First-Team Programme: Limerick v Bray Wanderers, 7 March 2014

Airtricity Premier League. Thomond Park, Friday March 7th, 2014

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O FFICIAL Y EARB OOK

VERSUS BRAY WANDE RE RS

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AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH

PAT O’SULLIVAN

SPONSORS MATCH SPONSOR

CHAIRMAN’S NOTES

MAN OF THE MATCH

MATCH BALL

OFFICIALS

REFEREE KEVIN O’REGAN ASSISTANT DAVID KEELER ASSISTANT SIMON DRAGHICI 4TH OFFICIAL ANTHONY BUTTIMER

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Friday night football is back in Limerick! After what seems a long off-season it’s a huge pleasure to welcome you all to tonight’s SSE Airtricity League of Ireland season opener against Bray Wanderers. I’d like to welcome Alan Mathews, his staff and players as well as the Wanderers’ supporters following a long trip down to Limerick tonight.

I’d like to welcome our own squad back into action this evening and hope that they can build on the fine finish to last season. I’d particularly like to welcome our new players Shane Duggan and Michael Leahy who have settled in well, while we expect Prince Agyemang and Ali Abass from the Right to Dream academy – recently voted the 15th best in the World – to join us in time for the trip to Cork on Monday.

I’d like to repeat my thanks to Martin O’Neill, John Delaney and John’s staff for their support in the recent successful fundraiser in support of the club. It was a huge team effort where the club’s Advisory Board made a very significant contribution and the night was a testament to the hard work put in by them and our office staff.

I’d like to thank Athletic Bilbao and especially Amorebieta for their welcome and hospitality to the club on our recent trip to Spain,

as well as for the two high-intensity games we played while in Spain. Their approach to invite us over and the relationships we’ve built while in Spain promise much for the future, and it was a wonderful experience, especially for our younger players.

The big development over the off-season is our purchase of the former FCJ convent in Bruff. The site will be renamed the ‘Kirby O’Sullivan Sports, Social and Business Park’ and it will finally provide a home for the club, which will take time to develop, but which is in our own hands to deliver. I’d like to recognise the work on the project of General Manager Kieran Judge in particular.

It’s absolutely vital to the club that everyone joins together in support of the club through this season so I’m asking you to get involved, to get behind the team and to get behind the club. Join us after the game in the Dugout Bar here in Thomond Park where we’ll have some music and can chat about the night. I’d like to thank the Official Supporters’ Club for their foresight and support in providing this new opportunity for players and supporters to mingle in a relaxed setting.

Finally, football is back, enjoy the game, support the players and stay True Blue.

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MANAGER’S NOTES Good evening and welcome back to Thomond Park for the start of the 2014 season where we welcome Bray Wanderers for our opening Premier Division fixture. It is a long time since we completed our first campaign back in the top flight in October and everyone is looking forward to getting going again. I would like to extend a warm welcome to Alan Mathews, his players, backroom team, the officials and supporters of Bray Wanderers AFC who have made the trip west tonight.

I think Bray will have a different style about them this year. There have been a few changes. Alan has brought in his own players. They will certainly be hard-working and make it a real tough game for us.

We don’t expect anything different. It’s going to be a tough first game for us but we’ll be prepared for it. You take each game as it comes. We need to make sure we get as many three points as we can. Home wins are huge for us, no matter who we’re playing against.

As I said before, we don’t fear anybody.

This year is no different. We’re very confident going into the start of the league. We

know what we can do, we know what we’re capable of achieving – we just need to make sure that come tonight we’re ready to go and we’re all switched on. I’m sure we will be. The players have come back from their trip to Spain and done very well at training this week. They’re definitely up for the first game of the season.

We always plead for a big crowd because it obviously helps the finances of the club and balances the books. But on top of that, the atmosphere with the supporters getting behind the players is incredible and we’re looking for that this season. We’re looking for the supporters to be exactly how you were last year but if we can get another couple of hundred on top of that, it will make more of a noise, create more of an atmosphere and spur the boys on even more. Hopefully, a big crowd is in attendance this evening and we can give you something to shout about.

Pre-season has been good. It has been difficult this year with the weather and the amount of injuries we’ve had. But I don’t want to be negative on it. We’ve got to take it for what it is and what we’ve taken

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out of it. Certainly we would have loved everyone to have been fully fit throughout the whole pre-season and every training session to go according to plan. But it wasn’t to be, so we’ve got to make the most of what we’ve got. We’re getting closer to getting players back fit and we’re getting closer to the good weather coming in where we can get back to normal training sessions. We’re as ready as we’re going to be for this game. We’re looking forward to it. We’ll have a good side ready to go out and hopefully we can please the supporters.

Our trip to Spain last week was really good in many ways. We managed to get the squad together but unfortunately we had a few injuries so we didn’t take everybody over with us.

We brought in a lot of the younger kids. Everybody got a good run-out over the two games. We also had two training sessions over there. It was an education in the games. It was something that we certainly learned a lot out of as a team.

Personally, I learned a lot out of the two games, which was good. Hopefully, we will have improvements this season in one or two aspects of our play. From start to finish, the trip was really, really good, on the pitch and off the pitch. We included a lot of young players, including two 16-year-olds in Seán McSweeney and Paudie O’Connor.

