Taylor mystified over penalty award

Stuart Taylor and Danny Galbraith faced the local press after a scoreless draw against Shelbourne in disbelief after referee Neil Doyle failed to award Limerick a penalty fifteen minutes from the end of the game. Although Taylor admitted his side did really well on the night, he called for consistency from referees, citing various incidents from the first series of games. 

In the seventy-seventh minute of the clash between blue and red on Shannonside, former Manchester United winger Danny Galbraith jinked his way into the Shelbourne penalty area avoiding two challenges before going down under a challenge from Shelbourne substitute Sean Brennan. The home fans waited in expectancy while the away fans expected the worst. To almost everybody's surprise, Neil Doyle awarded Shelbourne a free kick and booked Danny Galbraith for simulation.

Speaking after the game, Limerick boss Taylor highlighted his respect for referees, but also underlined his desire for consistency and equality. “I have so much respect for the referees. We've taken our medicine and we've never moaned. It's a hard job and without referees, we wouldn't have football games – simple as that, but we can't keep getting these decisions against us all the time. I'm going to deal with facts. I went and asked the referee after the game about the penalty decision and he said that there was contact. In my rulebook, if there's contact, then it's a penalty. I don't understand the rules anymore.”

With Neil Doyle admitting contact was made, the decision to book Galbraith seems rather bizarre. Galbraith echoed his manager's dismay at the decision. “It's a penalty. In both cases, the players have come to me after the game and said it was a penalty. The Sligo one - every one of the Sligo players has their hands on their heads. If somebody dives, players come over and tell them to get up. Again tonight, the number seven [Sean Brennan] comes and shakes my hand after the game and tells me it was a definite penalty. I feel for the supporters. If we score, it's going to be hard for Shelbourne to get back in the game.” 

When asked whether or not he was worried about gaining a reputation, Galbraith laughed. “It doesn't bother me. When my fellow players are telling me it's a penalty, that's good enough for me. Everyone makes mistakes, but when players come over and tell you it was a penalty, it's baffling. The referee said to me there was contact, but there wasn't enough. Where's the line? The other week, Shaun Kelly's hand touches somebody's midriff and it's a penalty because there's contact.”

This isn't the first time Stuart Taylor has had to deal with this scenario. Kieran Djilali upended Galbraith in the dying moments of Limerick's clash with Sligo, but the real damage, according to Taylor, came a week later at Thomond Park. “After the Sligo game, we played St. Pat's and were given a penalty against us – quite rightly so because there was contact. I'm lost. To be told after the game that there was contact? I don't know. We work on our game to get Danny on the ball, to find space and create. He does it and he gets fouled.”

On a closing note, Taylor reiterated that he wasn't looking for people's sympathies nor excuses for the result, but merely consistency among referees. “I don't want “poor Limerick” - I'm not looking for that. We don't want sympathy, we just want equality.”