Foley urges Limerick FC to get a move on

EXPERIENCED Limerick FC striker Dominic Foley has urged the club to finalise their management team as soon as possible so they can start their preparations for their first season back in the Airtricity League Premier Division.

Limerick are expected to end almost two months of speculation when they announce Scot Stuart Taylor as the new manager this week. But Foley says it’s urgent that the club move as quickly as possible to put a squad in place as a number of players are out of contract.

“I haven’t heard anything from the club in about five or six weeks,” said the former Irish international on Tuesday afternoon.

“I’m one of the lucky ones in that I know I will be with Limerick again next season but a lot of the players that helped get Limerick promoted last season don’t know where they stand.

“We have a situation where we have a couple of players going on the PFAI tour to Norway and the players should know at this stage whether they’re going to be with Limerick or if they can try and get another club.”

Foley says that Shaun Kelly, Joe Gamble, Stephen Bradley and Garbhan Coughlan are the only other players contracted for next season. That means that players like Pat Purcell, David O’Leary, Brian O’Callaghan, Denis Behan, Shane Tracey, Rory Gaffney, Stephen Maher and Stephen O’Flynn are all out of contract at the moment.

“I suppose the club are trying to get the right person for the job and if they do that, then they will have been right to have taken their time. But they have to give the manager the scope to get their squad together.

“I’m used to having a six-week pre-season so we still have time in that regard but we need to have a squad together.”

Foley hadn’t any confirmation from the club that Taylor is set to get the job but he says that some of the names linked with the role were “unrealistic”.

“Limerick are a team in the Premier Division in Ireland so some of the names mentioned were unrealistic. But I’m looking forward to playing next season.

“We’ll have a good surface and good facilities in Thomond Park and hopefully it’ll be more attractive for the fans and we’ll start getting big crowds out to support us.”