Lee-J Lynch: 'We don't fear anyone on our day'

Despite being only 25, Lee-J Lynch has just begun his sixth full season in the Airtricity League.

Lynch is well-regarded within the league and has won a Premier Division title with Sligo Rovers in 2012, as well as an FAI cup with the Bit O' Red in 2013. However, being from Limerick, Lynch hopes his biggest success comes with his hometown club.

The playmaker has had a solid start to the season and admits that the current squad have learned from the mistakes made by an inexperienced squad in 2015, a year in which Limerick were relegated from the Airtricity League Premier Division.

“I think maybe a few fans thought we would be the same team to that year [relegation in 2015],” Lynch told extratime.ie ahead of tonight's derby at home to Cork City.

“That was a very young and inexperienced squad. I think the board, Martin [Russell], Pat [O'Sullivan] and certainly the players have learned from that season. I think that's in the past now."

Under Martin Russell, Limerick have been known to play an exciting brand of football but inevitably concede a large number of goals attempting this attractive style.

Lynch has been impressed with the defensive improvement in the team this season and acknowledges that it was an area which required improvement.

“We are a new team. Yeah, there are some of the same players still there but the main thing now is we are better defensively.

“We are working hard off the ball because, at the end of the day, we needed to stop conceding a lot of goals and I think this season we have shown it as we have only conceded four.”

The former West Bromwich Albion youth player reserved praise for center-back Tony Whitehead who has impressed in the opening five games of the season.

The young Charleville man was not expected to feature in the starting 11 early in the season, however a hand injury to new recruit Dave O'Connor has allowed Whitehead to stake a claim to keep his place in the side.

Lynch said: “Tony has been at the club for a good few years now and when I went away [to Hamilton Academical in 2014] and came back, I thought he developed really well.

“He loves playing it on the deck but he also does the dirty stuff as well. He's come in and played in some big games, like Dundalk where we did well, and that's a big testament to Tony and how well he has done personally."

Limerick endured defeat against Bohemians and a draw with Finn Harps at home in the space of one week, but Super Blues bounced back with a 1-0 win against Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds last Saturday evening.

The Limerick-born midfielder was delighted with the way his side reacted to recent disappointments in order to pick up a vital victory.

“I thought we had a very good shape. We went back to the two and one in the middle (two holding midfielders and a number ten) and I thought we were particularly solid in there.

“They were flying it and we had to go up there and make sure we got the win. We were under a bit of pressure having lost to Bohs and drawing with Finn Harps at home.

“We made sure we were going up there to do ourselves justice and to make sure we got the three points."

In particular, Lynch was happy with the defensive aspect which ensured victory.

“Everyone knows that Bray are a brilliant team this year with great attacking flair and I think we did well and played the conditions well.

“In the first-half we were brilliant. In the second-half we were under the cosh a little but defensively we showed we can keep a shape and defend when we need to defend as well as playing some counter attacking football.

“It was great to see and it was a brilliant three points heading into a Munster derby."

There have been a lot of changes to the team so far this season which appears to show healthy competition within the current squad, something that Limerick were desperately lacking during their last Premier Division campaign.

Lynch has been encouraged by the quality of the new players signed by the club, especially on loan Sunderland left-back Tommy Robson.

“I think they have all settled in really well. Tommy came in a week before the Sligo game which was a bit late but Tommy is a great player and he suits the way we play and likes to get up and down the touchline.

“Everyone knows how good Shane Tracey has been for us and the fact that Tommy has come in and settled quickly adds healthy competition to the squad.”

Limerick entertain league leaders Cork City on Friday night in front of what is expected to be a bumper crowd at the Markets Field.

Lynch is aware of the threat that the Rebel Army possess but insists that if his side can repeat the performance from their last visit to Turners Cross in 2015, they can achieve a positive result.

“Everyone knows that Cork are a great team and they are top of the table this year and rightly so.

“Duggy [Shane Duggan] touched on it in another interview, that we went down there and beat them when they were going for the league and that may have ruined their chances that year.

“We don't fear anyone when we play well on our day. We are going to get it down and play good football on a big pitch and hopefully we get the right result for our supporters.”

Asked how Limerick would approach the eagerly anticipated Munster derby clash, Lynch insisted that his teammates must be brave and confident.

“I think that’s what we have to do against the bigger teams this year.

“In Dundalk we were brave and played good football and word spread of how well we did that night, however we didn't get anything out of the game.

“We have to go into the Cork game and play that way but hopefully, in front of a big home crowd, we can get the three points when it isn't expected of us.

“We will be fully confident that we can get the victory."

The game with Cork City will kick-off at 7.45 pm and supporters are advised to arrive at the stadium early to avoid congestion.