Facing former team-mates not a factor for me – Kearns

DANIEL KEARNS insists there was no extra motivation for him in coming up against his former club on Saturday night.

Kearns was one of Limerick’s standout performers in their surprise win at the Showgrounds.

The former Northern Ireland underage international spent the last two seasons with the Bit O’ Red before making the switch to Limerick, and he faced some familiar faces in his first game.

“I just tried to take the occasion out of it to be honest. I have a lot of good friends still in that dressing-room as well, but I’ve just got on with it and tried to enjoy the game,” he said.

The three points were secured by another Limerick debutant, as centre-back Darren Dennehy rose highest in the area to flick home Shane Duggan’s delivery just after the hour mark.

In total, Limerick had nine players making their first appearance for the Blues, in what was new manager Tommy Barrett’s first game in charge.

Sligo Rovers boss Gerard Lyttle only had a squad of 16 players available for their opening game, but he wasn’t in the mood for making excuses.

He said: “I thought in the first half we played decent stuff. We had a couple of chances.

“In the second half we were doing just OK. After they scored, I thought we dropped the heads and didn’t deal with it in the right manner.”

SLIGO ROVERS – Schlingermann, Roddan (Keaney 82), Callan-McFadden, Sharkey, Boylan, Cawley, Pinceli, McCabe (Moorhouse 72), McAleer (Wixted 65), Roy, Morgan. LIMERICK – Clarke, Kelly, Whitehead, D Dennehy, Tracy, Coleman, Duggan, Wearen (Cantwell 67), Kearns, B Dennehy, O’Sullivan (Morrissey 86).

REF – T Connolly