LOI fixtures 28th/29th April

[ToberonaTornado]

I haven't the fixtures readily to hand.😔
Heading over to Galway for us v the locals and looking recommendations for decent bar for pre and post match craic agus good beer.
Hearing the Dail bar.Anymore?
Few of us overnighting it.
Tia

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

The bar in Terryland

[ToberonaTornado]

The bar in Terryland

Bit of a target that and will definitely hopefully get in there pre match. live the life of angels plucked from hell! 😂

[AlanOB]

On air from 7.50pm, at www.mixlr.com/limerick-soccer-live, for the clash between Shamrock Rovers and Limerick, for those interested.

[LK37oldskool]

Thanks Alan, I'll be tuned in.

[AlanOB]

Be warned: it looks like I'll be on my own, due to a raft of unavailability among my usual broadcast partners. The fact that there are no injured players travelling doesn't help either!

But I will do my best, and -- you never know -- I might rope someone in when I get to the stadium!

[Mr A]

Just use my old tactic from my Finn Harps radio days whereby if a match was going particularly badly there would be no commentary, just occasional swearing.

Weird that never took off really.

[sbgawa]

Trevor Clarke being suspended tonight is a big blow but I'm feeling bizarrely optimistic.
Sean Boyd to score and Rovers to win 3-1 ...50/1 on Paddy Power

[eelmonster]

Pen-Maguire with another goal for Cork, he's on fire. Any relation to Seanie?

[Pablo Escobar]

Pen-Maguire with another goal for Cork, he's on fire. Any relation to Seanie?
Hi Stephen

[patrickccfc]

That's our third penalty since dundalks last one, we got 2 in a friendly during the week.. oh the disparity

[nigel-harps1954]

Our first red card in two years. Barry Molloy sent off for a second yellow. His first yellow was when he was taken out of it, how it wasn't a red for Bohs, I'll never know. Paddy McCourt also booked for taking a free quickly.

What is wrong with refs in this league?

[DannyInvincible]

Aaron McEneff pulls Derry back level against St. Pat's. 2-2 in Buncrana with six minutes left.

[colonelwest]

Shananan with an injury time winner for Galway, massive ask for us now, we're having a hard time of it reaching the standards we set the last few years. Interesting to see over the summer round of games if Cork can handle the pressure and if they hold onto Seanie past that.

[patrickccfc]

Galway with an injury time winner against dundalk.

[Mr A]

Jeez. It'll be interesting to see what Kenny comes out with after this.

[thomas72]

Limerick level in injury time tosiiiiii

[NeverFeltBetter]

Late, late equaliser for Limerick at Shams, Tosi, 3 straight 1-1 draws. AlanOB got cut off for a while in the second half, but sounded like a dreadful Limerick performance generally for a lot of the game. Very tight looking table from 4th to 8th after one round.

First Division table looking intriguing too, Cobh on top tonight.

[thomas72]

Limerick twitter saying well deserved point 2nd half

[da bishop]

Be warned: it looks like I'll be on my own, due to a raft of unavailability among my usual broadcast partners. The fact that there are no injured players travelling doesn't help either!

But I will do my best, and -- you never know -- I might rope someone in when I get to the stadium!

Good result for Limerick despite an obvious poor performance,excellent performance from yourself.

[RathfarnhamHoop]

@loihistory summed it up best for me, **** it I'm watching rugby from now on. Not a clue what to do once we went ahead.

[SkStu]

What is wrong with refs in this league?

Well they're anti-Bohs for starters.

[wonder88]

Important win for Galway; defended really well and had some luck, which we didn't get during the home defeats v Drogheda and Shamrocks. Dundalk still a very good team, but I think we have 2 players at Terryland that would get a game with them in Grace and Murray. Why too early for Cork to consider the title is their's.

[Centenary]

Fully deserved. Not our best performance and we lacked penetration to take advantage of Rovers nervousness. The Rovers keeper is one of the worst I've ever seen in the LOI

[AlanOB]

Good result for Limerick despite an obvious poor performance,excellent performance from yourself.

Thanks. Delighted with how I managed, despite the 3 Network letting me down in the second-half!

Luckily we missed nothing in that five minute timespan.

