Limerick take step closer to promotion after rout of Mervue

Limerick FC 4 Mervue United 0

Shane Tracey opened the scoring from the spot just past the half hour after United defender Mike Elwood was sent off for handling a Denis Behan shot inside the box.

David O’Leary nodded home a Rory Gaffney cross on the stroke of half time and James McGrath set up man-of-the-match Gaffney for a third 12 minutes after the interval.

Lims striker Behan put the matter beyond dispute for the table-toppers after netting with a rising drive eight minutes from time.

Paddy Hoban and Jean Biansumba went closest for the visitors in the opening 25 minutes with low efforts from the edge of the box which narrowly missed the target.

LIMERICK FC: Ryan, Tracy, Tracey, Kelly, Purcell, O’Brien (Coughlan 70) McGrath, O’Leary (Kluciar 80) Gaffney (Collins 66) Gamble, Behan.

MERVUEW UTD: Hanley, Ellwood, McSweeney (Connelly 74) Biansumba (Lee 87) Walsh, Kelly, Cunninghan, King (Conneely 68) Keogh, McBrien, Hoban.

Ref: A Mulally (Waterford)