After a 31 year gap Limerick return to their spiritual home, The Markets Field, on Friday night and will look to mark the occasion by recording their first league win in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division this season.
Their match against Drogheda United is part of a full programme of games in both the Premier and First Division on Friday night and there is also action next Monday and Tuesday.
Limerick last played in the Markets Field on Sunday, April 22, 1984, when they beat UCD on penalties in the Shield Final while their last league game was a fortnight earlier when they lost 2-0 to Finn Harps. Their last league goal at the venue was on March 25 during a 3-2 win over St Patrick’s Athletic and the scorer was Ger Duggan whose son Shane now captains the club and will lead them the back to the Market’s Field on Friday.
While Limerick’s return to the Markets Field will provide all the nostalgia this weekend, there is still plenty of business to be conducted in both divisions and Premier Division leaders Dundalk are preparing for a tough test at home to Bohemians who need to win to help the chasing pack hang on the Lilywhites coattails. Stephen Kenny’s side have a six point lead and a game in hand on second place Cork City who head west to face a Galway side that surprisingly lost to Drogheda in their last league game a fortnight ago.
Shamrock Rovers will be keen to bounce back after their exit from the Irish Daily Mail FAI Senior Cup last weekend and they face a Sligo Rovers side looking to go three games unbeaten for only the second time this season.
The Hoops conquerors in the FAI Cup last weekend were the holders St Patrick’s Athletic and the Saints head north to the Brandywell this week for a repeat of last November’s cup final against Derry City.
Friday’s final Premier Division game see Bray Wanderers, unbeaten in three games since Trevor Croly’s arrival, face Longford Town at the Carlisle Grounds knowing a win would put them only two points behind the Midlanders who currently lie in sixth position.
Bray’s former manager, Alan Mathews, is now in charge of First Division Athlone Town and he will be hoping that last week’s morale boosting FAI Cup win over FAI Junior Cup holders Liffey Wanderers can inspire his side when they host leaders Finn Harps.
Second place Wexford Youths face a Shelbourne side looking for their fourth straight league win while there is a Munster derby at St Colman’s Park as Cobh Ramblers meet Waterford and a Southside derby at The UCD Bowl as UCD meet neighbours Cabinteely.
Freeing the calendar to accommodate European matches has resulted in three rearranged matches early next week with Shamrock Rovers meeting Derry City on Monday while on Tuesday St Patrick’s Athletic play Bohemians and UCD meet Shelbourne.
Tuesday’s other game sees Wexford Youths meet Athlone Town in a fixture that was abandoned last month after a generator fire caused a floodlight failure at Ferrycarrig Park. To make up for the disappointment of original match being abandoned at half-time Wexford Youths are offering free entry to all home and away supporters and will have a pop up ticket booth in the Bull Ring, Wexford Town, on Saturday to distribute free tickets
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