Taylor delighted but not surprised at bright start

Speaking after his side's scoreless draw with Munster rivals Cork City, Stuart Taylor claimed he was delighted with what he saw from his players but admits he wasn't surprised by the level of the performance.

“It was a good start and I'm really pleased about the way the boys went about their jobs, but to be fair, we're not surprised because of the way they've applied themselves in pre-season. Their work ethic and the way they went about their jobs, we knew that going into the season, we knew what we were going to get, but I'm delighted how we went about it today because it was against a well-drilled Cork City side. I'm delighted with the clean sheet for the defence and the goalkeeper. I also thought we were excellent attacking-wise. I'm over the moon with how they played.”

While the attractive style that Limerick exhibited was of a high standard, Taylor believes his players can only improve. “I think that the mentality that's in the squad, we can only get better because of how professional the boys are and how hard they work. It's a delight to be working with them. As a management team, we were looking forward to today's game because we knew we'd have a positive response from them.”

Speaking about the opposition, the Limerick boss credited his Leeside counterpart for his organisation. “Cork City – to get a clean sheet against them is a fantastic achievement. Tommy Dunne has them well organised and they play some really good football.”

Thomond Park topped the attendance charts this weekend, drawing in over three-and-a-half thousand people. Taylor spoke of his players' desire to impress the fans. “I had a team meeting during the week. The biggest thing for them was to put in a good performance so the supporters would be proud. That was one thing I was delighted with because it's unusual to hear things like that from players. The boys want to make this a fortress to get the supporters right behind us and we know that will happen because the passion that's in the city and I'm sure the supporters will be proud of their team.”

Limerick seem to have a terrific blend of talent within their ranks and the Limerick boss believes that the players already at his disposal upon arrival and the new faces he brought in are a match made in heaven. “My philosophy is to pass the ball. When I saw the team I had, I picked a formation that suited my players. It's your players that go and pick the formation. When the players I had matched my system, I didn't have to make any drastic changes. I had a bunch of players that I knew were going to play good football. I brought a few lads from overseas and they've gelled in well with the boys that were already here.”

Although a clean sheet was a great feat, there's a suggestion that Limerick may be short on firepower, but Taylor dismissed that notion and insists that there won't be a problem in that department. “I was delighted with the chances we created. Cork are a great team as I've said– Tommy [Dunne] has them well organised and the goals will come.”

Danny Galbraith really captured the imagination of the Limerick public on Sunday night, but Taylor refused to comment on individual performances. “All the players played well. Danny is an interesting player. He's an attractive and exciting player, but going on today's performances, I was proud of them all and they did very well.”