switched him to a right-back role in 2015 as the side went 22 games without a win.

Ironically, a week before Limerick were due to play Sligo in July 2015, Hughes left Shannonside to join Rovers. Limerick defeated Sligo 3-2 during Hughes’ debut. He made 9 appearances for the Bit O’Red as the club survived while Limerick were relegated. It is clear that manager Tommy Barrett wanted to sign players from the junior league, with previous Airtricity League experience being preferable. Hughes moves to Athlone and Sligo when things haven’t went well with his local side shows the desire he has to play at this level and it will be a big season for the Garryowen man to prove his worth again.

Kieran Hanlon: The striker returns to Limerick FC following four years playing in the Limerick District League Premier Division with both Carew Park and Pike Rovers. Hanlon was a prolific scorer at under 19 level for the club and a player that current Limerick manager Tommy Barrett would be very familiar with.

Hanlon made his full debut for Limerick in a historic night for the club as they returned to the Markets Field in June 2015. Hanlon was part of the team who last 0-1 to Bray Wanderers. Kieran left the club just two months later and signed for Carew Park where he went on to become a nuisance for local and national junior defences.

However, it is likely to take the striker time to get to grips with this level of football as he hasn’t played for the best part of 12 months despite signing for Pike Rovers. Hanlon didn’t play a game for the Crossagalla side before being contacted by Barrett due to suspension picked up while at former club Carew Park. The robust frontman has begun well and scored the winner in a 1-0 friendly victory over Cobh Ramblers recently. Conor Ellis will be the first choice striker but once fit, Hanlon can play a big role from the bench.

Sean McSweeney: Sean McSweeney returns to the club following a spell with Regional United in the PJ Matthews Premier Division. McSweeney was a key man for Shane O’Donoghue’s side who were disappointed to lose the dangerman in the middle of a promising FAI Junior Cup run. The former under-19 star has played in the number ten role to great effect at local level but now is time for him to make his mark at League of Ireland level.

McSweeney was tipped for big things but despite consistently appearing on the substitutes bench under Martin Russell in 2015, the breakthrough was never forthcoming. However, McSweeney made seven appearances in the 2016 season as the Super Blues easily won the first division title. He scored his first goal for the club on the final day of the season in a 2-0 away win against Cabinteely.

Limerick FC captain Shaun Kelly has been full of praise for McSweeney since his return. Ahead of the game on Friday, Kelly said, “Sean McSweeney has hit the ground running and has been brilliant in pre-season.” If Barrett employs a 4-3-3 formation again this season, McSweeney may be a shoe in to start in an attacking midfield role with two from Jason Hughes, Shane Tracy, Darren Murphy or Sean Russell playing behind the creative midfielder.