LIMERICK FC manager Stuart Taylor has declared himself “happy” with the current squad at his disposal, with 15 players already signed up for the 2014 season and two more set to join pending work permit clearance.
Nine players were already under contract for next year as the 2013 season drew to a close, with four members of the existing squad agreeing new deals with the club and two new signings, Shane Duggan and Mick Leahy.
Two other players, Prince Agyemang and Ali Abbas, are expected to join the Super Blues in time for the beginning of the new season in March. The duo from the Right To Dream Academy in Ghana are currently awaiting work permit approval.
Taylor believes that he has a well-balanced squad and he is now looking to retain the services of more of his players from 2013, as well as monitoring the club’s underage set-up.
The manager said: “At the moment, I’m happy with the squad. There is a good balance about it. We’ve been very selective with how we’ve done our business. I think we’ve done really good business. The players that we’ve brought in are going to add to the squad that we’ve already got.
“It’s important that we sign the players from last season that we want to keep because I believe that continuity will bring success. But it also comes down to affordability.
“I want to work with the same players again because I’ve enjoyed working with them over the past season and if we can keep this group together then we can certainly be successful going forward.
“The Under-19s have an important part to their season coming up with three games left where they will be looking to secure their place in the promotion playoff series.
“It’s important for them to get into the Elite Division, because that way players are going to be tested against better quality sides every week and that will help them to progress their careers.
“At this club, we are always going to be looking to bring these young players through. I’m a big believer in giving youth a chance but we want to be bringing them through for the reason that they’re good enough and we’ve got to make sure that they are.
“We want a conveyor belt of talent. That is important for the club. If we want the club to be sustainable then we have to produce our own players. We can’t just sign players for the first team and put all our money into that. There has to be a structure.”
Limerick FC squad for 2014 (as of December 11): Shane Cusack, Barry Ryan, Shane Costelloe, Stephen Folan, Shaun Kelly, Mick Leahy, Robbie Williams, Shane Duggan, Danny Galbraith, James McGrath, Craig Curran, Val Feeney, Rory Gaffney, Darragh Rainsford, Barry Sheedy