It was good for everybody to be in and about the first-team environment, seeing how things work and seeing how certain individuals live their lives away from football. It was an education for the younger players on how to look after themselves.

Both Athletic Bilbao and Amorebieta were very accommodating to us. Big thanks goes to Freddie Bustos who runs the Jasmine Palace in Limerick and also to the Chair-

man at Amorebieta, Joseba and his son Peio who looked after us when we were there. Again, it’s another club we can make relationships with and we can go and build on. Maybe we can have them come over here for a return leg and hopefully we get the right result against them this time!

Pre-season trips are really important for me. It brings that togetherness and camaraderie. You get boys living on each other’s doorsteps and there are a lot of good things that can come out of pre-season trips. You get to know characters a lot more and learn the personalities, and most importantly players get to know each other.

It’s huge for us. We did it last year when we went to Scotland. We got a lot of benefits out of it and everybody enjoyed it, and it was the same again this year. We’re delighted that the club managed to put the package together to send us away again and we have to thank our Chairman Pat O’Sullivan for that.

It is a difficult start to the season for us but, as I always say, we will take one game at a time and our focus for this evening is securing a win to set us on our way. Your support can help us achieve that so make yourselves heard! Enjoy the game.

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CAPTAIN’S LOG VIEW FROM THE DRESSING-ROOM WITH HOMETOWN SKIPPER

Hello and welcome to tonight’s opening Premier Division game against Bray Wanderers at Thomond Park. It is an important night for the club and all our focus is on claiming three points and getting off to a good start. Personally, it will be a huge honour for me to lead the team out as club captain in what is also my league debut here. I’ve been waiting for this day now since the start of pre-season and I’m really looking forward to it.

It has been a long hard pre-season but it will be worth it come kick-off. We got a good pre-season under our belt. We were in Spain last week and it was an excellent trip for us. We got two really good games there and training sessions as well. We all basically lived in each other’s pockets for the week and got to know people’s personalities. It was really good for team bonding.

I’ve been doing okay in pre-season. There is still obviously loads of room for improvement. But the main aim was to get my fitness up and I feel my fitness is good at the moment. A good start is massive for us. It’s really important that we begin well.

We’ve got Bray tonight and we’re not going to overlook them – they’re a really good team. People are saying we’ve got Dundalk and Saint Patrick’s Athletic but our main priority is going to be tonight and we’re going to be fully focussed on getting the three points. Hopefully, we can.

I feel it’s very important to get off to a good start. I feel in our home games we should really be pushing for the three points in most games. We’ve got the top

two from last season in our opening three games but I feel on our day we can beat any of those teams. We really need to get the three points against Bray and that’s where all our focus and drive is going to be. I’ve played against Alan Mathews’ teams a few times. We had a lot of rivalry obviously with Cork City and Shelbourne.

He always has his teams well organised, they work really hard and they’re tough to break down. But every game is going to be tough this season.

It’s an unbelievable achievement for me to get the armband and lead the lads out in Thomond Park tonight. It’s something that I’ve obviously been thinking about the last few weeks. It’s in my head most days what it’s going to be like leading them out. I really can’t wait for it. I’ve settled in really well here. I played against a few of the lads last season and I knew quite a few of them as well. I grew up with Shane Tracy; I went to school with him and played in teams with him at underage level. The lads have been really good to me and it has been easy to gel with them.

Speaking of Shane Tracy, he has been flying in pre-season. He’s looking really sharp with his fitness. Some of the goals he has scored have been fantastic. He’s probably got the best left foot in the league with his deliveries. He’s flying at the moment.

Hopefully, it’s a very successful season for everybody involved in the club. I can’t wait to get going – it’s up to us now to start performing.

Enjoy the game.

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LEGEND JOE O’MAHONY REMEMBERED Tonight, there will be a notable absentee from the Limerick FC teamsheet – the No4 jersey. The jersey was retired in January in honour of the late, great Joe O’Mahony, who sadly passed away at the beginning of this year.

O’Mahony is a famous figure in the Superblues’ history having captained the club to the League title in 1980 and FAI Cup success in 1982. He was also part of the 1971 FAI Cup-winning squad, the 1975 League Cup triumph and the capture of the Dublin City Cup in 1970. The defender also carried the armband for the club’s European Cup tie against Real Madrid, where he led Limerick out in the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. In 1984, O’Mahony took over as manager, staying at the helm for over two years. Between his debut in November 1966 and his last game in October 1986, he made over 400 league appearances for the club, a record bettered only by Johnny Walsh.

Joe’s former manager and teammate Eoin Hand paid a glowing tribute to him following his passing, stating: “Joe was such a very good player. He read the game brilliantly. He was like a Bobby Moore. I can’t remember Joe ever having a bad game. He was so consistent and so dedicated and he just loved playing for Limerick”.

“Every game – whether we lost it or whatever happened – Joe was the most consistent. You could never say ‘Joe, you were off form today’. It just never happened. He was just so consistently brilliant. I’m not overstating anything. He was a gem. I’m

very grateful that Joe was there because really all that happened in my career, all the good things happened with Limerick.

Of course, Joe was at the leadership of all that. He was the best captain I could have had.

