LIMERICK 37 -v- DUNDALK FC The Competition: eircom League of Ireland First Division, Series 7 The Venue: Jackman Park, Limerick The Date: Friday 18 April, 2008 The Time: 7.45pm The Mission: Stay top!   DUNDALK GO SHANNONSIDE League leaders Dundalk will be aiming to maintain their three point lead at the summit of the eircom League of Ireland First Division table when they make the long trip south to face Limerick 37 at Jackman Park on Friday evening (kick-off 7.45pm). The Lilywhites opened up a clear advantage at the top last week when they overcame fellow promotion hopefuls Waterford United, and they will now be hoping to net some revenge when they do battle with the Shannonsiders.   On the last two occasions that these teams have met, Limerick have won quite comfortably, with a 4-1 win in Jackman Park last August being followed by a 2-0 victory at Oriel Park in October - Dundalk’s first defeat at home since June 2006 and their only one to date in their last 32 outings at Oriel Park. The good news, however, is that Dundalk have won eleven of the last fifteen meetings between these clubs! Limerick enter this game sitting in fifth position but with a 100% home record, with two wins from two (against Wexford Youths and Longford Town). GET TO LIMERICK!!! As usual, the Oriel Travel Club will be running a bus to Jackman Park for this Friday’s match. The coach will leave Oriel Park at 1pm sharp. For further information, contact Brendan on 087-2342331.   Limerick is the longest journey of the year for Dundalk. At a round trip of 560.4 kilometres (348.22 miles), it is, in total, 74.2 kilometres (46.11 miles) further than Waterford, which, at 486.2 kilometres (302.11 miles), is the second longest outing on the calendar! The estimated time taken to get from Oriel Park to Jackman Park is around 3.5 hours. By going to this link - http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/routes/ - and typing in ‘From: Dundalk, To: Limerick’, you will be given a full route of the journey to Limerick City, which is printable.   Dundalk manager John Gill could have the rare luxury of having a fully fit squad to choose from for the trip to Limerick. The boss has no suspension worries, while both striker Robbie Martin, who was forced off with an ankle knock against Waterford last week, and midfielder Paul Shiels, who has sat out the last two matches with a similar injury, should be in line for a return here. Limerick, meanwhile, will be without captain and influential central defender Pat Purcell, while goalkeeper Dave Ryan is suspended having been sent-off in Athlone last weekend. Striker Derek McCarthy could, however, come back in for his first appearance since last November, while top scorer, on-loan full-back Shane Tracy should also return. WHELEHAN READY FOR BATTLE Since arriving at the club for duty in January of last year, central defender Ben Whelehan has appeared in just 12 of Dundalk’s 42 league matches. Interestingly, the Lilywhites have kept eight clean-sheets in those games. Two nasty injuries has been behind his lack of action, however, now, recovered from an ankle knock sustained in the opening day draw at Shelbourne, Whelehan is fighting fit and aiming to dislodge either Aidan Lynch or Ian Ryan from the starting XI. “The ankle injury is grand, it’s healed completely,” Whelehan told dundalkfc.com this week. “There’s been no problems; I was told six weeks, and I’m back in four, so I’m ready to go. I’m just waiting to be picked for the team now, but that’s up to John.” The 28-year-old incidentally suffered both injuries against Shels, and, as a result, has made just one competitive appearance since last May. However, despite his lengthy absences, Whelehan feels it’s a case of being unlucky rather than injury prone. “No, I definitely don’t think I’m injury prone!” he states. “What kind of a f****ing question is that?! And put that on the internet! That’s football, you get injured. If there wasn’t a divot in the pitch, I wouldn’t have ran into it, and you see knee injuries happening all over the league.” Last year, Dundalk suffered for long periods in defence as injuries to Lynch and Whelehan saw a number of players line-out in their less preferred positions to cover at centre-half. However, now, it’s a totally different headache for manager John Gill as he has to pick between Whelehan, Lynch and Ryan for the two available slots. “I don’t want to sit on the bench, but I can’t complain,” Whelehan admits. “The lads are doing quite well at the back. If they were doing badly and I was sitting on the bench, then I’d have something to say. The lads are doing well, but I’m