THE Superblues missed out on promotion last weekend. Pat Scully’s men fought all the way to the end, but it was some silly defeats, some surprising draws and matters off the field which cost them over the course of the season.
While all Limerick fans are disappointed this weekend, the positives at the end of this season far outweigh the negative of missing out on the top flight.
With plans in place now for the Market’s Field return as well as the influx of star players, Limerick are already favourites for next season’s First Division.
A week is a long time in sport. The winter is even longer and anything can happen between now and next March in terms of restructuring of the league and other licence policies.
For their take on the matter, we leave the final words of this season to Limerick FC and it’s chairman Pat O’Sullivan.
“Everyone involved in Limerick FC would like to thank all the supporters, sponsors, the LDMC and the media for their support during the past year. Reflecting on the season, we feel that the club is continuing to move in the right direction. Our Senior Team missed out on a promotion playoff by the narrowest of margins, the Schoolboys/girls (Academy) section continues to grow, our Senior Ladies won the Munster Senior Cup and the Special Olympics & U-19 teams continue to make huge progress.
We are obviously disappointed that the Senior Team missed out on a deserved promotion play-off spot, not on the number of points won on the field but due to an administrative issue with the eligibility of a Finn Harps player. Monaghan as you know were awarded a 3-0 win over Finn Harps despite the game finishing 0-0 and these extra two points proved crucial in deciding the final league positions. Limerick FC did request Arbitration in relation to this case but our case was not heard by the arbitrator due to objections from the other parties involved. While we feel we had a solid case and are very disappointed and frustrated that our case was not heard, ultimately this is out of our hands and as a result an administrative error has decided the play-off place. I would hope that it will be an area of the rules that the FAI Rules Committee will rectify in the future to ensure no other team suffers in the manner which Limerick FC have in this case.
There is no off season for those working behind the scenes at Limerick FC. We will continue to concentrate our efforts on building up all sections of our club and are already looking forward to the start of 2012 season. As Chairman, I will continue to engage with the local and national business sector to secure additional sponsorship and financial support for the Club. Limerick FC is at its core a community club and we will continue to work to use football as a tool to help with social issues in our city.
Finally, we would like to congratulate Cork City on winning the league, Shelbourne on securing the second promotion place, and would like to wish the Best of Luck to both Monahgan Utd and Galway Utd in the promotion/relegation playoffs.”
If you wish to have your say on the Limerick FC season or indeed anything sports related, email donn@limerickpos.ie. Send your letters to Donn O’Sullivan, Sports Editor, Limerick Post Newspaper, 97 Henry Street, Limerick.
Enjoy the winter off.
