IT’S BEEN A long time since Shane Duggan’s only visit to the Markets Field. So long that he has no recollection of it.
Duggan’s father, Ger, is a legend of soccer in Limerick, having been part of the last team to bring Premier Division (1980) and FAI Cup (1982) titles to Shannonside.
His testimonial was played at the Markets Field some time in the 80s. Shane was too young to remember exactly when, but he knows he was there.
When the midfielder returns to the Garryowen venue for the first time since his father’s farewell game, he’ll do so as captain of Limerick FC and it will be a significant occasion for the city.
But he’s not quite sure when that will be either. Limerick’s SSE Airtricity League Premier Division opener against Bohemians this Saturday evening (6.30pm) was due to be the first game of football at the Markets Field for nearly 30 years, but the wait will go on just a little longer.
There’s still work to be done on the spiritual home of Limerick soccer in order to bring it up to scratch. Limerick FC will base themselves at Jackman Park in the meantime, but the hope is that the Markets Field will be ready by May.
“It’s a big disappointment because the city was buzzing,” Duggan told The42. “The Markets Field is the home of Limerick soccer. There was so much success there through the years, especially in the 80s when they won the league and cup. We want to bring those good times back again.
“I’ll play out in the back garden as long as I’m playing football, but I would love to play at the Markets Field. Representing Limerick is a big honour.
“My father played with Limerick in the Markets Field and they had great success in front of big crowds. That’s something I’d love to experience as well.
“Hopefully we can get the crowds through the gates again. You see down in Cork that they’ve made Turner’s Cross a fortress over the years, and we want to have something similar in Limerick.”
For now, however, it’s Jackman Park, where Bohemians will visit on Saturday for a meeting of last season’s sixth and seventh placed sides. Limerick edged out the Gypsies by a point to secure a top-half finish.
Despite losing key players like Kieran Djilali and Rory Gaffney during the off-season, Duggan is confident that a young Limerick squad can build on a largely positive 2014 campaign.
He said: “We’ve lost a lot of players from last season but we have some good young players coming through. Martin (Russell, manager) has shown in the past that he’s very good at getting the best out of young players. We’ll be looking to build on last season.”