“I immediately had him as captain and we went on a fairly strict fitness regime. Joe embraced it and that set the example to all the younger guys there. He was just an inspiration to everybody. He also was a very good friend all through and afterwards. He was such a lovely man, on and off-the-pitch. He played the game with ab-

solute integrity and would set an example to all – not like the nonsense we see going on now. He never resorted to anything other than fair means to win a game. He gave it as much as he possibly could. It was just great that he did have the success that we did, winning the League and the Cup. Joe’s enthusiasm was infectious, there’s no doubt about that. It’s a sad loss and I think it’s a really lovely tribute that has been made now that the No4 shirt is going to be retired forever.”

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UNDER-19 Dundalk were well on top at this stage but Limerick slowly found their feet in the game. Their first effort of note came when Mann tested Ryan Davis with a powerful strike from the right angle of the box which the netminder did well to hold. The hosts were back in the game on 35 minutes when Craig Pentony brought down Michael Guerin in the box and Shane Walsh stood up to drill the resulting spotkick to the net. Moments later, defender Conor Maguire found himself in on goal but his shot was well blocked, before Davis was forced into a fine save as he turned Mann’s shot around the post.

UNDER-19 UPDATE LIMERICK UNDONE BY LILYWHITES AGAIN Marfide Matondo scored twice to help Dundalk to a 3-2 win over Limerick in the Under-19 Promotion Playoff Group at Annacotty last Saturday afternoon, with the winger striking the decisive second-half goal moments after Ross Mann had equalised for the home side.

The visiting Lilywhites went into the game with seven points from their opening three outings in the group, but for Tommy Barrett’s side it was just their second game in the series having lost 3-0 at Oriel Park the previous weekend. And Limerick soon found themselves behind again as Dundalk broke the deadlock inside five minutes when captain Conor McDonald struck to the top corner after some pingpong in the box.

Martin Connolly’s team could have doubled their advantage just three minutes later when a poor back-pass was left short, with Ciarán O’Connor stealing in but his effort was well blocked by the out-rushing Paul O’Leary. However, Dundalk did make it 2-0 on 19 minutes when McDonald this time turned creator to set up Matondo who narrowly beat the offside trap before firing low past the ‘keeper in a one-on-one.

Early in the second half, there were chances at both ends, with O’Connor blazing over when through on goal while Cian O’Donoghue forced Davies into a smart save from distance. Limerick found an equaliser on 61 minutes when Mann finished clinically to the far bottom corner, but it was shortlived parity as Dundalk immediately regained the upper hand through Matondo who took advantage of a defensive slip.

Limerick pressed for another leveller and they went close a number of times, with Walsh and substitute Jack Lynch – who was making his debut – seeing efforts fly just off target. Dundalk too had opportunities and O’Leary did well to deny O’Connor on 83 minutes. However, despite that save, the Louth men held firm for victory to hit 10 points after just four games.

Next up for Limerick is a game against Derry City which will take place at Milebush in Castlebar tomorrow, 8 March, at 2pm. Limerick welcome Mervue United to Aisling Annacotty next Wednesday, 12 March, at 7.45pm.

Limerick: Paul O’Leary, Shane Walsh, AJ O’Connor, Conor Maguire, Michael Guerin, Seán McSweeney, Matt Keane, Mark Hoban (Jack Lynch 73), Cian O’Donoghue (Evan Cusack 78), Ross Fitzgerald, Ross Mann.

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GARY SPAIN The hospitality shown by our Basque hosts last week was superb. It was thirty years since Limerick last played on the continental European mainland. That game against AZ67 Alkmaar was our third season in a row in Europe and few would have believed it would be 32 years and counting before we would qualify again. Last week was a useful training camp and provided very competitive matches.

Every other Premier Division club has been in Europe since. A few First Division clubs and a couple no longer with us have also sampled European football. Hopefully, the

perienced and talented home side. The local Superblues were worthy winners and great hosts. Darragh Rainsford’s curling free-kick around the wall was our highlight.

SD Amorebieta are based in the town of Amorebieta-Etxano, approximately 15 kilometres from Bilbao. Their municipal ground was interesting with one side boasting a covered stand with a seating capacity of 3,000. Below the stand at ground level you have a bar, dressing-rooms, media room and boardroom. Some fans chose to stand but most chose the excellent view

GARY LONGING FOR EUROPEAN RETURN Spain Trip Whets Appetite for Limerick’s Long-Suffering Fan. chance to play the B team of the famous Athletic Club in Bilbao and fellow third-tier side SD Amorebieta will whet the appetite for more such games in UEFA competition. I can but dream.

It was great to get the chance to follow Limerick to the Basque Country. The game against Athletic B was a cracking match which the hosts shaded 4-3. Shane Tracy did score the goal of the game although Shane Duggan’s effort could have maybe eclipsed his but for a marginal offside flag. We were very unfortunate to lose that game. A day later and with a younger team we lost by the odd goal in three to an ex-

from the seats. Currently it is sufficient for their crowds and presumably if they are to gain promotion they could develop another side of the ground.

