Limerick FC 3-2 Sligo Rovers
THE 22nd time really is a charm. At long last, Limerick FC have a win on the board in the 2015 SSE Airtricity League Premier Division following Saturday evening’s tense 3-2 victory over Sligo Rovers, the team immediately ahead of them in the table.
Vinny Faherty struck twice in the first half before Rob Lahane halved the deficit. A fortuitous Dean Clarke goal restored Limerick’s two-goal lead but when Gary Armstrong found the net, the closing minutes of the match were played out in a frightfully anxious atmosphere at Markets Field.
The home side made the better start to the game, although the rate at which possession changed hands indicated why these teams occupied the two lowest positions in the league. Clarke had an early half-chance but couldn’t get a clean contact on the ball before Paul O’Conor warmed the gloves of Richard Brush with a 25-yard effort.
Midway through the first half, some impressive build-up play by Lee-J Lynch led to Faherty bearing down on goal before unleashing a powerful drive from just outside the penalty area, the ball crashing into the roof of the Sligo net to open the scoring.
Limerick were close to doubling the lead on the half-hour mark after O’Conor’s through pass was blocked by Gavin Peers and the ball fell to Ian Turner, who dragged his shot wide.
The Super Blues were streets ahead of an insipid Sligo in the first half and deservedly went 2-0 up in the 36th minute. Turner, one of many Limerick players to give a very impressive display, whipped in a cross from the left and the potent Faherty was in the right place to direct a close-range header past Brush for his second goal of the evening.
A frantic goal-line scramble five minutes before the break almost resulted in a third for Limerick, who were loudly applauded off the field at half-time. Sligo unsurprisingly made two changes at the interval, with Danny Ledwith and Armstrong deployed, although Faherty had two more decent opportunities within five minutes of the restart.
After the 50-minute mark, the visitors rapidly improved. Freddy Hall had to be alert to push away a Raffaele Cretaro shot and then, on 57 minutes, former Limerick defender Patrick Nzuzi delivered a cross that was all too easily dispatched to the net at the far post by Lahane.
Just as the tide was turning Sligo’s way, though, the home side struck again in the 64th minute with a goal that finally brought Limerick a touch of good fortune. Lynch picked Ledwith’s pocket before finding Faherty, who opted to play in Clarke rather than shoot for goal. Clarke’s shot took a wicked deflection off former team-mate Jason Hughes, making a quick return to Shannonside after his recent move to Sligo, and looped into the net for 3-1.
The Super Blues seemed to have put the game beyond reach but the final 15 minutes would prove to be horribly tense. From Regan Donelon’s cross, Lahane’s flick led to Armstrong finishing at the back post to restore hope for Sligo, who would have drawn level in the 84th minute only for Shane Tracy blocking Cretaro’s effort on the goal-line.
The announcement of four minutes of stoppage time did not sit well with the anxious Limerick punters and fingernails were the dinner option of choice in the third additional minute when Sligo won a free kick just outside the box. David Cawley’s strike evaded the wall but not Hall, whose save was cheered with gusto by the home fans. When Rob Rogers finally called a halt to proceedings a minute later, the stadium erupted with relief and euphoria.
Limerick manager Martin Russell was quick to point out after the game that the battle for Premier Division survival was still very much an uphill one, but at least the winless noose is off their necks and, with the gap on Sligo down to seven points with 11 matches still to play, at least there is a chink of light at the end of what has been an incredibly dark tunnel for Limerick FC. No need to write the obituaries just yet.
Limerick FC: Hall; Kelly, Kanyuka, Williams, Tracy; Duggan, O’Conor; Turner (Russell 82), Lynch, Clarke; Faherty (Guedje 82).
Sligo Rovers: Brush; Nzuzi, Peers (Ledwith h-t), Clancy, Keane; Boylan (Armstrong h-t), Hughes; Donelon (Dykes 86), Cawley, Cretaro; Lahane.
Referee: Rob Rogers (Dublin)
Attendance: 980