Limerick were indeed poor and fortunate, particularly as the necessary introduction of O'Flynn came so late.

[El-Pietro]

Interesting relegation battle now with 11 teams within 11 points of the relegation zone. Pressure on those 11 managers you have to think.

[LFC Blue]

Thanks. Delighted with how I managed, despite the 3 Network letting me down in the second-half!

Luckily we missed nothing in that five minute timespan.

Limerick were indeed poor and fortunate, particularly as the necessary introduction of O'Flynn came so late.

Jesus your commentary is an absolute lifeline to Limerick fans. Fair play to you. The lack of a co commentator didn't hinder you either. My only criticism is you should have gone ballistic for Tosi's goal. GOOOOAAAAAAALLLL TOSI would have been perfect 😀

[Jofspring]

I wouldn't say we were dreadful tonight. Dominated most of the game. Our only really lacking was in the final third.

We started the game shakey. Went a goal behind and started to get to grips with the game. Completely took over in the second half with Clarke causing Madden lots of problems. Probably the worst I've seen Madden play. We were killing oursleves with poor crossing and no real penetration but I certainly wouldn't say poor. Considering the fact the team had travelled to play Derry on Tuesday it was a great point on the road. Absolutely deserved at minimum the draw and it would have felt like robbery to have left Tallaght with nothing.

You can see why both teams are only doing ok this season. We lack any penetration and I thought Rovers were pretty awful. A few nice players but seriously faded second half.

[Nesta99]

Important win for Galway; defended really well and had some luck, which we didn't get during the home defeats v Drogheda and Shamrocks. Dundalk still a very good team, but I think we have 2 players at Terryland that would get a game with them in Grace and Murray. Why too early for Cork to consider the title is their's.

Its not really, not that I think Cork wont drop points its that Dundalk will continue to drop points. We havent been playing that badly but are not at the high intensity quick passing and movement we've got used to. Since the home game v AZ last November we have looked sluggish and have carried that in to this season.

Sometimes you need a bit of luck along the way which we have had occasionally but are not getting at all now. By luck i'm really thinking of the arbitrary nature of the match officials decisions that are obviously biased against us and plugging for Cork. Alan Kelly must be returning as an ref assessor and there is a scramble to be in his good books so the 12 point gap is an anti-Dundalk conspiracy by Cork media and influential former ref from Cork. Who is Maguire's agent? 20+ goals will add a wedge for his agent even if 15 goals are from penalties...conspiracy all the way with the way we're been ridden rock solid by officials and any team playing Cork too!!!

[osarusan]

A better Rovers team would have killed us off easily on the counter, but that Rovers team had no idea of how to play when leading. We came back into it and finally got our goal, but so much of it was down to Rovers making pretty much every wrong decision thing they could have made.

We were really ponderous and lacked penetration at all. We seem to be allergic to getting quick crosses into the box. That's when Tosi can actually do something.

[patrickccfc]

To be fair, watching updates of dundalk games, they always seem to have a penalty claim denied.

Look, I'd rather be 12 points ahead than behind at this stage, but it's far from over. I remember we were 12 points behind shels in 2011 with a few weeks left and we turned it around.

[Nesta99]

Look, I'd rather be 12 points ahead than behind at this stage,.

Go 'way! Really?

Dont ye know this season is the weakest the league has ever been...No way that anyone will take 12 points off you!

[SwanVsDalton]

Feel simultaneously relieved to get a point and pretty miffed we didn't take all three.

We absolutely dominated Pats in the first half before giving up a typically soft goal against the run of the play. But the team played some lovely stuff throughout the half and could have been 3 or 4-1 up at half-time if it wasn't for O'Malley, who made three or four superb saves (made some iffy kicks and looked nervous, but his shot stopping was exceptional).

He couldn't stop Ronan Curtis' goal though, it was a beauty.

Second half was a different story. Buckley shored things up and stopped our midfield running through at will. We still were having slightly the better of things when Conan Byrne scored yet another lovely goal - a looping dink over a stranded Doherty, aided by some stand-offish defending.

We looked beat but McEniff's goal was a fantastic finish out of almost nothing.