So we embark tonight on our second season back in the Premier Division. It is great to have live Friday night football back. Bray Wanderers are welcome visitors but tough opponents. We shared the points on offer last season with a win each in Bray and an enthralling 4-4 draw here in Thomond Park.

Enjoy the game.

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ACADEMY Limerick’s Academy teams have been starved of action over the winter, with the adverse weather conditions seeing the postponements of most of their games since the start of the year. On the positive side, one of the Academy’s stars has made the step-up from the club’s Under-16s to the Under-19s and last weekend he made his debut at that level.

Jack Lynch is the son of our former player and manager Tommy and is a first cousin of Saint Patrick’s Athletic star Lee, a recent Premier Division medal winner with Sligo Rovers. Now the youngster is attempting to follow in those footsteps by making a

I’m getting bigger because of Eugene giving me all the strength and conditioning.

Again, that has been stepped up playing with the Under-19s. It has been all good so far.”

7 Upper William Street, Limerick.

Asked who the biggest influences have been on his career, Jack added: “My Dad obviously. He managed and played here for a while, so he’s a big one. He’s always telling me my rights and wrongs – he’s my biggest critic. My uncle Barry, who has been in-

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LYNCH MAKING STRIDES name for himself. And having impressed with the Under-16s under Peter Clarke and Shane Ryan, Jack recently made the leap to the Under-19 squad just in time for their Promotion Playoff Group series. Jack came off the bench against the Lilywhites in Annacotty last Saturday and put in a fine debut where he was unlucky not to equalise as Tommy Barrett’s side lost by the odd goal in five.

“It was great to be called into the Under-19s so soon after joining the Under-16s,” Jack said. “I jumped at the chance to join the Under-16s. My Dad said there was no question of staying with the team I was with – it was straight into Limerick. I’m only in the year before my Leaving Cert and to be already playing with the Under-19s at 16 is great. I’m proud of myself about it. I feel really good about it. It has been a great experience at the club. The coaching from Peter Clarke and Shane Ryan has brought me on a lot; the way I play now is so much different because of them. I’d like to think

volved with the Under-19s in the past. He’s always giving me advice, the same as my Dad. And my cousin Lee J who is with playing with St. Pat’s now having signed from Sligo where he won a League and Cup. I would say those three are the biggest influences on my career so far.”

For Lynch, it is also a dream to play for Limerick. “I go to bed at night thinking about it and wake up thinking about it,” he said.

“Playing with the Under-19s is crazy. To step up from local league football to play League of Ireland is so much more professional. The strength of the club is great; it goes from three-year-olds all the way up to Under-19s. It’s a dream to play for the first team. I’m one step away now playing with the Under-19s – it’s a goal to take that one last step.”

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FIXTURES AIRTRICITY LEAGUE DATE

FIXTURE

1

Fri 7th March 7.45

Limerick FC - v - Bray Wanderers

2

Fri 14th March 7.45

Dundalk - v - Limerick FC

3

Sat 22nd March 3.15

St. Patrick’s Athletic - v - Limerick FC

4

Fri 28th March 7.45

Limerick FC - v - Drogheda Utd

5

Fri 4th April 7.45

U.C.D - v - Limerick FC

6

Mon 7th April 7.45

Limerick FC - v - Cork City

7

Fri 11th April 7.45

Bohemians - v - Limerick FC

8

Fri 18th April 7.45

Limerick FC - v - Athlone Town

9

Mon 21st April 7.45

Derry City - v - Limerick FC

10

Fri 25th April 7.45

Limerick FC - v - Sligo Rovers

11

Fri 2nd May 8.00

Shamrock Rovers - v - Limerick FC

12

Fri 9th May 7.45

Bray Wanderers - v - Limerick FC

13

Fri 16th May 7.45

Limerick FC - v - Dundalk

14

Fri 23rd May 7.45

Limerick FC - v - St. Patrick’s Athletic

15

Fri 30th May 7.45

Drogheda Utd - v - Limerick FC

RESULT

full fixtures @ limerickfc.ie

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FEATURE BRUFF ANNOUNCED: “WE HAVE TO HAVE A DREAM” CHAIRMAN LOOKS TO THE LONG-TERM

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FEATURE

PROUDLY SPONSOR SHAUN KELLY TO SPONSOR A PLAYER CONTACT: JOHN O’SULLIVAN TODAY! FOR DETAILS EMAIL johnos@limerickfc.ie OR CALL 085 80 161 05

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LI

1937

MERICK

SHANE DUGGAN

PLAYER POSTER

STATS

SQUADS BRAY WANDERERS

ALAN MATHEWS MANAGER

STUART TAYLOR MANAGER SHANE CUSACK SHAUN KELLY ROBBIE WILLIAMS RETIRED STEPHEN FOLAN DANNY GALBRAITH (c) SHANE DUGGAN RORY GAFFNEY (vc) CRAIG CURRAN SHANE TRACY PATRICK NZUZI BARRY RYAN MICHAEL LEAHY PRINCE AGYEMANG SHANE COSTELLOE BARRY SHEEDY DARRAGH RAINSFORD VAL FEENEY JAMES MCGRATH COLM MURPHY SAMUEL OJI TONY WHITEHEAD KIERAN HANLON SEÁN MCSWEENEY JASON HUGHES ROSS MANN NATHAN MURRAY SHANE WALSH PAUDIE O’CONNOR ALI ABASS

