Freddy Hall and his Limerick team-mates celebrated last night after a tense 3-2 victory away to Sligo Rovers, combined with a 5-3 loss for Drogheda United, enabled Limerick to escape automatic relegation from the SSE Airtricity League Premier League in Ireland.

Hall, the Limerick goalkeeper, made outstanding saves in the sixteenth and 86th minutes as his team held on to secure the win that took them off the bottom of the table, and earned them a playoff match with First Division side Finn Harpes.

The first leg is scheduled for Monday night at Limerick’s ground.

Limerick took the lead in the fifth minute to ease the pressure, and were well on their way to victory when they scored a second goal in the 27th minute, only to see Sligo Rovers pull a goal back right on half time. Limerick scored again in the 58th minute and it remained 3-1 until Sligo netted a second in the 90th minute to make it 3-2.

Meanwhile, Drogheda United dropped to last place in the 12-team league when they were beaten 5-3 at Shamrock Rovers. Drogheda kept the emotions high at both grounds when they took the lead in the seventeenth minute, only to see Shamrock draw level a minute later through an own goal.

Drogheda went back in front in the 31st minute for a 2-1 lead at half-time, but four goals in the second half by Shamrock turned the match around as they struck in the 53rd, 75th, 83rd and 90th minutes to send the visitors crashing to defeat.

The win was Limerick’s first in Sligo since 1991 and by overtaking Drogheda, it was the first time since early April that they moved off the bottom of the table. Drogheda are now automatically relegated to Division 1. Limerick have now two games to complete the greatest escape of all, one that looked so unlikely when they failed to win any of their opening 21 games.

n Nahki Wells and his Huddersfield team-mates did a bit of public relations work yesterday ahead of today’s crucial match against Burney at Turf Moor.

Huddersfield held an open house training session at their John Smith’s Stadium and about 500 fans took up the invitation to attend and get up close and personal with their heroes afterwards with autographs and “selfies”.

Today Huddersfield travel to Lancashire to meet Burney, relegated from the Premier League last season, but who are threatening an immediate return, tied for second in the Championship and just four points behind leaders Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Burnley team contains Joey Barton, the former Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder, who was released by Queens Park Rangers in the summer after they were relegated from the Premier League.

Wells, who played the whole 90 minutes in last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat to Derby County, is expected to keep his place in the team as Huddersfield seek only their second win on the road where they have picked up just five points and scored three goals in six away matches.

Rai Simons is expected to be in the Chesterfield squad for their away match with Fleetwood Town in League One. Chesterfield are 13th in the tables and Fleetwood 20th. Reggie Lambe and his Mansfield team are at home to Wycombe Wanderers in League Two where Mansfield are fifth in the tables and Wycombe tenth.