If we continue to play as well as that, we'll be fine but the players' frustation is pretty obvious. It feels like every mistake we make is being punished while very little is going in at the other end. But the quality tonight was encouraging.

[Charlie Darwin]

Frustrating to concede the late goal but most of us probably sensed it coming for most of the second half. The perils of having an inexperienced manager at the helm as we seem to continually play well and go in front and then sit back deeper and deeper until the inevitable equaliser comes.

Thought we edged the first half when Limerick were brutal and just wanted to defend. Second half, the first 20 minutes neither side did anything but Limerick took control and deserved their equaliser. If Shaw hadn't missed that sitter at 1-0 I think we'd have won handily enough but the brittleness shined through again.

[Nesta99]

Even with a young manager the experienced players like Finn and as captain should be driving the team on to push out. Id say Bradley would be roaring at the players not to drop so deep but lack of confidence or experience in a young team feels the pressure and not only drop but hoof possession away only to be pinned back straight away again. Keeping concentration and shape is damn tiring so conceding late happens more often. Bit like European game where teams are so concious of not making the almost assured annual gaffe means a soft goal is inevitable.

[Charlie Darwin]

Bradley was roaring at the players the whole second half. Stupid things they'd clear a corner 10 yards outside the box but no urgency to get out. I'd have been critical of Finn a lot since he came in but he was remonstrating with players all game and it just wasn't being followed.

On the Bradley point, he took our two wingers off in the space of about 10 minutes in the second half and replaced them with central midfielders. You know, if you want to get up the pitch, the obvious thing you need to do is put the ball into the spaces where the other team don't have players. You don't do it by flooding the middle, especially against a team whose best players are the widemen.

[Dalymountrower]

Our first red card in two years. Barry Molloy sent off for a second yellow. His first yellow was when he was taken out of it, how it wasn't a red for Bohs, I'll never know. Paddy McCourt also booked for taking a free quickly.

What is wrong with refs in this league?
Graham Kelly.Easily the most bizarre refereeing all season.Yellow for Bohs taking a corner and Harps for taking a free.
Bohs on top until Harps had a the manager and a man sent off.Our worst performance of the season.
Nervous players on both sides, this nonsense of 25% of teams being relegated this year is not exactly encouraging open football..
Anyway, a valuable 3 points and reassuringly, Rovers weekly exploding clown car continues to make me smile.

[oriel]

Dundalk are nowhere near good enough this season, even before the Bray defeat I thought we were a runners up side this season performance wise, that might be in question now but I think we will improve but the inconsistency doesn't offer much hope for encouragement. We might do well in the cup and have a euro run, but it will take huge improvement.

Cork are by far the best team in the country and are probably not far off Dundalk 2015 at the minute, coming 2nd for 3 years running was tough, so fair play to them if as expected they win it by a big margin.

[disgruntled]

Go 'way! Really?

Dont ye know this season is the weakest the league has ever been...No way that anyone will take 12 points off you!


[/B]Its not really, not that I think Cork wont drop points its that Dundalk will continue to drop points. We havent been playing that badly but are not at the high intensity quick passing and movement we've got used to. Since the home game v AZ last November we have looked sluggish and have carried that in to this season.

Sometimes you need a bit of luck along the way which we have had occasionally but are not getting at all now. By luck i'm really thinking of the arbitrary nature of the match officials decisions that are obviously biased against us and plugging for Cork. Alan Kelly must be returning as an ref assessor and there is a scramble to be in his good books so the 12 point gap is an anti-Dundalk conspiracy by Cork media and influential former ref from Cork. Who is Maguire's agent? 20+ goals will add a wedge for his agent even if 15 goals are from penalties...conspiracy all the way with the way we're been ridden rock solid by officials and any team playing Cork too!!!

You're right of course. Its all a fix :o
Kenny's comments haven't helped either.


Our first red card in two years. Barry Molloy sent off for a second yellow. His first yellow was when he was taken out of it, how it wasn't a red for Bohs, I'll never know. Paddy McCourt also booked for taking a free quickly.

What is wrong with refs in this league?

Nothing they're just plain rubbish.