FINAL SCORE

GOALS 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

1 32 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 14

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SHANE REDMOND STEPHEN MC GUINNESS DAVID WEBSTER JAMIE MC GLYNN DANNY O’ CONNOR ADAM MITCHELL ERIC MC GILL SHANE O’ NEILL DAVID CASSIDY ISMAHIL AKINADE JAKE KELLY ADAM HANLON NIALL COONEY SHANE O’ CONNOR DEAN ZAMBRA PHILIP NOLAN CIARAN BYRNE DAVID SCULLY GARY CURRAN ROBERT MALONEY SHANE BYRNE SEAN HURLEY ADAM COX GRAHAM KELLY

CARDS

SUBSTITUTIONS

STARTING ELEVEN

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BRAY WANDERERS

10 TAKE TEN: TONY WHITEHEAD Short Bio: Tony Whitehead (born: 22 December 1995) is a young central defender from Cork who joined Limerick in January 2012 – shortly after his 16th birthday – having been at Charleville from Under-8 level. Whitehead made steady progress in the Superblues’ Under-19 setup and went on to become captain. In August 2012, Tony came off the bench in the glamour friendly against Manchester City at Thomond Park. Last October, he made his competitive bow off the bench in Bray and three days later started against Shelbourne in Thomond Park, earning the ‘Man of the Match’ award.

1) What do you eat for breakfast? Eggs and fruit mostly

what would it be and what would you call it? A hedgehog called Brian

2) What was your favourite cartoon as a child? Fairly Odd Parents

7) Which one of your teammates would you least like to be stuck in a lift with?

Has to be Craigy

3) When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up (apart from a footballer!)? PE teacher 4) If you could have one superpower, what would it be? To fly 5) What is the most random thing you can think of right now? Why does my cat chase my dog?

6) If you could have any pet in the world

8) Name one thing that not many people know about you? That I listen to 80s music 9) If you had to do karaoke, what one song would you sing? Sitting On the Dock of the Bay, by Otis Redding 10) If you could have dinner with three people – real or fictional – who would you invite? Steven Gerrard, Jim Carrey and James Corden.

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INTERNATIONAL

IRISH U18 CAPS Welsh on the Monday night in Tramore, with Walsh and Mann scoring in the first half before the game was abandoned at half-time after floodlight failure.

But that could not dampen the spirits of the players afterwards, with defender O’Connor stating that “pulling on the green shirt is an unbelievable feeling”. The 16-year-old said: “It was a great experience. I thought the setup was so professional and the squad gelled very well in

LIMERICK TRIO IMPRESS IN WALES FRIENDLIES the few days we had together, so overall it went very well. The whole weekend was planned down to the minute. On the Friday we arrived we had a session and mainly worked on shape and how we were going to play out from the back and I thought over the two games that worked well.

Limerick Under-19 trio Paudie O’Connor, Shane Walsh and Ross Mann all impressed with the Republic of Ireland Under-18s last month, with the latter pair on the mark in their 3-0 win over Wales in Waterford. The three youngsters joined up with Paul Doolin’s squad on Friday 14 February and spent four days in the Southeast. They all started the second friendly against the

“On the Saturday we had a session in the morning which involved attacking play and the different ways we were going to break down the Welsh defence and the coaching was unreal. We also watched Shamrock Rovers play Waterford on Saturday afternoon. The experience of the level of football is definitely the main thing I gained from the weekend. The tempo and pace of the game is a lot quicker and the

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GALLERY

INTERNATIONAL football played is a lot more technical so it’s great to be exposed to that and mix with players in the same situation.

Mann added to his assist with a well-taken goal later in the half and the young winger was delighted with how the weekend went in Waterford. “It was an all-round excellent weekend and I really enjoyed myself,” Ross said. “The experience was something else and I’ll remember it for a long time to come. There was training on both Friday and Saturday where we worked on shape, attacking and defence but apart from that it was mainly resting and preparing for the

“Also working with top-class coaches in Paul and his team was great and I learned a lot from them and how they were so professional in everything they did. It was an unbelievable opportunity to get and very enjoyable. It’s great to be able to play against lads from different countries and test yourself at a higher level and the game was a “I GOT A TASTE OF WHAT IT’S LIKE TO great chance to do that.”

Asked what it meant to him PLAY FOR MY COUNTRY AND HOPEFULto represent his country, LY I CAN BRING SOME OF THE PROFESO’Connor added: “It means an awful lot. Obviously evSIONALISM FROM THE INTERNATIONAL eryone wants to represent REGIME BACK TO THE CLUB.” their country but pulling on the green shirt is an unbelievable feeling and going out on the matches. I thought it was a very enjoyable pitch knowing that you’re playing for your experience and it was something that I’ll country and not just a club side is fantas- cherish for a long time. I’d love to get the tic. Hopefully there’ll be more to come in chance to do it again some time in the futhe future.” ture.

Goal-getters Walsh and Mann were also delighted with the experience. Walsh stated: “The weekend went perfect, only for the lights going out! It was just so professional all-round. Over the four days, we learned of discipline and to show courtesy.

