LIMERICK FC secured the services of two members of their existing squad for the 2014 season, with goalkeeper Barry Ryan and striker Barry Sheedy both signing up for another year with the Super Blues.
Ryan (35) was named as the club’s Player of the Year for 2013 after a series of masterful performances in goal helped Stuart Taylor’s men to a mid-table finish.
At the other end of the age scale, 19-year-old Sheedy is aiming to “kick on” and will hope to develop on the two starts he earned in Limerick’s final two games of last season.
He was only two years old when Ennis native Ryan made his League of Ireland debut with UCD, but the veteran goalkeeper is not ready to stop playing anytime soon.
He said: “There’s no sign of stopping at the minute. I’ve got to go back into training now. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of more aches and pains for the year to come, but I’ll get over them and deal with them. As long as I’m happy, I don’t see much stopping me.
“They say you get better with age. I don’t know if I’ve gone past that stage – I could be getting a bit mouldy! I feel I’m still fit and I can still run about the place and jump about the place.”
Ryan added that he was satisfied with his own performances in 2013, as well as Limerick’s first season back in the top flight in 19 years, and believes that the club is in a good position to improve even further.
“We’ve got to be happy with the first year back up. At the start of the year, staying in the Premier Division would have been the big goal, and we did that with ease, so hopefully next year we can push on a small bit.
“I would have liked more clean sheets but personally I was very happy with my own performances and hopefully it will be more of the same next year.”
Sheedy also looked back with pleasure on the Super Blues’ fortunes in 2013, saying that he developed as a player throughout the year, although he is seeking to play a bigger role in the months ahead.
The young striker told LimerickFC.ie: “It was a good season for us. Staying up in our first year was always the aim and we did that comfortably. In the end, it was disappointing not to get into the top half when we got so close but that is something we’ll look to hopefully do next year.
“Personally, I was happy enough with how last season went. It started off slow enough for me but I got going towards the end and got game time which I feel will help me.
“I feel I’ve improved a lot as a player and developed my game over the last three seasons. The training has been excellent and, to be fair to the club, it’s growing but it has a lot of time for young players, which is good to see.
“The likes of Craig Curran and Rory Gaffney have helped me a lot. I’ve learned different styles of play. They’re good players; I listen to them and take on board what they say and try to learn from them.
“Personally, I’m hoping to push on more and get on the pitch more. That’s down to myself at the end of the day. I’m 20 in January. I’m not a young fella anymore. I have to kick on and hopefully I can do that.”
