THE LIMERICK footballers face a relegation dog fight this Sunday afternoon at the Gaelic Grounds in Dundalk as they face Louth at 3pm.
Both sides find themselves on four points from five games, just two points ahead of both side Wexford.
Two teams are relegated from the Division and with Limerick currently in the second relegation slot, a win is vital for John Brudair’s men.
With Sligo, Clare, Louth and Limerick all on four points, this Division could come down to scoring difference to separate the sides.
Limerick have a negative scoring difference of 15, while Sligo are +10. With Clare on -6 and Louth on -24, Limerick could lose the game on Sunday and still stay up, should the winning margins in other games affect the sides above them.
Fermanagh and Armagh (each has 11 points from a possible 12) have clinched promotion, leaving relegation as the only issue to be decided in this group.
Wexford have to beat Tipperary to have any chance of survival. Even then, they would need to get very lucky to avoid relegation. The winners of Louth v Limerick are guaranteed to avoid the drop.
Armagh and Fermanagh are already on their way to Division 2 and looking forward to a Division 3 final clash in Croke Park on April 25 after running excellent campaigns, so their eye could be off the ball against Sligo and Clare respectively.
With the season coming down to the wire, Limerick know that their destiny is in their own hands.
With the greatest deal of respect to all sides in Division 3, they are not going to win the Sam Maguire in September, so this weekend is as vital a weekend as there is. Limerick manager John Brudair agrees.
“This is a massive game for us. The more you get involved in these seasons the more you realise what a good standard Division 3 is and how important it is to Limerick football. We will be looking after our own corner this weekend. If we do that we will be okay”
The need to survive in Division three of the football league cannot be underestimated. Limerick football is going through a transitionary period at present, so any positive step would be welcomed by all involved.
“We had six or seven under 21’s on the field last weekend against Clare. Those lads have gained massive experience playing this season and we need to make sure we are there again next season to build on that” Brudair added.
Limerick are expected to bring Ian Ryan back into the team this weekend having used the prolific forward as a substitute last weekend in their 2-10 to 1-5 win over Clare in Newcastle West.
The form of captain Seanie Buckley and corner forward Peter Nash will be pleasing to the coaching set up and with the potential return of Ryan, Limerick could boast a deadly full forward line in their most important match of the season.
Probable Limerick team:
B Scanlon; S Cahill, J McCarthy, R Browne, I Corbett, P Browne, P Ranahan, T Lee, G Hegarty, J Riordan, D Treacy, C Fahy; P Nash, S Buckley, K Moore.