The experience was one that you couldn’t describe. It was a once in a lifetime experience. It was the highlight of my career so far and to get a goal was just amazing.

It means the world to me to represent my country. It was what I dreamed of since I was a child.” Walsh struck the opener on 13 minutes when he fired to the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Asked how he felt after finding the net, the 17-yearold said: “I couldn’t explain it, seriously. I couldn’t describe what was going through my head at the time – it was just perfect.”

“I got a taste of what it’s like to play for my country and hopefully I can bring some of the professionalism from the International regime back to the club. The Wales game was unbelievable. The whole night was really enjoyable and it felt great to be able to help Ireland to the win. It was a bit of a shame that we couldn’t play it out to the end due to the floodlights though.”

Asked what it meant to him to represent his country, Mann added: “It means everything to me, to get to such a high level in a sport I care so much about is a really satisfying feeling. I can’t even describe how I felt when I scored the goal. It was something I’ll look back on fondly for the rest of my life and I’m proud to have represented my country so well.”

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FEATURE ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY:

nearly unthinkable. And yet, since 1898, Athletic have relied solely on Basque-born products, or players with Basque parents, fundamentally as a means of survival and, ultimately, as a means of progression.

In essence, it’s the connotations of this policy that make the club so alluring. Ask any football supporter and they’ll tell you that there is no more romantic notion than your football club excelling with homegrown players. In footballing terms, it’s the ultimate dream.

THE BEAUTIFUL STORY OF ATHLETIC CLUB DE BILBAO

By Cian Carroll (Dundalk Democrat, 4 March 2014)

were a side that was as British or Irish as they came, it’s hard to pinpoint.

Any football supporter generally has their one true love. Whether you’re a Dundalk, Manchester United or Celtic fan, there’s always one team that captures your heart and your imagination more than any other.

Then there are those sides you just have huge puddles of admiration for that you like to splash about in from time to time.

For years now, Athletic Club de Bilbao – or Athletic Bilbao as they’re more commonly known – have been that side for me.

The fascinating thing about Athletic is that, being a long-standing institution of a fiercely patriotic people, they’re self-restricted by a club policy of signing Basque-only players. A caveat, you’d expect, that would prevent the club from moving forward, and yet they’re one of only three sides – Barcelona and Real Madrid being the other two – that have never been relegated from the top division of Spanish football. In actual fact, they’re one of Spain’s most successful clubs.

Anyone old enough to remember TG4 in its former guise, TnaG, might also recall its Spanish football highlights show, Olé Olé.

For some unknown reason, Athletic were always a side that captivated me. Whether it was the publicised struggle for Basque independence – something that was so synonymous with current events at the time in the North – or the fact that, amongst this league of silkily skilled teams, Athletic

The Basque Country itself covers about 20,000 square kilometres and contains around 2-3 million people; roughly around the same size as the Greater Manchester area. To put Athletic’s Basque-only policy into perspective, imagine Manchester United only allowing players of the aforementioned area to play for the club. Not just English-only but Manchester-only - it’s

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2012/2013 season and replaced by former manager, Ernesto Valverde.

Thankfully Valverde, the former Barcelona midfielder, came with a reputation for playing free-flowing, offensive football – not unlike his predecessor – and with the squad left at his disposal by Bielsa, and the opening of a brand new stadium, optimism was rife. What has transpired, though, must surely be beyond any Athletic fans’ wildest dreams.

On course for Champions League qualification in fourth place, six points clear of Villarreal in fifth, unbeaten at San Mames, with home-grown stars such as Iker

The main issue with such a policy is that, arguably, there is a glass ceiling. For example, when Javi Martinez signed for Bayern Munich in a €40m deal in 2012, a gaping hole was left in Athletic’s squad.

Could that fee have been “THEY’RE ONE OF ONLY THREE SIDES – used to replace him? With BARCELONA AND REAL MADRID BEING a Basque-only policy, not THE OTHER TWO – THAT HAVE NEVER really. The majority of any big-money transfer fee is BEEN RELEGATED FROM THE TOP DIVIgenerally pumped back SION OF SPANISH FOOTBALL.” into the grass-roots of the club in the hope of churning out future Martinez’s and therein lies the issue: a perceived no- Muniain, Aymeric Laporte, Ander Herrera, tion that the club is always chasing its tail. Markel Suaseta and Oscar De Marcos playing some sublime football, it has been a Having struggled for a number of years remarkable, fairytale season to date. under many different coaches, Los Leones captured the hearts of Europe with some To see a club, with such an acutely restricbreath-taking, high-octane football during tive policy, qualify for European football’s a hugely successful 2011/2012 season. premier competition would restore some After losing Martinez to Bayern, and rifts hope in a sport that is becoming increasopening up between senior players such ingly repugnant. Here’s hoping. as Fernando Llorente and volatile coach Marcelo Bielsa, Athletic came crashing back down to earth the following campaign, struggling in the wrong half of the table and failing to get out of their Europa League group. The mercurial Argentinean was relieved of his duties at the end of

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FEATURE FAREWELL PURCELL: LIMERICK SAYS GOODBYE TO A HERO

Purcell was at the end of his tenth season with the club having first joined in 2001 when he called time, with his highlights being the League Cup success of 2002 and the 2012 promotion-winning campaign.

