JOE’s Airtricity League Preview: Limerick FC

How will the men from Limerick do this year? Here's our preview.

Limerick FC

Colours: Home - All blue Away - All yellow Home: Thomond Park Manager: Stuart Taylor Nickname: The Superblues 2014 odds: 40/1 After a long spell in the footballing wilderness, Limerick FC joined the big boys in the Premier League following promotion as champions the season before last (pic below). Under various guises over the years, Limerick has always had a proud League of Ireland tradition. Their maiden season back in the Airtricity League was all about consolidation and survival, a feat they achieved with relative ease. Arguably, they have the best home ground in the whole of Ireland as they play their home matches in the legendary Thomond Park, the home of the Munster rugby team. Stuart Taylor took over from Pat Scully who had got them promoted from the First Division at the beginning of last season. He is to be commended for keeping the men from the Treaty County away from the relegation dogfight by finishing a respectable seventh place. Can Taylor repeat the heroics of last season and can he push the club on to bigger and better things this season? Much will depend on how well the new signings gel together. Their home record last season was fantastic and they will be looking to make Thomond Park a fortress once again. Local man Shane Duggan has signed from Cork City and becomes the new club captain. The vast majority of last season's squad has re-signed for this season. We think it might be difficult for the Limerick men to push on from last season and they could be involved at the wrong end of the table this season. Players in: Shane Duggan, Michael Leahy Did You Know?: In 1980 Limerick were drawn to play Real Madrid in the European Cup. The match was switched to the old Lansdowne Road in Dublin as their ground at the time, the Markets Field, was deemed unsuitable for such a prestigious game. Limerick scared Real that day and had a goal disallowed and suffered a very dodgy penalty decision. Madrid ran out 2-1 winners and won the return leg at the Bernabeu 5-1 in front of 60,000 fans. The following season, they were drawn against Southampton in the UEFA Cup where a certain Tony Ward (pic below) had a fine game in Limerick in a 1-1 draw with the Saints winning 3-0 in the other leg. Hopes: Limerick would love to push on from last season, but we genuinely feel that, with only two new signings and some of last season's squad having left, they'll be involved in a relegation dogfight. Player To Watch: Shane Duggan If they were a big European club: Atletico Madrid. A former heavyweight of the domestic scene now barging it's way back to the top table.