Ahead of the new SSE Airtricity League 2017 season, we caught up with Limerick midfielder Paul O’Conor to see what he thinks ahead of the new campaign. Q: Paul, back in the Premier Division after winning the First Division title last year, you must
Ahead of the new SSE Airtricity League 2017 season, we caught up with Limerick midfielder Paul O’Conor to see what he thinks ahead of the new campaign. Q: Paul, back in the Premier Division after winning the First Division title last year, you must be looking forward to getting going? PAUL: Absolutely. We had a good season last year winning the league and getting to a EA SPORTS Cup final so we need to keep that momentum going. This is where we want to be but it’s not lost on the players that we’ve got a lot to prove so we need to make sure everyone is ready to compete from the first weekend. Q: Martin Russell has stuck with the vast majority of players who gained promotion last year. Is that testament to how well the players did last year? PAUL: It is a similar enough squad and it’s been good. We’ve had the same core for the past few seasons so I think the manager just needs to add to it. We’ve had some quality players join us like Dave O’Connor, Dean Clarke and Brendan Clarke so it’s looking positive at the moment. I’m sure they’ll be a few more signings before the start of the season but it’s going well so far. Q: Markets Field attracted a lot of local support last season. With Premier Division, are you hoping to see those numbers continue to rise? PAUL: It’s a good place to play your football, especially when you’re giving them the results and the place is really getting behind you. Limerick has always had good crowds since we’ve gone back to Markets Field but back in the Premier Division, the games are going to be a lot tougher and harder to win. I really hope that the crowds continue to come out and get behind us for the big games. Q: Having won the First Division title, what are the ambitions for next season? PAUL: We’ve got a lot to prove. The difference between the two divisions is huge so with three going down this year, we really need to make sure we have a strong start and push on from there. The main aim will always be to stay up after promotion but we could surprise a few this year.
