LIMERICK FC manager Martin Russell believes his team have shown they “deserve to be playing in the Premier Division” with their displays over recent months, and he hopes they can “keep performance levels high” in a crunch clash in Galway this weekend.
The Shannonsiders make the trip to face Galway United at Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm) looking to close the gap at the bottom of the table, which is currently four points to Drogheda United and Sligo Rovers with four games remaining.
Galway, along with Longford Town and Derry City, are a further two points clear on 29 in a congested bottom six, and Russell feels 31 points could be required to climb into the playoff place.
But the Blues’ immediate focus is on a game which the boss knows they “have got to take something from”, with eyes on an invaluable victory ahead of back-to-back home clashes with Derry and Shamrock Rovers before a final-day trip to Sligo.
“Who knows what way it’s going to pan out? Maybe the Galway win last weekend makes it a little bit more difficult for us but, having said that, Sligo are still in that pack that we can catch as well,” Russell told LimerickFC.ie.
“We want to concentrate on the last four games on how well we do and see where that takes us. A win gives us a great chance. We’ve got to take something from the game, ideally a win – that’s what we’re going up there to do.
“We said a while ago that come the last kick of the ball that we want to be still there fighting, and hopefully that’s going to be the case, that one way or another we’re going to be in a position that we can give ourselves a good chance of staying in the Premier Division.
“I think we’ve got a group of players that if you look at it over recent games deserve to be playing in the Premier Division. That will be the focus, to keep our performance levels high, and they can have that chance with Limerick next year.”
In their last outing, a fortnight ago, Limerick led from the second to 76th minute against reigning Champions Dundalk before the leaders hit back with three quick-fire goals to come out 3-1 winners at the Markets Field, ending the Blues’ seven-match unbeaten run. Russell, though, feels his players will have gained belief from that.
“It’s always a blow when you don’t get the win but I think the lads will take a lot of heart out of the competitive game that they gave Dundalk,” Martin said.
“Again, it’s evidence that if they can trouble Dundalk the way they did, there’s no reason with four games to go and the teams we have to play against why we can’t do likewise and ultimately come out with better results.
“It will be an achievement for the group if we stay up. I’ll encourage the players to be the best that they can be – the big thing comes from them. They’ve got to do it on the field but they’ll get a lot of encouragement from me and the staff.
“Seven or eight points could find you in a playoff. But the focus for us is on the 90 minutes on Friday because it is an important game to get something from. Everybody above us has our respect because they have got more points than us.
“Galway will be looking to win the game, which would probably guarantee them their status in the league next season. We know it’s going to be a tough, tough challenge.”
While Dundalk inflicted a first defeat on Limerick since July, the Shannonsiders are looking to extend their unbeaten run on the road to four, having beaten Cork City and Drogheda while drawing at Bray Wanderers on their last three trips.
Galway, meanwhile, last weekend recorded a crucial 2-1 win over Sligo at Eamonn Deacy Park thanks to a brace from Enda Curran, which saw them bounce back from a loss at Tallaght Stadium the previous Friday.
Having previously lost five straight home games, Galway have put together a three-match unbeaten run there in the league, drawing with Drogheda before beating Longford and Sligo.
The teams have met twice this season with Galway coming out on top in both high-scoring encounters. In Galway in April, they edged to a 3-2 victory and in the return at the Markets Field in July they came out on top 4-2, with Limerick native Gary Shanahan among the scorers in both meetings.
Team News: Limerick must contend without experienced left-back Shane Tracy who misses out after accumulating five yellow cards.
Officials: Referee for the game is Dave McKeon, his assistants are Trevor Conlon and Darren Corcoran with the fourth official Marc Lynch.
Full live commentary of Friday’s match will be available on Limerick’s Live 95FM from 7.40pm while LimerickFC.ie will have text updates from kick-off time.
