Gamble - Success built on Limerick's new steeliness

Limerick captain Joe Gamble says that their new-found form is down to a “steeliness” that has seen them cut out the concession of “silly goals”, with the Superblues now on their best run under Stuart Taylor.

Having gone through their worst spell of the season in August with four straight defeats, conceding 13 goals in the process, Limerick bounced back to go through September unbeaten.
 

Ten points from a possible 12 was the return, with seven of those coming against teams currently in the top four, including leaders Saint Patrick’s Athletic.
 

That scoreless draw against Liam Buckley’s side was the platform which the Shannonsiders built from, and with just one goal conceded – from the penalty spot in Dundalk – during the month, Gamble was asked how they have turned their fortunes around.

“In Sligo, we played well without getting anything and I said after the St. Pat’s game that it was something we could build on,” the 31-year-old, whose side rattled off three wins in six days over the past week, told LimerickFC.ie.

“People will say that’s a cliché but we actually have built on it. We have been true to our word and we’ve made it count. You can see in the last three wins that there is a bit of a steeliness about us and we can mix it.
 

“As well as playing good football, we’re a bit dogged and a bit tough. You have to have both sides of the game. You can’t just be all nice on the ball and pretty, because you’ll just get run over.
 

“The big factor for me really is that we’re not giving away silly goals.
 

“We said it from day one but we haven’t stuck to it. If teams are going to score against us let it be a good goal – let it be a 30-yarder, let it be great play, let it be something that you think ‘fair enough, that’s a good goal’ and take your hats off to them.
 

“If you don’t give goals away easily, you always have a chance of winning, and that’s what we’ve done in the last few games.
 

“We have got goals in our team, there’s no doubt about that. So, I would say collectively we’re just that bit more ruthless and that bit more steely, that we’re not going to give away silly goals.”
 

The midfielder, who won the Premier Division title with Cork City in 2005, is disappointed, however, that they have only found this form as the campaign draws to a close.

“We’ve got a good break now that we need and the lads are in good form. It’s a pity that the season is coming to an end,” he said.

“I would love to see if we maybe had another full round of games what we would have done. But that’s the way it is.

“We’ve got a good base now and we’ve got to keep that going. Then we’ll see what happens next year about bringing in players and making the squad that bit stronger probably.

“It’s good times at the moment and everyone is buzzing. But, as I said, it’s a pity that it’s coming towards the end of the season.”

Gamble, though, stated it was important to finish the season strongly, with sixth place in the club’s sights as they sit just one point behind Cork.

“It’s a big factor,” he said, “because if you look at the fans, people who are in the club, managers and players and looking at players for next year, if you want to put your hand up to sign a contract then you have to put in performances every week.

“Whether there’s something to play for or not, people will remember it – Chairmen, managers, fans will go ‘Jesus, that Limerick team went to the very end’.

“Alright, we may not get anywhere, but we might finish sixth. Our goal is to finish sixth. We’d like to finish above Cork City and Drogheda – that’s the aim and we want to pursue it.

“I think it’s very important because it shows the sort of mentality that you’re not just here to play football – you’re here to be able to win.

“That’s what we’re here to do. We’re not here to particularly entertain as such, even though a small bit of it is to entertain. We’re here to win matches and if winning matches is entertaining then that’ll do me.”

Reflecting on their display against Bohemians on Monday night, where Robbie Williams headed them to a late 1-0 win, Gamble said: “It was an okay performance but more importantly it was a great result.

“Sometimes, the performances don’t really matter. Points are what matter for us even though I suppose mathematically we can’t really do anything. We’re not going to be relegated and we can’t get into the European spots.
 

“But it’s all about building for next year and putting together a decent run like we have been on, and there’s no point in not wanting to keep that going.
 

“So, it’s very important from our point of view that we kept the run going. We didn’t want to let ourselves down or anybody else down.
 

“That’s why you could see we tried so hard to get the win. With four games to go, I think a lot of teams would have said ‘look, a point will do, we’re not going anywhere’.
 

“But for us it showed a good sign of maturity and a good sign of the team progressing.”
 

Asked if he felt the victory was deserved, Joe added: “I think so. There wasn’t much between us. We had more of the possession and we tried to be a wee bit more patient with them and suck them out a bit.
 

“But whether it’s deserved or not, I don’t care. Three points are three points. Many a time I played a match and deserved something we didn’t get, so who cares? We win.”
 

It was a third game in less than a week for the Munster men, and Gamble admitted: “You could see the lads were tired. The pitch was heavy as well actually, so it didn’t help us too much.
 

“Physically, we obviously weren’t in top condition because we had a run of three games in six days. But three wins, it’s fantastic, so you can’t complain.”