Battling Limerick earn draw

Limerick FC 1 Shamrock Rovers 1

First-half goals from Sean O’Connor and man-of-the-match, Craig Curran saw the sides finish even and Limerick earn their first point from their last three matches at the home of Munster rugby.

O’Connor opened the scoring for the visitors with a low 25-yard drive after nicking the ball off Limerick captain Joe Gamble in the 10th minute. Following O’Connor’s opener, Rovers began to stretch Stuart Taylor side with their passing and movement, culminating in Stephen Rice going close with a header from a Ronan Finn cross.

Limerick finally responded on the half-hour, Shaun Kelly seeing his volley brilliantly saved by Barry Murphy and Aaron Brown heading the resulting corner narrowly wide. One minute later the Shannonsiders were back on level terms after Curran found the back of the net from a Stephen Folan cross from inside the area.

Rovers defender Ken Oman was booked for a foul on Shane Tracy on the stroke of half-time and sent off was after receiving a second yellow three minutes after the break.

The Hoops responded with McCabe bringing a fine save out of Cusack and Carl Sheppard clipping the top of the bar with a diagonal volley from just inside the box. At the other end Murphy denied David O’Leary with a near-post save, while Sean O’Connor’s lob came back off the post into the grateful hands of Cusack with Rovers fans baying that the ball crossed the line.

Rovers would have been full value for a goal at that stage, but it was Limerick that nearly found the net when O’Leary headed a 79th minute Tracy free kick from the left just over.

Both sides pressed for a winner in late on, but at the end of an entertaining 90 minutes a draw was a probably a fair chance – even if Rovers did hit the woodwork twice.

LIMERICK FC: Cusack, Browne, Kelly, Nzuzi, Gamble , Tracy, Bradley (Gaffney 65) O’Leary, Galbraith, Folan, Curran

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Murphy, Powell, Sullivan, Oman, Foran, Chambers, Rice , Sheppard, O’Connor (Kilduff 88) Finn, McCabe (Stewart 64)

Referee: P Tuite (Dublin).