It was impossible to picture such relief back in February when, still buoyant after romping the First Division, lengthy queues formed outside Markets Field for the Super Blues' league opener against Sligo Rovers. If supporters were optimistic before that match, they would have been professing their ability to win the league following a 5-1 hammering of the Bit O' Red, with new signing Rodrigo Tosi netting an opening day hat-trick. A week later, Limerick's first Tale of the Unexpected during a tumultuous year saw the abandonment of their game against Derry City in Buncrana when the floodlights failed at Maginn Park. The 1,000+ kilometre round journey had been made for less than 25 minutes of football. The planned refixture was also postponed, but that owed to the devastating death of Derry's captain Ryan McBride later in March.
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| Photo credit: Limerick's Live 95FM |
Defeats to Dundalk and Bohemians were a reality check for Limerick and a fortunate draw at home to Finn Harps led to whispers that Martin Russell was on the verge of being sacked just a few short months after taking the club back into the Premier Division. A fine win at Bray Wanderers preceded a 0-3 hammering at home to a rampant Cork City side, the straw that broke the camel's back as far as Russell's time in the dugout was concerned.
Willie Boland was elevated to the role of caretaker manager as the search for a permanent successor begun. The ex-Coventry midfielder got off to an ideal start, with wins over St Patrick's Athletic and Drogheda, plus a good point away to Derry. A home draw with Galway was disappointing, but the point gained at Shamrock Rovers courtesy of a last-minute Tosi equaliser was welcomed. That inconsistency continued into May, with a heavy defeat in Sligo, another last-gasp draw at home to Derry, a fine win away to Bohemians but damaging defeats against Dundalk and Finn Harps.
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| Photo credit: Inpho/Oisin Keniry |
It was ahead of the Dundalk game in mid-May that Neil McDonald was named as the club's new manager. His was an appointment from left field, although a CV which took in assistant coaching roles at Hull and Crystal Palace was not to be taken lightly. The Englishman's first home game in charge was a crazy 5-3 win over Bray Wanderers which left Limerick in a decent position as the mid-season break arrived.
Upon the resumption of the Premier Division, though, things started to go awry for the Super Blues. They were destroyed in Cork, where McDonald's risky team selection completely backfired, and then threw away a two-goal lead at home to relegation rivals St Pat's. Victory in Drogheda got them back on track but then they were beaten in Galway, leaving them very much in the thick of a battle for survival. The manager's perplexing choices of personnel and slightly abrasive demeanour did not endear himself to some of the Markets Field faithful and the decision to let Robbie Williams, Shaun Kelly and Paul O'Conor leave the club was widely condemned. The mid-season arrivals didn't exactly have the fans hopping with glee, either, although Peter Berki turned out to be a good footballer and Joe Crowe was as committed as you could wish. Henry Cameron's move, though, hasn't quite worked out so far.
The final round of league games started with a home draw against Sligo, self-inflicted hammerings away to Derry and Dundalk and a wretched home defeat to Shamrock Rovers. By mid-August, many neutrals included Limerick as one of their picks to go down when asked which clubs would occupy the relegation spots. A win over Bohemians and progress to the last eight of the FAI Cup bought McDonald some breathing space, but the pressure became claustrophobic again when they lost 0-2 at home to a very ordinary Finn Harps side. To call the atmosphere at Markets Field toxic that night would not be melodramatic. The boos could probably be heard all the way over in Jackman Park and Hogan Park.
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| Photo credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile |
Just as Limerick's season was beginning to collapse, though, a two-week period in September prompted a timely resurrection from impending ruin. A fine win in Galway took them into the FAI Cup semi-finals, a point in Bray was seen as a positive outcome and then came the night that Cork City, on the verge of clinching the title, were cut down to size at a raucuous Markets Field. That was the moment when belief surged through the club and the players and manager who were being excoriated just weeks earlier were now the subjects of appreciative chants. Unfortunately, the Leesiders got their revenge in the cup semi-final a week later, but even that performance at Turners Cross showed how much Limerick had progressed from the 4-1 hammering in June. McDonald was only finding his feet then, but his brave if foolhardy squad decisions were vindicated in the wake of what was to come.
Shane Duggan's goal in the 94th minute at Richmond Park yielded only a draw against St Pat's, but such was its significance in the greater scheme of things that you could be forgiven for thinking the captain's intervention had just won a trophy for Limerick. They made heavy weather of beating Drogheda a week later, but the result was achieved and it meant that they only had to draw at home to Galway to guarantee survival. It was never going to be a straightforward night, though. The drama began before the football even did when referee Anthony Buttimer, on a one-man mission to piss off everybody assembled at Markets Field, decreed that Limerick's attire of blue with white sleeves clashed with Galway's all-white shirt. After the match eventually began, luminous-clad Limerick seemed to be cruising to safety at 2-0 up, but allowed their relegation rivals to draw level and in the end were left clinging on for dear life to the point that, at long last, secured their Premier Division status for 2018.
