Can’t remember the last Limerick game I was actually able to go to. Might have been Pats or Athlone in Thomond Park the season before last. Anyway, made it down to visit family earlier than I thought so was just able to make it to MF before kickoff. Nice little stadium. Needs a bit of work in parts of course, and the pitch cuts up easily, but loads of potential in the ground. Great atmosphere too (I hope the “This Is Awesome” chant becomes a regular staple!)
If only it wasn’t so cold tonight. Hold God I was numb. I bought a burger at halftime and just held it in my hands for a few minutes.
Good performance overall, but some concerns. Only really dominated after the red, at times in the first we seemed sort of all over the place at the back. Those few minutes in the lead up to the UCD goal especially, we just couldn’t get the ball clear and gave away some stupid frees. Really bad defending for actual goal too.
But we were really strong in getting the ball from defence to attack, and bossed the midfield, thanks largely to Duggan, who had such a good game. Every time he got the ball he was placing some great passes or driving at UCD, and he terrorised them in the second. And what about those balls for Greene, the first especially. Some nice finishes, and I like seeing Greene get so worked up about missed chances late on, not resting on his laurels. The UCD left back position was so worked over in the second half, we had so many attacking possibilities through there, and Mulhall and Tracy took their goals well, Tracey especially, it was a really smart finish to place it opposite of the keeper’s momentum instead of just lashing it.
The red made all the difference though. I was right on halfway but only got a glimpse before the whistle blew. He seemed to move his elbow, and the linesman was right in front of it, but the people around me weren’t convinced. In the second UCD just had no ideas or Plan B, and once Limerick were in front I never had any doubts. But we did make lots of chances before the red to in fairness, but we only tested the keeper once – there was a weird reluctance to actually shoot from good positions, Duggan could have had a hat-trick tonight if he’d taken more on.
Good to see them hit four figures in the first game, and I’m sure a lot will keep coming back. Noticing a lot of families and young kids too, which is great. I counted 15 or so people in the away stand, though only a handful by final whistle.
Overall, very positive stuff. It was made easier than it would otherwise have been, but have a good feeling about this team and this season, especially if a bit of work can be done to shore up the defence. That Duggan/Greene combination could be responsible for a boatload of goals this season.
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