Making the announcement, Pat, 34, said: “With a heavy heart I would like to officially announce my retirement from League of Ireland football and Limerick FC. It’s never an easy decision to give up something you

The League of Ireland will be missing a Limerick legend when it kicks off tonight, after our former captain Pat Purcell announced his retirement from the senior game after 13 years of service last October.

so dearly love, but I said it at the start of the year that this was always going to be my last season playing League of Ireland.

the best, as does the Chairman Pat O’Sullivan and the Board of Directors.

“As a club, we sincerely thank Pat for what he has done for Limerick Football Club and he will always be welcomed back and we look forward to seeing him at our games next year. A lot of people have recognised the progression that the club has made over recent years and Pat has been a huge part of that, and everyone at Limerick Football Club thanks him for his efforts. It’s a shame, football moves on but we wish him all the best in his retirement.”

“This was my 13th season in the league and my tenth season with Limerick FC; I am delighted with how far the club has developed in those ten seasons. People would not believe some of the stories, or realise how different the club is now.

Personally this season has been a forgettable nightmare, but most importantly the players and club has done brilliantly and should be very proud. Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure to play with and compete against some top, top players, it’s some- Purcell moved from local club Fairview thing I have truly loved and I already know Rangers to Saint Patrick’s Athletic in 2000 it’s something I will greatly miss. The effort before joining Limerick in September and commitment has been huge, but I’d do it all again “PAT CAPTAINED THE CLUB TO PRO(and more) tomorrow. MayMOTION TO BRING PREMIER DIVISION be someday I will return to work with the club in some FOOTBALL BACK TO THE CITY FOR THE capacity.”

FIRST TIME IN 19 YEARS – NOT MANY PLAYERS GET TO DO THAT AND IT IS A GREAT HONOUR FOR HIM”.

First-team manager Stuart Taylor acknowledged Pat’s huge contribution to the club and wished him well in the future. “From the management team and backroom team staff we wish Pat and his family the very best of luck for the future,” Stuart said.

“It’s always a sad day when a player retires.

Pat has been a great ambassador for the club and has achieved many things. Pat captained the club to promotion to bring Premier Division football back to the city for the first time in 19 years – not many players get to do that and it is a great honour for him. He has played a part in the club enjoying a successful season this year and all the management staff wish him all

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2001. The defender was at the club for three seasons, winning the League Cup in 2002 as they overcame Derry City on penalties in the final. In 2004, Purcell moved to Waterford United where he spent two seasons, before returning to Limerick in 2006, where he remained until last October. Purcell captained Limerick to the First Division title in 2012 as they ended a 19year wait for top-flight football. Everyone at Limerick FC would like to echo Stuart’s comments and wish Pat the very best in his future career path.

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SPAIN SPAIN REVIEW:

“IT WAS AN EDUCATION IN THE GAMES” TAYLOR Limerick FC wish to place on record its thanks to SD Amorebieta and Athletic Bilbao who were extremely welcoming to the club on our trip to North Spain last week. Stuart Taylor and his players took in games against both clubs and availed of the training facilities that were kindly provided by Amorebieta. Amorebieta’s President Joseba Barrenetxea and his son Peio were excellent hosts in what was a very worthwhile trip for the Superblues.

In their opening game on Tuesday, Athletic edged to a 4-3 win where Shane Tracy hit a brace for the visitors either side of Darragh Rainsford’s strike. Rainsford was also on the mark in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss at Amorebieta, where his clever free-kick found the net late on. After the trip, Taylor thanked both clubs, stating: “They were very accommodating to us. Big thanks goes to Freddie Bustos who runs the Jasmine Palace in Limerick and also to the President at Amorebieta, Joseba, and his son Peio who looked after us when we were there. Again, it’s another club we can make relationships with and we can go and build on. Maybe we can have them come over here for a return leg and hopefully we get the right result against them this time!

Thanks also to Athletic Bilbao’s coaches Gontzal Suances and Vicen Gómez. They

were accommodating before and after the game and a big thank you goes to them and their players as well for the way that they treated us. They were very hospitable, on the football pitch as well. It was a great occasion and probably one of the best games that I’ve been part of for quite some time now.

“They really did look to go and play with a good intensity. They had a lot of good ideas and their philosophy was great in terms of how they went and played the ball. Their movement off the ball was great as well. They were very complimentary to us as a club and very complimentary to the players in how they went about it. There were certainly a few interests in a couple of our players from them. We had a good chat after the game with the coaches and we swapped a few ideas. Hopefully, we can

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build relationships with them in the future. They had a lot of good young players there and it was a fantastic game. They’re a massive club. They’re one of the traditional clubs in Spain. The area that they’re in, it’s everybody’s local team so there is a huge support there for them.

“IT WAS A REAL LESSON FOR US IN TERMS OF HOW BILBAO WENT ABOUT THEIR WORK AND WE’LL TAKE THAT ON BOARD AND USE IT AS INDIVIDUALS BUT ALSO COLLECTIVELY AS WELL.”

