Taylor wary Of Rovers' attacking prowess

Limerick manager Stuart Taylor believes Shamrock Rovers are “the one team that can cause problems for anyone”, as he looked ahead to the EA Sports Cup and Setanta Sports Cup winners’ visit to Thomond Park on Tuesday night (kick-off 7.45pm).

The pre-season title favourites did not challenge for the league as expected but have shown the quality they possess by already winning two cup competitions while they find themselves in the FAI Ford Cup semi-finals and the Leinster Senior Cup final.
 

Taylor and assistant boss Malky Thomson took in their League Cup final victory over Drogheda United at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday evening, a decider which forced this league fixture into a midweek setting.

And the Scot – whose side are looking to build on their scoreless draw at home to leaders Saint Patrick’s Athletic in their last outing on 7 September – feels his players will have to be at their best to make it back-to-back league clean-sheets for just the second time in 2013.

He is, however, encouraged by both of their displays against the Hoops this season, having drawn at home to them in early April and lost narrowly to them in the capital in mid June.

“I’m expecting it to be a really, really difficult game – probably one of the most difficult games this season,” Stuart said.
 

“I look at Shamrock Rovers and I see a very strong attacking side and a club that have a huge squad of experienced players. The last time we played them at Thomond Park I looked around at their bench and thought it was incredibly strong.
 

“That’s something that we don’t have at this moment in time, to match them individually, but certainly their starting XI and my starting XI, I’m more than delighted with mine.
 

“With the team spirit that we’ve got and the desire that we have, and players wanting to do well – I would have that over and above what their motivation is.
 

“It’s going to be a really hard game for us. In my opinion, I think they’re the one team that can cause problems for anyone, and I mean that over St. Pat’s and Sligo. They’re one side that I always felt can cause problems to any club.
 

“But the two games that we’ve played them, we went close here and we also went close up there where we could easily have been 2-0 up in 20 minutes.
 

“But we didn’t take our chances. We drew a good save from their goalkeeper and ended up losing the game 1-0, where we switched off at a set-piece.
 

“There wasn’t really much in the game, so we can take confidence out of that.
 

“It’s up to us to make Thomond Park a fortress. Teams certainly do get a lift coming to us because of the surface and stadium but we’ve got to make sure that it’s an intimidating place for teams to come to.”
 

Limerick will have had a 17-day break by the time Tuesday’s game comes around, having earned a hard-fought point against St. Pat’s earlier this month.
 

That ended a four-game losing streak in all competitions and now the Superblues will look for their first win in six games, their last victory coming on 2 August at home to Cork City.
 

With Drogheda United and Cork facing each other on the same night, Limerick could make headway in their bid to finish sixth, but they come up against an in-form Rovers side.
 

The Hoops have won their last six games in all competitions between the league, FAI Cup, League Cup and Leinster Senior Cup, going back to a 1-0 defeat at Bohemians on 16 August.
 

Last Saturday, strikes in either half from Gary McCabe, from the penalty spot, and Thomas Stewart gave them a 2-0 home win over Drogheda as they sealed their first League Cup triumph since 1976.
 

That six-game sequence also includes winning their last two Premier Division outings, away to Shelbourne and at home to Cork.
 

That win at Tolka Park was just Rovers’ third league victory in 14 attempts on the road this year, having also picked up three points at Turner’s Cross and United Park in June.
 

This will be the third meeting of Limerick and Rovers this term. On 2 April at Thomond Park, Craig Curran cancelled out Seán O’Connor’s early opener, in a game that saw Ken Oman sent-off four minutes into the second half.
 

On 14 June at Tallaght Stadium, Karl Sheppard’s goal on the half-hour proved the difference on an evening when Jeffrey Judge was dismissed late on for the visitors.