Russell - "It's Only The Start On Sunday"

Limerick manager Martin Russell says “it’s only the start” when his side take on Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds on Sunday evening (kick-off 7pm) in his first competitive game in charge.

Russell was appointed as the Superblues’ new boss last week but has had to be patient for his first outing, after the postponement of their scheduled home match against Derry City due to European involvement.
 

That has given the former League of Ireland winner more time to work with the squad and he says he will be keeping a close eye to see how his players take their training ground routines onto the pitch.
 

Limerick go into the game having dropped to ninth following Friday’s results, and they will be out to arrest their slide having suffered three straight defeats, including two on 3-0 scorelines in their most recent away trips.
 

This weekend represents the beginning of a difficult run of fixtures for the Shannonsiders, who will face four of the top five over the next three weeks.
 

But Russell – who overseen a 2-1 friendly win against QPR Under-21s in the University of Limerick Bowl on Tuesday – says his team want to “test themselves at the highest level”, as the club go in search of their first win over Sligo in almost ten years.
 

“It’s going to be a tough game. They all are but Sligo in the Showgrounds is a particular challenge in today’s league,” Russell told LimerickFC.ie. “But we want to test ourselves at the highest level.
 

“We put things into practice in training and I’ll be looking to see if they come off. We want to be competitive in the game.
 

“We played two friendly games during the week and I saw different things. Application in training has been decent but the proof is in the game and we’re looking forward to seeing what way the things we’ve worked on come across in the match.
 

“Work is ongoing. It’s only the start on Sunday; we’re slowly painting a picture and I’ll be looking to take as many positives out of the game in Sligo as possible.”
 

While Limerick enter without a point to their name following the midseason break – losing to Cork City, Bohemians and Athlone Town – Sligo come in on the back of Thursday’s UEFA Europa League disappointment. There, they exited at the hands of Rosenborg despite at one stage leading 3-1 in the tie.
 

The Bit O’ Red have won just one of their last six league games – away to Drogheda United on 27 June – and they lost in their last outing at UCD a fortnight ago.

John Coleman’s side remain strong on home soil, though, losing just two of their last 18 Premier Division games at the Showgrounds over the past 13 months. When the sides met at Thomond Park in April, Paul O’Conor struck early and Aaron Greene and Séamus Conneely added late goals to seal a 3-0 win for Sligo.