League Report: Dundalk 6 - 2 Limerick

Four goals and 39 points separated Dundalk and Limerick come the close of play at Oriel Park on Friday night when top met bottom - as the leaders kicked off a hectic schedule with a comfortable victory.

Normally such close games, the gulf on this occasion was apparent from the moment Stephen O’Donnell volleyed in the early opener with David McMillan and Brian Gartland going on to notch braces and an own goal completing the scoring for the Town.

The away goals came via two mistakes that Stephen Kenny will likely rue from his normally ruthless side - allowing Sean Harding and Shane Duggan to get on the score sheet, with Shane Tracy missing a second half penalty for his side.

Limerick, who drew with Dundalk thanks to a late equaliser at Jackman Park earlier in the campaign, made just one change from their defeat against St Pat’s before the break - Sean Harding replacing Ian Turner.

O’Donnell came in for Dundalk to make his first league start of the season in place of Chris Shields who had missed the previous week’s training through injury and John Mountney also made way for Darren Meenan.

It did not take long for the returning captain to influence proceedings - just four minutes in fact. He intercepted a slack ball in midfield and played a lightning quick give and go with Daryl Horgan, lashing the ball beyond his namesake Conor in the visiting nets with aplomb.

Limerick were offered a glimmer of a chance on 11 minutes when Sean Harding found himself in a good central position on the edge of the area but he scuffed his effort and it ended up wide while Paul O’Conor also shot after he had edged his way forward.

But even scraps like that were hard to come by for Martin Russell’s men who, for much of the half, failed to get out of their own half and conceded possession much too cheaply.

After the manager’s son had brought a save out of Gary Rogers with another attempt range, Dundalk struck for their second. Following a mazy run forward from Towell, O’Donnell saved with his legs and the ball was scrambled out for a corner.

But corners for Dundalk are always dangerous and once more they proved why - the ever reliable Darren Meenan delivery being met at the far post by Gartland whose header crept to the net on the half hour mark.

They should have had a third shortly afterwards, O’Donnell turning provider on this occasion to roll the ball across goal for Ronan Finn but with nobody to beat between the posts, he shot into the side-netting after he had earlier been denied by the offside flag.

The Munstermen failed to heed the warning though and within 60 seconds, Finn was the architect of goal number three when he picked out McMillan’s peeling run.

He certainly did not look like a man without a goal in over two months as he ran through and coolly poked the ball beyond O’Donnell, completing the scoring for the half and ensuring that they had scored at least three at home in a game for the sixth time this year.

Nine minutes into the second half, they had number four. Horgan and McMillan were both unlucky not to add to the tally before then but the striker managed his second of the evening when collecting another Finn pass and this time ferociously firing beyond O’Donnell who got a fingertip to it but couldn’t stop it crashing in off the angle of the crossbar.

Five minutes later, the away side had one back when Rogers misjudged the flight of the ball from a 40-yard Harding free-kick, allowing it to drift into the corner of the net having thought it was destined for a goal kick - one of the more bizarre goals the league will likely witness this year.

Another five minutes after that, the goals continued to come as Gartland was above everyone else in the box to meet another Meenan corner and bag his side’s fifth of the night.

The madness was not to end there though and with 20 minutes left, Dundalk gifted the Blues another goal. This time Rogers saved well from a vicious Dean Clarke strike but when Andy Boyle’s headed back pass from the rebound lacked the conviction to reach the goalkeeper and Duggan was the opportunist on the end of it to score.

They had a chance to add a third and replicate the 5-3 scoreline that graced this fixture two years ago in the FAI Cup but it was not to be after Ross Mann was felled by Dane Massey, Tracy had his weak kick well saved by Rogers.

The table-toppers managed a sixth before the close of play - substitute Jake Kelly’s low cross from the left hitting the back of the net with the help of a huge deflection off the unfortunate Tony Whitehead.

And with that came full-time, highlighting just how big a gap there is at the moment between the respective ends of the Premier Division table.

Dundalk FC: Gary Rogers; Sean Gannon, Brian Gartland, Andy Boyle, Dane Massey; Stephen O’Donnell (Chris Shields 60), Richie Towell; Darren Meenan, Ronan Finn, Daryl Horgan (81); David McMillan (John Mountney 69).

Subs not used: Paddy Barrett, Shane Grimes, Kurtis Byrne, Gabriel Sava (GK).

Booked: Massey (74).

Limerick FC: Conor O’Donnell; Sean Harding (Tony Whitehead 86), Aidan Price, Robbie Williams, Shane Tracy; Jason Hughes (Ross Mann 62), Sean Russell, Shane Duggan, Paul O’Conor, Darragh Rainsford (Vinny Faherty 62); Dean Clarke.

Subs not used: Val Feeney, Prince Agyemang, Kieran Hanlon, Ali Abass (GK).

Booked: Williams (80).

Referee: Rob Rogers

Attendance: 2,714

Extratime.ie Man of the Match: David McMillan (Dundalk).