Soccer – Four points behind, four games to go

WITH four points separating them from a relegation play-off position, Limerick FC face into the first of four defining matches in October when they travel to Eamonn Deacy Park to take on Galway United on Friday night.
Galway’s win over Sligo Rovers last weekend lifted them to ninth and extended the gap between bottom club Limerick and the pack of teams they are attempting to catch over the next four weeks.
The Super Blues will seek to avenge their two defeat against Tommy Dunne’s Tribesmen in 2015, with Galway winning 3-2 at home in April and 4-2 at the Markets Field in July, a game in which Jake Keegan scored a hat-trick.
A win for Martin Russell’s team would bring them right into the survival mix, while a draw would not be fatal at this stage. However, defeat for Limerick would almost certainly spell the end of their hopes of avoiding relegation.
In their last outing a fortnight ago, the Super Blues lost 3-1 at home to champions and runaway leaders Dundalk, Limerick’s first defeat in two months during which they turned a seemingly lost cause into an improbable charge for Premier Division safety.
Although Russell’s men are away, the Markets Field will not be idle this weekend. The venue will host two under 19 friendlies between Republic of Ireland and Ukraine, firstly on Saturday 10 at 5pm and then Monday 12 at 1pm. On Tuesday 13, Limerick FC Official Supporters’ Club will hold a table quiz at JP’s Bar, Sarsfield Street at 8pm.