Limerick leave Shels staring at relegation

Limerick FC 1 Shelbourne 0

Following this result, if Bray Wanderers earn just one point from their final two games, Shels, who have one game left, will be relegated.

It was tough luck on the Dubliners who deserved something here, but the bottom line is that you can’t keep missing sitters if you are in a battle for survival.

Limerick, however, should have opened the scoring inside the first three minutes following good work from Patrick Nzuzi in midfield. He found Jason Hughes who in turn set up Shaun Kelly, but Kelly’s cross eluded everyone.

Stuart Taylor’s side opened the scoring just before the half-hour, Rory Gaffney burying a Carel Tiofcak corner from the left.

Shels responded with an under-hit shot from Derek Doyle and the same player had a penalty appeal waved away after he tangled with Barry Ryan.

Ryan came to the rescue again five minutes from the break, the Lims netminder diving low to his right to palm away a Dean Kelly drive.

Stephen Sheerin then miscued a Doyle cross from six yards as the visitors continued to dominate.

Eight minutes after the break, in an almost replica movement from the visitors, Kelly blazed another excellent Doyle cross wide from inside the six-yard box.

Adam Hanlan was next to go close, the Shels midfielder out-muscling Nzuzi on the right before firing straight at Ryan, who palmed over.

Kieran Hanlon saw his snap-shot fly inches wide in the last 15 minutes, while Kelly blasted over again from eight yards on a desperate night for Shels.

LIMERICK FC: Ryan, Kelly, Whitehead, O’Callaghan (Williams 55), Murphy (McGrath 75), Nzuzi, Bradley, Hughes, Tiofack, Sheedy (Hanlon 69) Gaffney.

SHELBOURNE: Murphy, Garthland (Ryan 52) Hanlan, Flynn, Andrews, Hurley, Cornwall, Kelly, Sheerin (Gannon 57) Doyle (Murtagh 71) Connolly

Referee: A Kelly (Cork).