PREVIEW: RUSSELL WANTS “SIMILAR PERFORMANCE”
Limerick manager Martin Russell has targeted a “similar performance” to last week as his side look to put further distance between themselves and the danger zone when they take on Bray Wanderers at Thomond Park on Thursday evening (kick-off 7.45pm).
The game has been brought forward 24 hours due to the World Club 7s Festival at the venue and it offers the Superblues the chance to climb to seventh for one night at least.
Limerick would also put an eight-point gap between themselves and Bray with a victory, with Russell keen to see his players build on their result and performance against Shamrock Rovers.
Goals from Rory Gaffney, Ian Turner and Stephen Folan, along with Rovers captain Conor Kenna putting through his own net, saw the Shannonsiders ease to a 4-1 win over the title hopefuls.
But now facing Bray – who avoided a seventh straight defeat with an injury-time equaliser at home to Athlone Town last Friday – the boss has warned against complacency.
“It’s important that we build on last week,” Russell told LimerickFC.ie. “You want to win each and every game and we’ll look forward to the visit of Bray.
“We want a similar performance to last week. We want to start in a positive manner and make sure we do things right. As we all know, there are no easy games in this league and Thursday will be no different.
“Bray have not had the results they would have wanted recently but teams can be broken and they can pick up a win somewhere.
“We need to put in a performance to match last week which will help our cause towards getting another three points.”
After last week’s game, the former midfielder called for more support for his team. “Part of the future is trying to get more people coming to the games,” the 47-year-old said, “supporting the local club and helping out the people behind the scenes here who are trying to do things.
“It all helps. We talk about the business on the field but there’s business off the field. I know how hard the people behind the scenes are working but we need to get those two things and maximize them.
“We’ll try to do our stuff on the field as best we can, but come out and support the club and it will make things even better.”
Limerick’s win over Rovers supplied their first points since returning from the mid season break, but they have now won three of our their last four home outings, a sequence including an impressive win over reigning champions Saint Patrick’s Athletic.
Bray, meanwhile, ended a six-game losing streak with a last-gasp leveller against Athlone at the Carlisle Grounds last weekend. Their last three games on the road have ended in defeat, with the Seagulls conceding 13 goals in that period.
While separated by just one place in the table, ninth-placed Limerick are five points ahead of their County Wicklow opponents.
Recent Meetings: The sides met on the opening day of the season and played out a scoreless draw at Thomond Park where both sides finished with ten men, the Shannonsiders losing captain Shane Duggan before David Cassidy was dismissed for the visitors.
In the return fixture in Bray in May, a dominant Limerick failed to make it count on the scoreboard and they were undone by an Adam Hanlon strike on 81 minutes as Alan Mathews’ side claimed a 1-0 win.
Team News: Limerick have slight doubts over centre halves Samuel Oji and Michael Leahy, while young left-sided player Colm Murphy remains on the sidelines having suffered concussion in the recent defeat by Sligo Rovers.
Referee for the game is Graham Kelly, his assistants are Ken Hennessey and Ralph Pieper while the fourth official is Patrick Gleeson.
(via limerickfc.ie)
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