looking forward to getting back in.” Whelehan has been watching from the sidelines since the first day of the campaign, and has seen his team-mates accumulate thirteen points from the fifteen on offer since then. However, he feels at this point that there is still room for improvement from the squad. “It’s been okay so far,” Ben assesses. “We got a good win against Waterford; it was a bit of a scrappy game. We were shocking against Fingal, and I thought against Wexford, we played in patches, but overall, we sneaked a win when maybe we shouldn’t have. We didn’t play up to our potential, but we came back then against Waterford, and hopefully now, we can push on against Limerick. It’s a big, big game, but I don’t see why we can’t get a result down there. “You don’t want to peak too early, but there are teams in the league that you should be beating. You’ve just got to keep taking one game at a time, that’s the old cliché, and just win your games. Overall, I’m happy with the start. We could have been playing a little bit better, and we could have picked up a couple of more points, but we’re top of the league, so, hopefully, we can stay there.” LIMERICK 37 12 April - Athlone Town 2-2 Limerick - (Reilly 76, pen. 81; Hayes 40, Ryan S/O 80, Ryan 90) 4 April - Waterford United 3-1 Limerick - (Kiely 44, 80, Bermingham 58, S/O 83; Tracy pen. 93) 28 March - Limerick 2-1 Longford - (Bruton 2, Fogarty 39; Murray 11) 21 March - Sporting Fingal 1-0 Limerick - (Doyle pen. 1) 14 March - Limerick 2-0 Wexford Youths - (Tracy pen. 87, pen. 89)   DUNDALK 10 April - Dundalk 1-0 Waterford United - (Cassidy 63) 4 April - Sporting Fingal 1-1 Dundalk - (Collins 50; Crawley 78) 27 March - Dundalk 2-1 Wexford Youths - (Flanagan 20, Martin 24; Malone 57) 25 March - Dundalk 3-0 Monaghan United - (Crowley 22, Mulvenna 34, 63) 22 March - Longford Town 1-2 Dundalk - (McKenna 88; Lynch 59, Vaughan 77)   Mike Kerley -v- John Gill Mike Kerley was appointed to the Limerick 37 hotseat for the second time in his managerial career on Wednesday 19 December last, as he succeeded former Irish international Paul McGee. Some uncertainty surrounded the 36-year-old’s arrival at Jackman Park early in pre-season, however, those doubts were put to bed when he finally signed a two-year contract at the beginning of February. Kerley, who holds UEFA A and B coaching badges and a UEFA Pro Licence, was boss of Limerick FC in 2003 and 2004, guiding the club to the playoffs in the first of those seasons.   He had earlier spent time as under-21 coach at the club, while he also had a stint as assistant manager of the senior side before taking over first-team affairs. In November 2005, Limerick born Kerley became manager of Waterford United, but a disappointing reign ended just eight months later with the Blues languishing at the foot of the Premier Division standings. As a player, in a League of Ireland career spanning sixteen years, he had two spells with Limerick, as well as spending time at Cork City and Kilkenny City. Tommy Barrett -v- Robbie Martin With captain Pat Purcell missing for the foreseeable future, Tommy Barrett will lead the Limerick defence into battle with the armband in the coming weeks. Barrett has spent virtually all of his career with his native city, with the only interruption being a short half-season spell at Shamrock Rovers last year. Barrett first appeared for Limerick during 2005, when he made 36 appearances and scored eight goals, a tally which made him the Shannonsiders’ top goalscorer. The following year, Barrett was again a key player for the Blues as he netted six times in 36 starts as long-time leaders Limerick eventually finished fifth. His performances during those two seasons led to Rovers boss Pat Scully acquiring Barrett for the 2007 Premier Division, however, his time there lasted just ten games. Barrett made a quick return to Limerick and played nineteen times during the second-half of the campaign. The 28-year-old has played every minute for the Blues so far this term.   His opponent here is likely to be Dundalk’s top goalscorer Robbie Martin, who should be able to take his place having been forced off through injury at half-time in last week’s home win over Waterford United. Martin has scored three times to date this season, leaving him as the club’s top goalscorer and the division’s joint-third best marksman. Martin signed from Longford Town in the off-season, and has been placed in his preferred position of striker by manager John Gill, having played on the wing at Flancare Park. And, it’s a move which has worked well, with the former UCD goal machine and PFAI Young Player of the Year showing a touch of class in attack. So far this season, he has been paired with Trevor Vaughan and Robbie Farrell from the start, while he has had young star Tiarnàn Mulvenna for company in substitute outings. Whoever his partner on Friday, though, Limerick and Barrett will have an arduous task to keep Martin quiet.   