Due to Pike Rovers’ involvement in the Aviva Stadium showpiece, Limerick FC’s home game against St Patrick’s Athletic has been brought forward to this Friday evening, with a 7:45pm kick-off at Markets Field.
Tommy Barrett’s men go into the match on the back of a 2-1 defeat away to champions Cork City at Turners Cross last weekend. After Karl Sheppard missed an early penalty for the home side, an acrobatic effort from Danny Morrissey in the 33rd minute gave Limerick the lead.
However, that superiority lasted all of three minutes as Graham Cummins netted from close range to restore parity for the Leesiders. Cork’s winning goal came courtesy of substitute Josh O’Hanlon, consigning the Super Blues to a second defeat in a week and leaving then in the relegation play-off position ahead of the visit of St Pat’s, who will hope to follow the lead of the last six visiting teams to Markets Field by emerging victorious.
Meanwhile, Limerick FC released a statement with regard to recent ongoings at the Markets Field with regard to player abuse. It read. “The club have received complaints about the actions of some people at our games. This extends to non-football related chanting, which is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.
“Unfortunately, and sadly, certain people – which we will not address as supporters as they are the total opposite – have aimed abuse at some of our own players, and in particular, most disappointingly towards some of our homegrown, local players.
“We find this to be disgusting and totally counterproductive to the goal of the players and all concerned. Tommy Barrett, his management team and players have worked extremely hard this season in ensuring that we are competitive in a very difficult Premier Division. When merited, we have praised the fantastic vocal support that makes a huge difference to the team’s performances on the pitch”.
“However, we are very disappointed that a certain faction has decided to row against the team and club in our bid to maintain top-flight football in the city and region. We do not want and do not need these people at our games as it is having a negative impact on our players.
“As one, we wish to move forward together, positively, and look forward to our upcoming games and securing more valuable points. Our next home game is against Saint Patrick’s Athletic at the Markets Field on Friday, May 11 (7.45pm) and we encourage everybody with an interest in Limerick FC to come out and support us.”
The statement also referenced fan concerns over ticket pricing and the fines that the club have received due to the use of pyrotechnics at recent matches.