[sbgawa]

Frustrating to concede the late goal but most of us probably sensed it coming for most of the second half. The perils of having an inexperienced manager at the helm as we seem to continually play well and go in front and then sit back deeper and deeper until the inevitable equaliser comes.

Thought we edged the first half when Limerick were brutal and just wanted to defend. Second half, the first 20 minutes neither side did anything but Limerick took control and deserved their equaliser. If Shaw hadn't missed that sitter at 1-0 I think we'd have won handily enough but the brittleness shined through again.

I still believe in bradley and this team. The bad luck and decisions th at have gone against us this season have bled the confidance you could see that in the nervousness and the way we sat deeper and deeper even with finn and bradley roaring to get out.
With virtualy a new team it was always going to be a while I just hope it happens soon. They need to win a big match to get a bit of confidence, next Friday would be a good place to start.

[AlanOB]

Four quick thoughts on the Rovers/Limerick game here (http://bit.ly/2oVFtxL). :ball:

[RathfarnhamHoop]

Four quick thoughts on the Rovers/Limerick game here (http://bit.ly/2oVFtxL). :ball:
Pretty much agree with what you said there but just another point that im not sure will get the credit, when mcallister went of injured it meant Byrne was going to have to stay on the full game and ogbene was switched to that flank and the goal actually came from his pace getting past Byrne's understandably tired legs. Also Bradley was right in bringing bone on but he should have come on for mcallister, kept the wingers on and used the great range of passing bone and finn have to pick out the wingers and stretch limerick on the back foot. It's the little things costing Rovers just now but I think just a bit of confidence and a 4th place finish isnt out of reach.

[AlanOB]

Yeah, as I said in the piece, I had no problem with Bone's introduction -- it was the unnecessary, negative, change of shape that went with it, that I am objecting to.

Great point about McAllister's injury forcing Byrne to see out the game and fall victim to Ogbene's run though.

[RathfarnhamHoop]

Yeah, as I said in the piece, I had no problem with Bone's introduction -- it was the unnecessary, negative, change of shape that went with it, that I am objecting to.

Great point about McAllister's injury forcing Byrne to see out the game and fall victim to Ogbene's run though.

I was the exact same for the sub, i think bone is a great player and was delighted to see him come on but disappointing to see who it was for. Hopefully Bradley learns from it though and doesn't make the same mistake twice. Also good travelling crowd from Limerick, plenty of noise from them throughout.

[Longfordian]

Another El Classico hat trick for a Town striker. Three games, three hat tricks this season. As Martinho pointed out previously there was only one from either side prior to this season.

[Martinho II]

Another El Classico hat trick for a Town striker. Three games, three hat tricks this season. As Martinho pointed out previously there was only one from either side prior to this season.

this is something I will try to investigate further but I think Enda Curran is the first town sub to get a hattrick for us since we joined the league of ireland!

just checked this out. Enda Curran is the first town sub to get a hattrick.

Its also the first time ever in a season that we have got three different hattricks in the same season!

[ATFC-1887]

1st goal shouldn't of been currens. Og if anything. Crossed the line after hitting labuts arm. But that's not important.
Athlone are a disgrace. We finally got the proof last night about what's been going on. Never been happier when that longford 3rd went in ;) it's all gonna blow up very soon.

[outspoken]

1st goal shouldn't of been currens. Og if anything. Crossed the line after hitting labuts arm. But that's not important.
Athlone are a disgrace. We finally got the proof last night about what's been going on. Never been happier when that longford 3rd went in ;) it's all gonna blow up very soon.

The second goal was all the proof I needed. Absolutely unbelievable what's going on there

[bluewhitearmy]

1st goal shouldn't of been currens. Og if anything. Crossed the line after hitting labuts arm. But that's not important.
Athlone are a disgrace. We finally got the proof last night about what's been going on. Never been happier when that longford 3rd went in ;) it's all gonna blow up very soon.

Haven't you or some Athlone fan on here at least been saying this for ages about having proof and it blowing up.

[ATFC-1887]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1279261758856586&id=466036543512449
Federbet are investigating it.
I will tell you that there was massive money put on longford to score in the last few minutes last night. It's all being done in China. It happened during the ucd away game too. It's all gonna come out very soon.