Lifeline for Limerick
THERE’S SOMETHING BREWING in Garryowen. That wasn’t Limerick’s best performance, but they were far more balanced on the night and they limited individual errors. The introductions of Shaun Kelly, Patrick Kanyuka and Freddy Hall have steadied a sinking ship for the time being.
Limerick looked like a mid-table side against Sligo, but perhaps more importantly for Martin Russell’s men, Sligo looked like relegation candidates on the night. With the sides still to play in the Showgrounds, this battle might rage on for a while. Limerick haven’t gone gently into that good night just yet.
- Andrew Cunneen
Cork not missing the Dennehy brothers
It’s unlikely that Billy Dennehy will pull on a Cork City shirt again while John Caulfield remains as manager while his brother Darren has been “50-50″ with injury for the past month or so, but results haven’t suffered.
Steven Beattie showed that he can be an upgrade on Billy with an incisive performance on the wing against Bohemians, while Alan Bennett and Dan Murray looked solid in defence.
Even beyond them, new signing Stephen Folan provides cover at the back.
- Denis Hurley
Selection decision pays off for Derry
Peter Hutton’s decision to play Mark Timlin up front alongside Patrick McEleney was a masterstroke as the Buncrana man netted twice to see off the limp challenge from an understrength Longford side. Timlin is the Derry’s top scorer this season and while his superbly hit first goal took a slight deflection, he showed tremendous pace and composure for his second.
- Simon Collins
Hoops stay in the hunt
Shamrock Rovers had to withstand some late pressure from Drogheda to ensure they left United Park with all three points. Anything less than a win would have proved further frustration for Pat Fenlon who has seen him team lose just once all year – joining Dundalk and Cork City in suffering only a solitary defeat, but draw far too many games and subsequently fall off the pace at the very top.
Without veteran stars Keith Fahey, Stephen McPhail and Damien Duff for much of the season, it’s been a combination of League of Ireland stalwarts and hungry young recruits that are keeping Rovers in the mix towards the top.
- Barry Landy
Seventh successive win for the Saints
A seventh win on the bounce for St Pat’s means they remain on a par with Shamrock Rovers in third, and with the two meeting this Friday in the league, Liam Buckley’s men come into the tie in good form.
However, they looked soft at times against a Galway side who exposed the lack of grit in their midfield. Greg Bolger’s absence was clear to see, and with little cover on front of their defence, Galway, when they flooded forward, showed Pat’s can be got at.
The visitors were right in the game until Winn saw red, and with good performances from Alex Byrne and Stephen Walsh, there are some positives.
Indeed, their ability to turn defence into attack quickly caused Pat’s problems in the second half even though they were down to 10-men.
- Simon Walsh
Dream debut for Dundalk’s latest arrival
Just as it looked like Dundalk were going to open the door for Cork with a stalemate in Bray, Stephen Kenny’s men showed why they’ve been the league’s best outfit for the last 18 months now.
Bray, as they so often do, were providing stiff resistance and appeared to be heading for a draw with the champions until Ciaran Kilduff, recently signed from St Pat’s, was sprung from the bench an made an instant impact.
With the arrival of Sean Maguire from West Ham, Dundalk’s squad is becoming increasingly stronger and at the moment it looks like they’ll stroll to the title.
