Limerick 37  0 - 0  Athlone Town

Friday 24^th October 2008

Limerick 37 had to be happy with a share of the spoils from their second last home game of the season at Jackman Park. A combination of an ultra defensive Athlone Town and the incessant blast of the referee's whistle conspired to frustrate the vast majority of the 650 spectators at LDMC headquarters.

The visitors did have the best of the opening exchanges and debutant Lims keeper Brian Collopy had to race swiftly off his line to cut out an Ian Rossiter cross with Noel McGee. The same player was then booked for trying to punch the ball into the Lims net from a corner in the 10th minute.

Thomas Lyons was lucky to remain on the field minutes later when he hauled back Robbie Hamm just outside the area amid claims that Lyons, who received a yellow card, was the last defender back.

The hosts finally picked up the pace following the red card scare in the 15th minute, Walsh's cross from the right evading the in rushing John Tierney by inches.

The move of the first half then saw Dave Ryan's volley from the edge of the box – following a cross from Gary Sheehan and a neat lay off from Tierney – brilliantly saved by Ciaran Kelly.

Brian Cleary headed a Ryan cross inches wide eight minutes after the re-start and Sheehan failed to make a solid connection on his shot from the edge of the area past the hour mark.

At the opposite end, Carmin Russo volleyed over from twelve yards while Limerick's Chimka Manjor failed to get enough power on his header from twelve yards six minutes from time.

Bobby Tier had a chance to secure all three points in the 89th minute but miscued from eight yards with the Athlone defence all at sea. And Tierney almost secured the win in injury time only to see his close range shot from a Cleary header hacked off the line.

Limerick 37: Collopy, Colbert, Cleary, Danaher, Barrett, Lyons (Tier 64), Hughes, Ryan (Manjor 64), Sheehan, Tierney, Walsh.

Athlone Town: Kelly, Rossiter, Hamm, Hope, Reilly, Hayes, Maloney, Russo, Jinks (Coffey 53), McGee (O'Dowd 76), McCartney

Referee: K Callanan

Match Report courtesy of www.rte.ie/sport