LIMERICK FC are now just two games away from the end of their first season back in the Airtricity League Premier Division, with a home fixture against Shelbourne tonight and a trip to Derry City on Friday October 25 remaining.
Stuart Taylor’s side travelled to the Carlisle Grounds on Sunday to take on Bray Wanderers, who took a huge step towards avoiding automatic relegation with a 1-0 win courtesy of Danny O’Connor’s header on the stroke of half-time. Limerick’s afternoon got worse in the second half when Samuel Oji was sent off for a second bookable offence after he collided with an opponent.
Taylor was also sent from the sidelines by the officials, and with assistant manager Malky Thomson serving a ban, goalkeeping coach Eddie Hickey was left in charge. The manager believed that Oji was hard done by and claimed that he was not being “aggressive” on the sideline.
He said: “I don’t think it was a red card. The two players went for the ball. Sammy [Oji] was being committed and brave in trying to get us a goal.
“There was a collision but there was no malice in it. Yes, it’s a free kick, but it’s never a red card. You could go anywhere in the world and the defender and the attacker will both try to win the ball, but you never see that reaction. I need to defend myself. I wasn’t shouting or cursing at the officials and I wasn’t being aggressive.”
Taylor admitted that the display against Bray was “not as good as our performances of late”, with the defeat ending a three-game winning run, although he pointed out that players were mindful of not being suspended for games at the beginning of 2014.
“There were players going into the game knowing that they were one booking away from suspension. They know they have to be careful and they don’t want to go into next season with a suspension.
“We had a few great chances. We had a fantastic chance when Carel Tiofack put in a corner and Sammy headed it just past the post. Rory Gaffney had a great chance as well but overall we didn’t do enough. Bray had a cup final on their hands and were fighting for their lives.”
Limerick will play their final home game of the season tonight against Shelbourne, who dropped to the foot of the table following Bray’s weekend win. Defeat for Shels tonight will all but confirm relegation, as they lie three points behind Bray with two matches remaining.
Speaking in the build-up to the match at Thomond Park, Taylor reiterated the team’s desire to finish ahead of Cork City in sixth and “put on a spectacle for the supporters and finish on a high.” Following the final whistle of tonight’s match, the players and staff of Limerick FC will remain on the pitch to thank the fans for their support throughout what has been a quite satisfactory first season back in the Premier Division.
When asked about players being signed up for the 2014 season, Taylor said that there was “no news at this moment in time”. Last week the club confirmed that Danny Galbraith, Craig Curran and Robbie Williams were all contracted for next year.
A match report from Limerick FC v Shelbourne can be viewed on www.limerickpost.ie following tonight’s action.
