Taylor – We'll use the atmosphere as a positive

Limerick manager Stuart Taylor says his players will “use the atmosphere as a positive” when they take on Cork City in the Munster Derby at Turner’s Cross on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm), in front of an expected large attendance.

The Munster pair are the only clubs that went into the midseason break with three straight league victories, as Limerick saw off Saint Patrick’s Athletic, Drogheda United and UCD while Cork defeated Bray Wanderers, Athlone Town and Shamrock Rovers.

The Superblues’ recent form has seen them soar to sixth in the Premier Division table, with their latest win seeing them overcome UCD 2-1 at Thomond Park a fortnight ago thanks to goals from Scottish striker Tam McManus and former Cork midfielder Shane Duggan.
 

Second-placed Cork, meanwhile, closed the gap on leaders Dundalk to just three points and they have a game in hand, with a large crowd expected to get behind them again this weekend as they chase a seventh straight win in all competitions.
 

But Taylor says his side will see the home attendance as a “positive” as they look to gain some revenge for last month’s defeat by the Leesiders in Limerick.
 

“The boys have come back in good condition,” the boss told LimerickFC.ie. “They’ve obviously done the work that Derek McCarthy gave them to do over the break. We did testing on Sunday and everybody passed with flying colours.
 

“I think the break came at a good time in terms of the injuries we had and trying to get the players rested up because it was a hard run-in. They did very well and got maximum points in the last three league games.
 

“They needed a rest and I think there are a couple of bodies still feeling the effects. Maybe that week off wasn’t long enough for them but hopefully they’ll be fine for Friday night’s game.
 

“I think our players revel in a big atmosphere. They thrive on the bigger crowds and on the big stage. We’re looking forward to the game and we’ll use the atmosphere and the noise that their supporters make as a positive.
 

“The last game against Cork was disappointing because they didn’t do anything to go and get their goals. We kind of gifted it to them.
 

“That’s something that we’ve cut out in the last couple of weeks; we’ve been a little bit more ruthless in our defensive play.
 

“The amount of chances that we created in the UCD game was pleasing but we need to go and finish them off and put them to bed. That’s still a part of our learning curve that we need to improve on. The hardest part in the game is scoring goals.”
 

As it stands, Limerick are a point better off than at this stage last season, and Taylor is focussed on bettering last year’s seventh-placed finish which was secured with 42 points.
 

“Of course we want to improve; we want to do that all the time,” he said. “We’re looking to go and progress and we’ve certainly progressed in the first half of this season to where we were last year with the extra point.
 

“We would like it to be more than an additional point in the second part of the season. We’re looking to build on that and continue our winning run that we’ve been on.”
 

Limerick lost out to Cork in the EA Sports Cup at Turner’s Cross back in March, before first-half goals from Garry Buckley and Billy Dennehy proved the difference in the league meeting at Thomond Park in May. Rory Gaffney’s second-half header proved no more than a consolation as the hosts lost 2-1.
 

That was Cork’s first win over their Munster rivals since Limerick returned to the Premier Division last season. In the one encounter at Turner’s Cross last term, the Superblues edged to a 3-2 win in May.