A final position of seventh and a record of won 10, drew 10 and lost 13 would suggest a middle of the road season for the Super Blues. However, the change in dynamic with the three-down structure, allied to how closely bunched the teams in the bottom half were right up to the final day, meant that it was a rather uncomfortable campaign for Limerick. Indeed, they also finished seventh upon their Premier Division return in 2013, but with that being their first top flight season in 19 years and with no more than two teams making the drop at that time, it was regarded as a much better showing than this year's similar placing.
While always genial in media briefings, Russell couldn't win over large factions of the Limerick support who bemoaned his overly cavalier approach, a record of four clean sheets from 53 top flight matches reflecting poorly on the manager. Boland did a fine job of minding the house as interim boss and, should he earn the qualifications sufficient to take a permanent managerial role, his springtime sojourn in charge of his hometown club will go a long way towards landing such a gig. McDonald was quite different to any of the previous three Limerick managers with whom I had correspondence in my time covering the club. At times he was rather curt in post-match interviews and he gave the air of a manager who was so embedded in his beliefs and his judgement of players that he would give short shrift to dissenters.
That judgement saw him vilified for a time during July when Williams, Kelly and O'Conor were allowed to seek pastures new, the outrage over that triple departure compounded by a run of dismal results which dragged Limerick to the precipice of relegation. However, McDonald was not afraid to make bold changes to team selection and tactics when needed, an approach that was welcomed in some quarters given Russell's tendency to be overly loyal to some players. McDonald did it his way and remained steadfast in his beliefs even when sections of the Limerick support highly doubted him. He came in to do a job and ultimately succeeded in his mission, even if he and the team had to dig themselves out of quite a few holes along the route. The Englishman also deserves credit for tying down eight of this season's squad for 2018 within a week and a half of the league campaign ending, along with signing promising young midfielder Cian Coleman from Cobh Ramblers. If the expected arrival of Derry City's Barry McNamee comes to pass, that would be quite a coup, even if such a move would be a marriage of convenience for a player who is due to begin studying at UL.
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| Photo credit: RTE.ie |
What's certain from looking at Limerick this season is that they could do with more players of McNamee's quality in the squad. Russell got it bang on with two of his pre-season signings at contrasting stages in their careers - the goals of veteran Brazilian striker Rodrigo Tosi essentially kept Limerick in the division, while Chiedozie Ogbene more than delivered on the promise he showed in flashes with Cork City last season. The repeated hatchet jobs to which the winger was subjected by less skilled opponents testified to the fear he instilled in those tasked with shackling him. Another winter arrival, Brendan Clarke, earned crucial points with a catalogue of priceless penalty saves. The emergence of young defender Tony Whitehead as a lynchpin of the back four was most welcome, while French midfielder Bastien Hery overcame a shaky start to life at Limerick to become an invaluable figure in the latter weeks of the season when the stakes were at their highest. David O'Connor also deserves credit for his impressive displays at centre-back in the final few games, having been castigated at times for less than stellar performances in a left-back role. Also, amid the tension of the run-in, there was a hugely enjoyable evening at Markets Field when Shane Tracy was awarded a testimonial for reaching 10 years as a Limerick player. He had to bide his time before getting regular games this season, but once that run of games arrived, Tracy's experience and character was instrumental in bringing stability to the team. We already know that John O'Flynn and Stephen Kenny will not be at the club next season, the former's exit depriving Limerick of a very dependable striking option. Kenny also deserves positive recognition for his two years in a blue shirt.
The overriding positive from this year is that when the 10-team Premier Division begins next spring, Limerick will be a part of it. However, improving on this season's seventh-place finish may be difficult. Cork and Dundalk are firmly established as the top two, with Shamrock Rovers and Derry City next in line. Bohemians will continue to make steady progress under Keith Long, while it's asking a lot for St Patrick's Athletic and Sligo Rovers to be as poor next season as they were in 2017. Add in an upwardly mobile Waterford to the mix and it's clear that several more signings are needed if Limerick are to avoid another uncomfortable season.
Judging by the haste with which he has gone about transfer dealings, though, McDonald recognises the need to strengthen and, having now had time to familiarise himself with the intricacies of this league, he can be trusted to keep backing his judgements. For now, let's just draw a breath after a rocky yet moderately successful season for Limerick.
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