Category: Latest News

Goodison Park hosted the Premier League meeting of Everton and Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon with Seamus Coleman back in the starting eleven following his injury absence while the return of James McCarthy to competitive action for the hosts after his lengthy absence following his broken leg injury earlier this year must wait at least another week. A fairly uninspiring match was settled in the closing minutes with two very late goals securing victory for the hosts.  

Shane Long was a seventy eight minute substitute for Southampton who made the short South Coast journey to face AFC Bournemouth and played out a scoreless draw in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. Cardiff City included Harry Arter in their starting eleven with Greg Cunningham an unused substitute for the four two victory over visitors Fulham for whom Cyrus Christie was also an unused substitute. Burnley included Jeff Hendrick in their starting eleven with Kevin Long on the bench as they crashed to a five nil defeat at Manchester City.  Meanwhile Robbie Brady continues his fitness quest following his lengthy injury absence. The thigh injury sustained by Ciaran Clark in Ireland training last week ruled him out of the one nil home defeat by visitors Brighton & Hove Albion for whom fellow centre back Shane Duffy was in his customery defensive position. West Ham United included the internationally troubled Declan Rice in their side for the one nil home defeat by visitors Tottenham Hotspur while Wolverhampton Wanderers wing back Matt Doherty was withdrawn after seventy two minutes of their two nil home defeat by visitors Watford at Molineaux. 

Blackburn Rovers defeated Championship visitors Leeds United by two goals to one in the noon kick-off at Ewood Park today. The winning goal was scored by Darragh Lenihan on seventy minutes but fellow defender Derrick Williams was an unused substitute. The new Aston Villa management team of Dean Smith and John Terry started their reign with a one nil home victory over Swansea City with Conor Hourihane seeing just a few minutes of late action while Scott Hogan and Glenn Whelan remained on the substitute bench. Following the head injury sustained by Callum O’Dowda after just four minutes of the scoreless draw with Denmark, he missed out for his club Bristol City who scored the only goal at Brentford for whom Alan Judge was an unused substitute. The Preston North End duo of Alan Browne and Sean Maguire both started while Graham Burke and Callum Robinson were on the substitute bench in their one all draw at Hull City. David Meyler was an unused substitute for Reading who defeated visitors Millwall by three goals to one. Shaun Williams started for the ‘Lions’ with Aiden O’Brien a late substitute. Loanee Richie Towell recovered from injury and started for Rotherham United, while fellow loanee Ryan Manning was a late substitute for their one all draw with visitors Bolton Wanderers who included Marc Wilson in their starting eleven. James McClean started for Stoke City in their one nil home defeat by visitors Birmingham City while the late kick-off featured Richard Keogh in action for hosts Derby County who defeated visitors Sheffield United and their Irish trio of John Egan, Enda Stevens and David McGoldrick by two goals to one.

We also kept an eye on League One leaders Portsmouth for whom Ronan Curtis started their one nil victory over visitors Fleetwood Town which saw them go five points clear at the top of the league table.

 

The outcome of the third and fourth place Airtricity Premier Division battle between Shamrock Rovers and Waterford was decided in Tallaght Stadium this Friday evening when the ‘Hoops’ defeated their challengers by three goals to one to go six points clear of the ‘Blues’ with just one match remaining. The RTE 2 cameras were in Oriel Park where Dundalk collected their already won League Championship Trophy after crushing a youthful Sligo Rovers by five goals to nil. Second place Cork City travelled to the Brandywell where they defeated their hosts Derry City by three goals to nil while relegated Bray Wanderers were crushed by five goals to nil by  Bohemian in the Carlisle Grounds with Dinny Corcoran scoring four. The remaining contest saw Limerick go down to a four nil defeat by visitors St Patrick’s Athletic in the Markets Field.

Finn Harps will contest the Airtricity League Premier Division play-off final with Limerick following their two nil victory over Drogheda United in the second leg of the promotion play-off semi-final played in Finn Park this Friday evening.  Tonight’s victory gave the Donegal side a three one aggregate victory. The first leg of the play-off final is set for Finn Park on the evening of Monday the 29th October with the second leg scheduled for the Markets Field on the evening of Friday the 2nd November 2018. 

The Championship resumed on Friday evening with Sheffield Wednesday going down to a two one defeat by fellow  promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough at Hillsborough. Darren Randolph was in action for the victorious visitors who move to the top of the table this evening but the lengthy exile of Keiren Westwood continues at Sheffield Wednesday as he was again absent from the matchday squad.

Following their scoreless UEFA Nations League draw with Denmark in the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening our senior international team returned to the South Dublin venue where they went down to a one nil defeat by Wales in the same competition this Tuesday evening. With concussion victim Callum O’Dowda ruled out, manager Martin O’Neill made two changes to the starting eleven with Callum Robinson and Aiden O’Brien replacing Shane Long and O’Dowda. Ireland did start on the front foot and were gifted an early opportunity but Cyrus Christie failed to take the chance. The remainder of the first half was fairly uneventful with Wales dominating possession but Ireland remained defensively resolute and were little troubled. The game changed dramatically on fifty eight minutes with a needless free kick conceded on the edge of the penalty area by Harry Arter, who to that point had been defensively sound in the holding midfield role. The free kick was scored and thereafter Wales looked increasingly confident and might well have added to their lead. Ireland made three changes, with strikers Shane Long, Sean Maguire and Scott Hogan introduced for O’Brien, Robinson and Kevin Long and did have some late opportunities to secure the equaliser but a lack of composure coupled with stout Welsh defending denied them. It is difficult, even dispiriting, to identify where we go from here with the probability that we will finish bottom of this Group, thereby being relegated to pot three for the 2020 European Championship qualifying draw. We complete our League B Group Four fixtures in Aarhus against Denmark on Monday the 19th November 2018, a match for which James McClean will be suspended following his yellow card booking this evening.