Limerick FC face the mighty Derry City

IT just gets better and better for Limerick FC - the Super Blues collected their third successive league success on Friday night thanks to a one-nil win over Mervue United at Terryland Park in Galway, have moved into second place and will now eagerly look forward to taking on leaders Derry City next Friday night at Jackman Park (7.45pm).
Although Limerick FC missed a whole litany of chances against Mervue United they were well worth all three points which arrived courtesy of a Shane Tracy penalty in the 51st minute.
Pat Scully’s men created plenty of goal-scoring chances in the opening half of the game.
Mervue ‘keeper Ger Hanley pulled off a magnificent save to deny Stephen O’Flynn as early as the ninth minute while Hanley was called into action once more six minutes later to save Shane Clarke’s stinging effort.
In the 26th and 27th minutes Stephen O’Flynn came close to breaking the dead-lock once more, but somehow the Mervue United goal remained intact.
Limerick FC almost paid the price for their profligacy in the 30th minute when Mervue’s Rory Gaffney got through one-on-one with Dave Ryan, but Gaffney lobbed his effort over the bar and the Super Blues’ blushes were spared.
Two efforts from Shane Clarke concluded the opening half as Limerick FC retired at the interval wondering what they had to do to score.
The breakthrough finally materialised six minutes into the second half when a blatant push on Shane Clarke presented Limerick with a penalty which Shane Tracy converted. Although Evan Connolly’s volley screamed over the Limerick FC bar in the 60th minute, the Super Blues saw out the remainder of the game in relative comfort.
There was, however, plenty of drama in injury time when Stephen O’Flynn was fouled for a second Limerick penalty and Mervue’s Tommy Walsh got his marching orders - O’Flynn took responsibility for the spot kick, but pulled his effort wide of the goal.
In the wake of the away win Pat Purcell, the 31-year-old club captain and undisputed leader of the team, explained that given Stephen O’Flynn’s determination to score at each and every opportunity for the Super Blues it would not be a good idea to tease the striker about such a miss immediately after the game.
“Stevo takes his goal-scoring far too seriously to give him a slagging in the dressing room after something like that,” Pat Purcell told Leader Sport.
“He was like a bull over it, really. Once he calms down during the week we’ll have a laugh about it, but you couldn’t say anything to him about it straight after the game.”
Although pleased with collecting three more league points Pat Purcell was disappointed with certain aspects of Limerick’s play: “We won, but we didn’t convert all the chances that we created. And, if you do that you can get caught out if you give the other team half a chance. That’s the danger. We’ve got to take our chances and put teams away earlier. You can’t allow teams to stay in a game like that. That was the only disappointing thing, other than that we played very well and it’s another three points in the bag.”
In consecutive league games Limerick FC have now beaten Athlone Town, Shelbourne and most recently Mervue United. And, it’s a measure of how far the Super Blues have come that they will enter Friday night’s game against the runaway league leaders in confident mood.
“We’ll approach it like it’s just another game,” Pat Purcell said.
“We’ve got to make sure that all our work on the training field comes out on the pitch.
“We believe that we’re one of the best teams in the division, but we also know that we’ve no divine right to win games.
“We’re in the position now that we want to be in, we want to make the play-offs, but we’ve got to keep performing, especially in the last ten games.”
The sides have met twice this season - a David McDaid goal helped Derry City to a one-nil win at Jackman Park on March 12 while Limerick FC earned a nil-all draw at the Brandywell on May 21. Derry City’s form has been mixed of late. Last Friday night they lost 0-1 at home to Cork City, a week previously they were beaten 2-3 by Monaghan in Derry.
“It should be an even enough game,” Pat Purcell added.
“Our form has been impressive recently and we have a good chance of getting a result against Derry. We’re not worried about their form; we know they’re top of the division for a reason and they deserve to be respected. But we’re a good side too so it should be a really good game.”
After two seasons blighted by injury Pat Purcell is enjoying his football and a prolonged run in the team.
Last weekend the Clare minor hurlers took on Dublin at Croke Park in an All-Ireland semi-final and that encounter was sure to spark memories in Purcell. In early 1997 Purcell was a member of the Clare minor hurling panel, but withdrew once training clashed with his efforts to play a major part in Park Rangers’ league and cup double. That Clare minor team went on to win All-Ireland honours, but Purcell harbours no sense of regret, he’s 100 per cent happy with the decision he made and now he’s eagerly looking forward to the title run-in with the Super Blues.
Following stints with Park Rangers, Fairview Rangers, St. Patrick’s Athletic, Waterford United and now Limerick FC Pat Purcell knows a thing or two about what means most when league points are at their most precious.
“What we need now is to find a real consistency,” Pat Purcell explained.
“We’ve got to make sure we bring the work we do on the training field onto the pitch. We’ve got to keep performing and if we do that we will be in the shake-up. Our goal all season has been to make the play-offs and for us that’s all that matters. The results are key, but we are capable of getting the results we need.”

Limerick FC v Mervue United: Dave Ryan, Martin Deady, Thomas Heary, David O’Leary, Dave Rogers, Pat Purcell, Bobby Ryan, John Sullivan, Shane Tracy, Shane Clarke, Stephen O’Flynn. Subs: Declan Cahill for David O’Leary, Thomas Lyons for Shane Clarke, Timmy Kiely for Shane Tracy.

Brian McDonnell