Limerick 37 will be looking to make it five consecutive wins when Wexford Youths travel to Jackman Park tonight, kick-off 7.45pm.

It will be the hosts' first game without assistant manager Trevor Lovell after he left the club due to personal reasons.

Limerick have no new injuries to report, but will again be deprived of the services of club captain Pat Purcell. He will play at least one more A Championship game before he is considered fit enough for first team selection.

Wexford will pick from the same squad that held Waterford United to a 1-1 draw last week, which means that Stuart Lawlor, Garrett Larkin, Marty Kelly and Paul Murphy remain on the treatment table.

Youths overcame tonight's opposition 1-0 at Ferrycarrig Park earlier in the season, but have yet to come away from the Treaty city with three league points.

'We've never won in Limerick so it would be nice to change that,' manager Mick Wallace said.

'We beat them at home earlier in the season however, so we've gotten over that mental aspect after never beating them previously,' he added.

The Slaneysiders' boss also intimated that the presence of former Limerick coach Noel O'Connor on the Youths backroom staff should add extra spice to the encounter.

'The Noel O'Connor link makes the game more significant and increases our desire to beat them, because Noel is a vital member of the Wexford Youths set-up and he was treated badly by Limerick,' claimed Wallace.

Friday, 11 July 2008 22:55

Two goals in three minutes from striker Gary Sheehan helped ten-man Limerick 37 inflict a first league home defeat of the season on Shelbourne, writes Séamus Leonard.

Sheehan opened the lead with a close range finish in the 21st minute before a blunder by Shelbourne goalkeeper Dean Delaney allowed him to double his tally two minutes later.

Limerick lost Wayne Colbert two minutes before the half-time when he saw yellow for the second time.

A David Freeman penalty miss with just over 20 minutes left ensured Shels forfeited their place at the top of the eircom First Division.

The visitors, backed by an extremely vocal away support, settled quickly, but the hosts almost took the lead inside the first ten minutes when a deep cross from James Chambers found Freeman unmarked at the back post. The striker's placed volley back across goal went narrowly wide at the Ballybough End of the ground.

Chambers spent much of the early part of the season at full-back, but seemed to be revelling in his return to the right side of midfield and had a chance himself but scuffed a shot wide of the left upright.

Flood was next to threaten the 37 goal but his goal-bound header from Chambers' corner was blocked by Limerick midfielder David Ryan.

Despite the pressure they had endured, Limerick still looked a side brimming with confidence after last week's 4-0 thumping of Kildare County.

And when they got their first chance they took it. Brian Cleary's free-kick was met at the far post but Shels goalkeeper Dean Delaney managed to parry the ball. Somehow, Chukwuma Manjor contrived to miss the rebound but his strike partner Sheehan was on hand to apply a clinical finish.

Only moments after the restart, Lims were 2-0 in front. Delaney made a complete hash of a backpass and Sheehan was on hand to side-foot the ball past the stranded Shels stopper.

The hosts had a half-chance to pull one back when Anthony Flood sent a knock-down into the middle of the Limerick area but there was no-one in a red shirt was coming onto the ball to take advantage.

Sheehan was denied a first-half hat-trick when Delaney came out to smother his shot after a sublime move involving Manjor and David Ryan.

Shels were given a glimmer of hope when Limerick midfielder Colbert, who was a doubt before the game with 'flu, received his marching orders for a second yellow card two minutes before the break.

Home boss Dermot Keely reacted to his side's first half display by bringing on recent loan signings Gary McCabe and Dave McAllister.

McAllister's first act in a Shelbourne jersey was a tackle on Sheehan, which earned him a caution despite it being clear the man on loan from Drogheda United made a decent contact with the ball. It was one of many of many puzzling decisions made by referee Darren Coombes.

Shels should have opened their account five minutes after the interval, but both Freeman and Flood both missed from close range as Limerick engaged in some desperate last-ditch defending.

Their numerical advantage afforded the hosts plenty of time on the ball, but they were struggling to find ways to break down their well-organised opponents with crossing of a particularly poor standard from Keely's men.

The home side were then denied a penalty five minutes later when Coombes missed Tommy Barrett's handball in the Limerick box. It was one of several signs that this was going to be the Jackman Park outfit's night.

While Shels could be accused of lacking invention, the visitors were putting their bodies on the line to protect their lead. Substitute Stephen Goggin offered prime example of this when in the 66th minute when he threw himself in front of a fearsome Freeman drive.

Shels had a glorious chance to get themselves back into the game when they were awarded a penalty when Brendan Daly clumsily took down Damien Brennan on the edge of the box.

Freeman stepped up to take the kick but his low effort to 'keep

June 17, 2008

The new eircom League of Ireland “A” Championship kicks off this weekend, with three new clubs hoping to build towards promotion to full League membership by the end of the year.

Sixteen clubs will compete in the championship, effectively a third tier of the eircom League of Ireland, with a prize fund of €20,000 on offer for the winners.

The “A” Championship will be played in two groups, with the winners of each group qualifying to a final match to decide the overall competition winner.

In addition, Galway sides Mervue United and Salthill Devon and County Offaly outfit Tullamore Town will hope to take a place in the top four of the new division, which would bring about a play-off against the side which finishes bottom of the First Division for the right to compete in the eircom League next season.

In addition to the three new clubs taking part, all 12 Premier Division sides will have teams in the “A” Championship, with Limerick 37 the sole First Division representative.

A Shield competition was held prior to the commencement of the “A” Championship proper, with Cork City overcoming Bohemians in the tournament final.

Fran Gavin, Director of the eircom League of Ireland, said: “The A Championship was designed to help both player and club pathway into the eircom League of Ireland.

“It is the first time the League has had a third tier and it will act as a gateway to clubs and players with ambitions of playing in the eircom League of Ireland.

“For clubs already in the eircom League of Ireland, the A Championship represents an opportunity to blood younger players and help those returning from injury to get back to match fitness. We have seen how strong the teams fielded in the Shield competition have been and that has really given a taste of what is to come.

“For clubs not previously involved in the eircom League of Ireland, the A Championship is a pathway into the League and gives them a taste of what to expect should they gain promotion.

“The fact that the winners of the A Championship will collect a cheque for €20,000 is further evidence of the FAI’s commitment towards this new tier of Irish football.”

On the opening weekend, Mervue will host League champions Drogheda United at Fahy’s Field, Salthill face Sligo Rovers at Drum, Finn Harps take on north-west rivals Derry City and Shamrock Rovers meet Dublin foes Bohemians at the AUL grounds in Clonshaugh.

In Group 2, meanwhile, Tullamore kick off at home to Galway United at Leah Victoria Park, Cobh Ramblers face St Patrick’s Athletic, Bray Wanderers take on Limerick 37 and Cork City travel to UCD.

There are 14 rounds of fixtures, with the two group winners meeting in the "A" Championship final on November 9th.