LIMERICK 37 slumped badly last Friday in their battle for a respectable finishing position in the Eircom First Division in their first season.

For several weeks they have been without one of their stars, Brian Buckley, but he is winning his battle to regain fitness and hopes to play in the last home game of the campaign against Shelbourne.

Limerick 37 star Brian Buckley has watched from the sidelines as the side's Eircom First Division campaign comes to a close. He hopes to be back to full fitness for the team's final home game of the season against Shelbourne at Jackman Park.

Brian is the only son of Tony and Anne (McNamara) and he has three sisters, Ruth, Karen and Antonia. Born in Clare Street, he began his schooling at St Patrick's where he played hurling and Gaelic football.

"We won an Under-12 cup and I was in the half-back line. The team included Dermot Phelan, and Niall Cross. I moved to Ard Scoil Ris for my secondary education and there I played soccer and rugby, with Ger Keane and Des Harty being the coaches for those games," he said.

Ard Scoil reached the final of the Munster Schools Junior Cup, which they lost to St Munchin's. "I played outside centre alongside Cormac O'Loughlin and also in the team were Paul O'Connell and Mossy Lawler, as well as Kieran Bermingham and Trevor Bowles," he said.

On the soccer front, Ard Scoil also reached a Munster final, and with Brian on the team were Eddie Whelan, Leonard O'Grady, and Paul Bateman, who was in goal.

Brian's great love of sport meant that he was always involved in some game or other. "I would play anything, so long as I was involved," he said.

And in his younger days he was always in action. "I joined Geraldines and played with them from Under-11 to Under-19 and we had a very successful time as we won several Leagues and Cups. Amongst those I played with were Bobby Ryan, Tommy Barrett, who's now with Limerick 37, Paul Dillon, who is with Rotherham but is injured at present, Alan Barry and Alan Morton. We had great coaches at the 'Dines in Turlough McNamara and Mikey Ronan," he said.

Continuing his rugby career, he joined Richmond where the coach was Sal Slattery. His team-mates included Mossie O'Connor, Donal Gallagher, Ger Duggan and Clifton Markham were also on the team. "Fairview Rangers invited me to join them when I came out of the minor age bracket but I stayed with Geraldines for an extra season. Geraldines were relegated that season and Fairview went on to win the FAI Junior Cup so it proved a costly decision," he said with a smile.

But when he eventually joined Fairview it sparked a very successful time for him.

"I was on the teams which won three FAI Junior Cups, and I also captained the last team in one of those wins," he said.

Brian was a centre-back on those sides and he also won the Munster Junior Cup, two League titles and a Lawson Cup. "That was a very good side and we had players such as Kevin McCarthy, Jason Purcell, Joe Hannon, Sean Lipper and Jimmy Sheehan" he said.

Those successes at national level brought Brian to the attention of the Irish selectors.

"I played 12 times for the Irish amateur team and I played in the European championships in Bosnia. But a week before the second stage of the qualifiers, I broke my leg in the last game of the season with Fairview against Pike Rovers, and I missed out," he said.

That injury kept Brian out of action for two and a half months and it was during this injury spell that he signed for Limerick FC, then managed by Noel O'Connor.

"I made my first appearance in the League of Ireland against Dublin City on the left wing. We won 2-1 with both goals scored by Tommy Barrett," he said.