Limerick FC 3-0 Cabinteely
LIMERICK FC reached the quarterway mark of the 2016 SSE Airtricity League First Division with their 100 per cent record still intact and a seismic 10-point lead at the top of the table following this routine win over Cabinteely, the first ever meeting of the two clubs.
After the visitors managed to frustrate Limerick for most of the first half, Garbhan Coughlan found the net shortly before half-time and then a Kevin Knight own goal and Shane Tracy’s penalty sealed the points, with Cabinteely also having Lee Mitchell sent off with 20 minutes to go.
The first half was no classic, with the Super Blues dominating possession but not playing with the same fluidity that we’ve come to see in recent games. There was an early test for Cabinteely goalkeeper Michael Kelly, who managed to save both Stephen Kenny’s free kick and Aaron Greene’s follow-up.
The home side came close to scoring on a couple of occasions as their dominance increased, with Coughlan curling one narrowly wide and Tracy not far off target with a volleyed attempt. A sterile encounter finally came to life in the 35th minute, when Chris Mulhall supplied a cross for Coughlan to finish from six yards, Limerick’s superiority at last being represented on the scoreboard.
Martin Russell’s men had a couple of more good chances to add to their lead in the closing minutes of the first half. Mulhall slalomed brilliantly into the penalty area after beating three defenders, only for the chance to be snuffed out as he prepared to shoot, and the same player was then thwarted after trying to square to a team-mate when he had a good opportunity to take the shot on himself.
Within a minute of the restart, Kelly pulled off an excellent save from a Tracy shot, but there was little the Cabinteely netminder could do about Limerick’s second goal on 52 minutes. From Tracy’s corner, Knight inadvertently directed an attempted clearing header into his own net. It was cruel on the visitors’ captain, who had otherwise acquitted himself quite well in this game.
Limerick should probably have put the result to bed in the 64th minute when Mitchell carelessly gave the ball to Coughlan, who surged into a great scoring position but dragged his shot wide. After Mulhall then headed against the post from a corner, his 68th-minute shot appeared to strike Mitchell’s hand. Referee Andrew Mullally didn’t react instantly to the home fans’ cries for a penalty, but when assistant Ralph Pieper flagged, the spot kick was given and Mitchell was shown a red card. Tracy slotted the penalty to put Limerick 3-0 ahead and turn the final quarter of the game into something resembling a testimonial.
Just after that third goal, Freddy Hall departed the field through an injury he sustained while coming to claim a high ball a few minutes earlier, giving Tommy Holland the opportunity to at least take to the pitch for the remainder of the match, although with Limerick so comfortable, the young keeper effectively had a watching brief.
The same couldn’t be said for Kelly at the other end, as he produced a fine double save in the 81st minute from Mulhall and Shane Duggan, who was also denied by the Cabinteely goalkeeper’s left leg a minute later. Mulhall went close with a couple of headers late on as Limerick ultimately eased to a seventh consecutive league win and a first clean sheet at home this season.
In comparison to recent performances, the Super Blues never reached the standards that we’ve come to expect, and again it was only in the second half that they really made their quality tell. However, with a testing EA Sports Cup clash at home to Wexford Youths coming up on Tuesday night, they could be forgiven for dropping back to second gear once Tracy dispatched the penalty. Also, you can’t argue with seven wins out of seven or a commanding 10-point lead after a quarter of the season.
Limerick FC: Hall (Holland 71); Kelly, O’Connor (Whitehead h-t), Williams, Murphy (Duggan 77); Lynch, Tracy; Kenny, Coughlan, Greene; Mulhall.
Cabinteely: Kelly; Byrne (Burke 80), McDonough, Mitchell, Knight; Doyle, Brennan, Boyle, Brown (Hanley h-t); Hamzat (Brilly h-t); Hanrahan.
Referee: Andrew Mullally
Attendance: 1,348
