Kilkenny City 0; Limerick FC 1

A well deserved win for the Blues. Apart for the first few minutes of the match, Limerick dominated the first half and could have been several goals up at half time. The front four of Kelleher, McCarthy, Rose and Heffernan combined really well along with Lester coming through from midfield. All five could have scored in the first half, particularly Rose who with a bit of luck could have got two. Kilkenny started better in the second half and the two subs they brought on at half time gave them new life. However Limerick's goal after 57min changed that for a time. Heff's corner wasn't dealt with properly by the defence and Purcell put the ball in from close range. Limerick should have pushed for a second but sat back too deep and allowed Kilkenny onto which put them under pressure far too much. The defence held out however and substitutes Waters and Guerin created their own problems for City towards the end. At least we held on for another 1-0 win to go top of the league much to the delight of the 5 of us on the grassy knoll.:D

Team:
17. N Mooney
Made a bad mistake in the first few minutes when he dropped a corner but his handling was impeccable from then on and made two good saves late in the game to keep another clean sheet.
2. C Molan
Played ok in the first half but had a nightmare in the second. Was put under a lot of pressure and was caught out of position too much and was continuously passed. Probably his worst game for the Blues.
3. B Buckley
Linked up well with Heff in the first half but not so much in the second as he tended to play deep. Managed to keep City attacks at bay down on the left side.
4. A Woulfe
Had an ok match. Stopped a few attacks but was found wanting a few times towards the end when under pressure.
5. P Purcell
A fine performance by the captain. Scored the all important goal and held the defence together towards the end when it was needed.
6. T Barrett
Played the holding role in midfield but got forward on occasion in the first half. Got a knock early in the second and played very deep for the rest of the match.
7. R Kelleher
Another fine performance from Robbie. Might have scored in the first but couldn’t keep his shot down.
8. J Lester
Covered acres of ground and got forward as often as he could. Make some strong tackles one of which resulted in a booking after 62mins.
9. D McCarthy
A constant threat up front and always looking for a slight opening to score. Came close twice and might have got one of them but seemed to delay too long before shooting.
10. P Rose
Worked really well with Derek up front. An odd pass did go astray but kept trying. Was very unlucky not to score in the first half when his shot went narrowly wide.
11. C Heffernan
Made some great runs down the left often beating two and three players. Never stopped trying but was lacking some support in the second half which resulted in him losing the ball occasionally.

15 K Waters (for Kelleher 72mins)
Made a good impression when he came on and forced a good save from the City keeper.
14 S Guerin (for McCarthy 78mins)
Just like Waters, worked very hard when introduced and was unlucky not to score when he blocked a clearance from the goalkeeper.