“You look at the structures that they’ve got – their training ground was fantastic. They had seven pitches; they had an AstroTurf pitch and an organic pitch. They were the facilities that we got to see. They’re a huge club. Even the level that we were playing against, there’s a lot for us to go and learn from. Hopefully, we can keep in touch with them and we can build relationships with

them. We can learn from clubs like that because, as I said before, they’re at the forefront of football and that’s the reason why we went there – so we could learn from them, take it back home and take it into our season. I was really happy with the game. It was probably the best game we’ve had in terms of the work-rate that we had to do off the ball. We were put under a lot of pressure in different areas of the pitch. They really made our boys work

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SPAIN Powering Live Football

really, really hard which was good for us defensively. But on the other side of it, when we had the ball, we had to work really hard to keep it. We had to be sure of our pass and we had to make sure that we made good decisions.

“Certainly when we were in possession of the ball, we had to make good angles and work really hard to go and get on the ball because they worked us on that. But I was really happy with the way the game went from start to finish. There were a couple of things that we obviously need to brush up on. Hopefully, the players have learned their lessons from that. It’s the best game we’ve had, without being disrespectful to others. There was real quality in their team. They had exceptional talent there and I’m sure a lot of them will go ahead and play in the first team. That’s why we went there and that’s why the club went to the expense to bring the boys there and find that quality that’s going to be a test for us. It was a real lesson for us in terms of how Bilbao went about their work and we’ll take that on board and use it as individuals but also collectively as well; we’ll use how they played.

“Amorebieta was a good run-out. It was a different type of game; it was a little more physical and more similar to a game that we would have back here in Ireland where they were more on top of us, closing us down in a more physical manner, and when they had the ball they were a little bit more direct with the presence up front that they had. It was good for us in that sense. It was played on grass as well which cut up badly towards the end of the game, but it was a real good test for us and realistic to what we would have back over here.

“We had a very young team and it was good

to give them a run-out against a good experienced side. They’re a team that’s in the top half of the Second Division B which is the third tier of Spanish football and a team that is doing well this season. The young kids did very, very well in the game.

I thought Stephen Folan was fantastic. He organised the back four and was dominant throughout his spell in the game. It was also good to see Craig Curran back in the starting XI, having featured against Athletic Bilbao the day before where he got about 35 minutes. He’s building up on his rehabilitation programme and he’s not too far away.

“There were a lot of positives in the trip.

The Spain trip was really good in many ways. We managed to get the squad together but unfortunately we had a few injuries so we didn’t take everybody over with us. We brought in a lot of the younger kids. Everybody got a good run-out over the two games. We also had two training sessions over there. It was an education in the games. It was something that we certainly learned a lot out of as a team.

Personally, I learned a lot out of the two games, which was good. Hopefully, we will have improvements this season in one or two aspects of our play. From start to finish, the trip was really, really good, on the pitch and off the pitch.”

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#lovelivefootball

OPPOSITION BRAY WANDERERS AFC Founded: 1942 Home Ground: Carlisle Grounds Last Season: 11th / 12 Honours: FAI Cups: 2 (1990, 1999); First Division Titles: 3 (1985/86, 1995/96, 1999/00) Last Five Seasons 2013: Premier Division: 11th / 12 2012: Premier Division: 10th / 11 2011: Premier Division: 6th / 10 2010: Premier Division: 9th / 10 2009: Premier Division: 10th / 10

will be confident of upsetting the critics once again.

Manager Profile – Alan Mathews Still only 48, Mathews cut his teeth in management with Longford Town in 2002, having previously worked as assistant to Dermot Keely at Shelbourne where he spent four years. In the midlands, he enjoyed unprecedented success, appearing in five cup finals, winning two FAI Cups (2003 & 2004) and one League Cup (2004).

In 2008, he took over Cork City where he won the Setanta Sports Cup before moving to Drogheda United where he spent just over a year. In July 2010, he joined

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AN EYE ON THE SEAGULLS

Overview Tonight’s opponents Bray Wanderers have diced with the danger of relegation over the past two seasons having enjoyed an eye-catching 2011 which brought Setanta Sports Cup qualification. Last term, they narrowly overcame Longford Town in a tense two-legged playoff, eventually seeing them off on a 5-4 aggregate scoreline after a late winner in the midlands.

This evening, it is the beginning of a new era for the Seagulls following the departure of the legendary Pat Devlin and the arrival of former Longford Cup-king boss Alan Mathews, who has shrewdly added an old friend from Shelbourne in the shape of midfielder David Cassidy. Many have yet again written Bray off this season but as they prepare for a tenth straight campaign in the top flight, the County Wicklow club

Shels and helped them to promotion in 2011 as well as reaching the FAI Cup final.

Last May, he parted ways with the club and arrived at Bray in January.

Key Player – David Cassidy Having arrived back to Ireland from Derby County to sign for City in 2005, Casso has gone on to enjoy a fine career in his homeland. In 2006, he helped Shamrock Rovers to the First Division title. In 2008, he moved to Dundalk where he won another First Division medal. He moved to Shelbourne in 2009 and in 2011 won promotion with the Reds. Last season was spent at Drogheda United in a team that reached the finals of the FAI Cup, EA Sports Cup and Setanta Sports Cup, before he renewed his partnership with Alan Mathews – who he had worked with at Shels for over two seasons – in January

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