Cork City -v- Limerick

CORK CITY

Friday night’s clash with St. Patrick’s Athletic was always going to be a very tough ask to extract all three points from, but Cork City host Limerick on Bank Holiday Monday desperate for a victory.

The Rebel Army need to get a win under their belt soon if they don’t want their season to fizzle out into another year of mid-table mediocrity, and the whole Cork camp will view the game against Limerick as the perfect opportunity to boost morale.

Speaking before the match to CorkCityFC.ie, manager Tommy Dunne spoke at how impressed he has been with how their Munster rivals have adapted to life at the top table of Irish football.

“I think Limerick are as good as any team in this league. Stuart [Taylor] and his team have done an extremely good job and I think he deserves credit, both for the way they have started the season and also how they have approached the game.

“Having two teams in Munster who want to be strong and want to be at their best is a good thing, and this is a good, proper Munster Derby that we are really looking forward to.”

Dunne also revealed that while he has no fresh injury concerns with his side reporting a clean bill of health from Friday’s game, he is still without the duo of Brian Lenihan and club captain Kevin Murray who remain sidelined.

LIMERICK

Although many are quick to praise Limerick and to criticize Cork on their start to 2013, the fact remains that just one point separates the two sides in the league table - and with both going into Monday afternoon in similar veins of form, it makes it a tough one to call.

The club beside the Shannon invested heavily in the squad during the off season resulting in the side being quick out of the blocks early doors, but they are now entering their first real testing time.

All involved in Lims will hope that the Cork City curse of conceding late goals hasn’t seeped through the province to Limerick, as Stuart Taylor’s men blew a 1-0 lead on Friday night up in Derry to lose the game 2-1 in the last four minutes.

Their previous outing before that was a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to struggling Shelbourne, and the club will undoubtedly be looking to put two games on the bounce without a win to bed when they travel down to Cork.

Taylor is aided in his task on the injury front. Cork-born striker Dominic Foley is will be the only man to miss out through injury, while goalkeeping coach Eddie Hickey has a touchline ban. Other than that, he has a full complement of players to choose from.

Referee: Paul McLaughlin

MATCH STATS

The midfield battle on Monday afternoon could have an interesting twist to it. Limerick’s David O’Leary was born, reared, and still lives in Cork, while City number eight Shane Duggan calls Limerick home.

Barely anything separates the two sides in the league table, just a point to be precise. Limerick however sit above their Munster rivals, and can boast a better attack and defence – scoring six more league goals and conceding one fewer than their Munster rivals.

Only one President of Ireland has ever scored a penalty at Turner’s Cross, and he was a Limerick man. That was one Éamon de Valera, when he was playing for Rockwell in a rugby match as a youth.

BETTING

Cork City 8/5, Draw 11/5, Limerick 13/8

PREDICTION

Cork City 2-2 Limerick. After a dire Super Sunday on the telly, League of Ireland football will remind us why we love it with a goal-filled Bank Holiday treat.

Cork City

Injured: Kevin Murray, Brian Lenihan.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.

Limerick FC:

Injured: Dominic Foley.
Doubts: None.
Suspended: None.