Wayne Colbert -v- David Cassidy Dundalk fans will, or at least should, remember Wayne Colbert (pictured above on the left) from the Lilywhites’ sole League Cup fixture last year. John Gill’s unbeaten men travelled to the capital to face Shamrock Rovers with a weakened side, and were undone by a second-half strike from Colbert, whose deflected effort found its way past ‘keeper Neil Gallagher. That was about the height of Colbert’s Rovers success, as, like Barrett, he returned to Limerick in the July transfer window following just four appearances (one start) for the Hoops. Colbert made the breakthrough to the Limerick first-team the previous season, as he made seven appearances late in the campaign, scoring one goal (against Kilkenny City), and he soon reverted to Shannonside in mid-season last year as Paul McGee snapped up the then 22-year-old from Rovers. Upon his return, he was an ever-present in the side, making fifteen appearances and scoring once (against Athlone Town). Interestingly, or perhaps worryingly, in 27 appearances, Colbert’s two goals for Limerick have both come in 4-1 wins!   Last week’s goal hero, David Cassidy should be Colbert’s opposite number here, with the pair knowing each other from their Rovers days. Cassidy returned from injury last Thursday, and netted the only goal as he volleyed home superbly to inflict Waterford’s first defeat of the season, as Dundalk shot three points clear at the top. Cassidy, who had been out of action with a hamstring strain picked up in the win at Longford a month ago, made his return with a substitute appearance at Sporting Fingal, before coming back in from the start eight days ago. The 22-year-old has been simply superb since his close-season move to Oriel Park, with his endless energy and power packed displays playing a key role in Dundalk leading the way at this stage. His return to the side last Thursday was a clearly visible boost, and in one of the trickiest away games on the calendar, Dundalk will need an in-form Cassidy to collect the points here.   Willie Bruton -v- Aidan Lynch A well regarded striker, Willie Bruton (above) made Limerick the fourth Munster club of his League of Ireland career when he signed for the Jackman Park outfit in the off-season. Bruton spent eight years at his native Cobh Ramblers before finally leaving for pastures new when signing for Waterford United in 2004. There, he spent a season and a half, scoring ten goals in 43 appearances, before having a short spell at Cork City in the latter part of 2005. Soon after, Bruton returned to Cobh and netted five times in 23 outings as Ramblers finished fourth behind Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk. Bruton then moved on to Waterford United but made just two appearances at the start of the campaign, before signing for Limerick in 2008. To date this season, Bruton has started all six of Limerick’s league games, with the 28-year-old finding his first club goal three weeks ago when he scored the opener in the Blues’ 2-1 home win over Longford Town.   Aidan Lynch is another Dundalk player who has had to contend with injuries this season. The club captain has suffered with calf problems over the past two seasons, and missed the Lilywhites’ trip to Fingal a fortnight ago due to a groin strain picked up against Wexford Youths the previous week. A key member of the squad, and probably the most important defender at the club, Lynch returned to the starting XI last Thursday and was outstanding in the backline alongside Ian Ryan. As mentioned above, last season saw Dundalk struggle badly in defence due to injuries, however, now, with Ben Whelehan knocking on the door, both Lynch and Ryan know they can’t afford any slip-ups, a fact which should see another good performance from Dundalk’s back four this weekend. Simply put, with Lynch in the side, the Lilywhites look a different team. - Dundalk have played, to the second, exactly 576 minutes and 33 seconds of league football this season. That’s 9 hours, 36 minutes and 33 seconds to put it another way. (Don’t doubt us, we’ve timed every second of action). To tell it a different way, it means that the Lilywhite Army has played injury-time totalling 35 minutes and 33 seconds in their opening six league games. In that extra time played, not one goal has been scored!   - Only David Crawley has played every second of Dundalk’s league campaign to date, while only six of the squad have appeared in all six games - Crawley, Robbie Martin, Davie O’Connor, Ian Ryan, Jamie Duffy and Robbie Farrell.   - Dundalk have so far conceded three goals in the league. However, they have yet to concede in 282 minutes and five seconds of first-half football. In other terms, that’s 4 hours, 42 minutes and 5 seconds of action. The three goals shipped came in minutes 88 (Longford Town), 56 (Wexford Youths) and 50 (Sporting Fingal).   - In the opening 279 minutes and 33 seconds (4 hours, 39 minutes and 33 seconds) of league football this year, Dundalk kept a clean-sheet all the way. That was until Darren McKenna’s headed consolation for Longford in Flancare Park on 22 March. - Dundalk’s top scorer so far this season is Robbie Martin. The 25-year-old has netted three times in six appearances. David Cassidy is the second highest scorer with two, while the Lilywhites’ other four goals have been shared by Aidan Lynch, Trevor Vaughan, John Flanagan and David Crawley. Limerick’s top marksman is full-back Shane Tracy! On-loan from Galway United, the youngster has netted all three strikes from the penalty spot.   - Dundalk’s only defeat at Oriel Park since June 2006 came last October when an early John Tierney double gave Limerick a shock 2-0 win. Tierney has since signed for Cork City.   - Limerick have a 100% home record so far this season, with wins against Wexford Youths (2-0) and Longford Town (2-1). Last year, the Blues’ home record read: P18 - W8 - D6 - L4 - F30 - A17. This compared to an away record of: P18 - W6 - D5 - L7 - F16 - A24.   - No player on either panel has played for both Dundalk and Limerick in their careers to date.   - Limerick is the fourth of eighteen away days on Dundalk’s 2008 fixture list. In total, by the end of it, the squad and its supporters will have travelled a round trip of 5,569.6 kilometres (3,460.8 miles). This compares to 6,574.8 kilometres (4,085.4 miles) last year - meaning that with Finn Harps, Cobh Ramblers and Kilkenny City taken off the list of destinations, over 1,000 kilometres (625 miles) has also been knocked off this season’s Discovery Ireland tour.   - In 39 league matches away from Oriel Park under John Gill, Dundalk’s record is: P39 - W19 - D9 - L11 - F48 - A37. Gill had only lost four away games in 25 outings until last June when Dundalk lost 1-0 in Cobh.   - Sixteen members of the squad scored Dundalk’s 40 league goals at home last year. Robbie Doyle and Trevor Vaughan were joint-top of the Oriel scorers’ list with five goals each. Robbie Martin has already scored three times in three home appearances this term. - In contrast, only seven players scored away from home for Dundalk in 2007, as they netted just sixteen goals on the road all season, the lowest tally apart from Wexford Youths. Shaun Williams was the Lilywhites’ highest scorer on the road with five goals.   Just to try to forget our last two meetings with Limerick, we have decided to look back at the fifteen most recent games between the clubs. Up until that night last August, Dundalk were unbeaten against the Shannonsiders in thirteen outings, with eleven wins and two draws. That incredible sequence began in 2004, with two of the most memorable wins during that run coming during the 2006 season. April of that year saw the inconsistent Lilywhites travel to Hogan Park (you can’t forget it, surely?) in one of the most exciting games under John Gill’s reign. Crackers from Austin Skelly and Philly Hughes helped Dundalk to a 3-2 victory, before the return meeting two months later saw the Lilywhites’ season really take off with a facile 3-1 win. A goal on his home debut from Keith Dunne, a long-range corker from Sean Finn and the customary Philly Hughes strike did the damage as Dundalk set out on their incredible run to promotion (or what should have been promotion!).   PAST 15 MEETINGS - DUNDALK - W11 - D2 - L2 - F23 - A13 25 October 2007 - Dundalk 0-2 Limerick 24 August 2007 - Limerick 4-1 Dundalk 26 June 2007 - Dundalk 0-0 Limerick 20 April 2007 - Limerick 0-1 Dundalk 9 November 2006 - Dundalk 1-0 Limerick 12 September 2006 - Limerick 1-2 Dundalk 11 July 2006 - Dundalk 3-1 Limerick 28 April 2006 - Limerick 2-3 Dundalk 4 November 2005 - Limerick 0-0 Dundalk 1 September 2005 - Dundalk 4-0 Limerick 1 July 2005 - Limerick 0-1 Dundalk 21 April 2005 - Dundalk 1-0 Limerick 18 September 2004 - Limerick 1-2 Dundalk 10 June 2004 - Dundalk 2-1 Limerick 27 March 2004 - Limerick 1-2 Dundalk

 

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