Category: Latest News

 

Friday
Following their surprise victory at Leicester City on Friday last, Newcastle United welcomed Premier League champions Manchester City to St James Park on Friday evening. The ‘Magpies’ were again involved in a dramatic encounter before going down to a four three defeat. Both  Ciaran Clark and Jeff Hendrick were unused substitutes for the hosts.

Thursday
Seamus Coleman started for Everton who travelled to face Aston Villa in the 6pm Premier League kick-off this Thursday evening. Coleman was withdrawn on 75 minutes as the sides  played out a scoreless draw. Following a lengthy injury absence,  Caoimhin Kelleher was named on the substitute bench for Liverpool who came from behind to defeat Manchester United by four goals to two in their re-scheduled fixture at Old Trafford..

Wednesday
The Scottish Premiership action which took place this Wednesday evening between Kilmarnock and St Mirren at Rugby Park featured a plethora of Irish involvement and resulted in a three all draw. The hosts included goalkeeper Danny Rogers in their starting eleven alongside  Gary Dicker, Alan Power and Callum Waters while Colin Doyle was the substitute goalkeeper. The visitors managed by Waterford man Jim Goodwin included Jamie McGrath, who was again on the scoresheet,  Conor McCarthy and  Jake Doyle-Hayes in their starting eleven with  Dylan Connolly a half-time substitute.  

Josh Cullen and his RSC Anderlecht colleagues travelled to face KRC Genk in the Belgian First Division this Wednesday evening where the contest ended in a one all draw.

Tuesday
St Mary’s Stadium hosted the Premier League meeting of Southampton and Crystal Palace on Tuesday evening which saw the hosts recover from conceding the opening goal after just two minutes to secure a three one victory.  Michael Obafemi was introduced from the substitute bench on 76 minutes while Will Ferry with the hosts and James McCarthy for the visitors were unused substitutes.

Monday
Fulham suffered relegation from the Premier League this evening following their two nil defeat by visitors Burnley at Craven Cottage.  Robbie Brady and Kevin Long were injury absentees for the visitors while Jimmy Dunne was unused on the substitute bench.

 

 

Sunday
The Premier League continued at noon with Wolverhampton Wanderers welcoming Brighton & Hove Albion and unused substitute Aaron Connolly to Molineaux where the hosts came from behind to secure a two one victory.  Teenage defender Lewis Richards was an unused substitute for the hosts. Later at 4.30pm West Ham United went down to a one nil defeat by visitors Everton. Darren Randolph, Ademipo Odubeko and Conor Coventry were unused on the ‘Hammers’ substitute bench while captain Seamus Coleman was in excellent form for the ‘Toffees’.  Arsenal defeated visitors West Bromwich Albion by three goals to one which consigned them to relegation. Callum Robinson started for the ‘Baggies’ with Dara O’Shea unused on the substitute bench.

The second Scottish Cup Semi-Final took place Hampden Park where Scottish League Cup winners St Johnstone defeated Jim Goodwin‘s St Mirren by two goals to one. Jamie McGrath, Conor McCarthy, Joe Shaughnessy and Jake Doyle-Hayes started for St Mirren with Dylan Connolly a 68th minute substitute.  St Johnstone led by two goals to nil entering the final stages when a McGrath free kick was headed home by McCarthy to generate a frantic finale. The winners will face Hibernian who defeated Dundee United in the first semi-final with the final scheduled for Saturday the 22nd May.

The regular League One season was completed on Sunday with all fixtures kicking off at noon.  Champions Hull City and runners-up Peterborough United (Jack Taylor) were already assured of promotion. The third promotion spot will be contested by Blackpool, Sunderland (Aiden McGeady, Aiden O’Brien) , Lincoln City (Anthony Scully) and the side which finishes sixth. At the start of play, Portsmouth (Ronan Curtis, Marcus Harness) held that position, one point clear of Oxford United (Mark Sykes, Anthony Forde, Olamide Shodipo, Liam Kelly) and Charlton Athletic. Portsmouth suffered  a disappointing one nil defeat by visitors Accrington Stanley while Oxford United defeated their visitors Burton Albion by four goals to nil to grasp the final play-off spot.

The semi-final first legs will see Oxford United at home to Blackpool on Tuesday the 18th May with  Lincoln City hosting Sunderland on Wednesday the 19th May. The second legs are set for Friday the 21st May with Blackpool hosting Oxford United  and Sunderland taking on Lincoln City on Saturday the 22nd May.

Saturday
Tottenham Hotspur named Matt Doherty on their substitute bench for their Premier League visit to Leeds United where they suffered  a three one defeat.  Sheffield United and their starting trio of John Egan, Enda Stevens and David McGoldrick went down to a two nil defeat by visitors Crystal Palace for whom  James McCarthy was an unused  substitute at Bramall Lane. The 8.15pm kick-off saw Liverpool secure a comfortable two nil victory over Anfield visitors Southampton for whom Michael Obafemi was introduced from the substitute bench on 66 minutes while Will Ferry was confined to the bench.

The regular Championship season reached a climax with all fixtures kicking-off at 12.30pm on Saturday afternoon. Champions Norwich City and runners-up Watford were already assured of promotion with the third promotion place set to be contested by the four clubs currently occupying positions three to six. Brentford who defeated hosts Bristol City by three goals to one were already assured of third place while Swansea City, for whom Conor Hourihane started while  Ryan Manning was an unused substitute retained fourth place despite a two nil defeat at  Watford. AFC Bournemouth slipped from fifth to sixth place following their two nil home defeat by Stoke City. Shane Long was a 75th minute substitute for ‘The Cherries’ while Mark Travers was an unused substitute.  Barnsley  moved from sixth to fifth with a two all draw at  champions Norwich City who included Andrew Omobamidele in their starting eleven while Adam Idah was introduced from the bench on 52 minutes and scored two minutes later.  At  the foot of the table the Pride Park meeting of Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday ended in a three all draw which sealed the fate of the ‘Owls’ and ensured survival for the ‘Rams’.  Jason Knight started for for the hosts with Festy Ebosele and Louis Watson unused on the substitute bench while Keiren Westwood started with Ciaran Brennan an unused substitute for the visitors.  The draw at Pride Park  saw the ‘Owls’ relegated but was enough for the ‘Rams’ to survive as Rotherham United conceded  a very late equaliser  at Cardiff City.  Daryl Horgan was a 74th minute substitute for Wycombe Wanderers who were relegated  despite their three nil victory at  Middlesbrough.

The first legs in the promotion play-off semi-finals are set for Monday the 17th May and the second legs for Saturday the 22nd May.

AFC Bournemouth v Brentford
Barnsley v Swansea City

Brentford v AFC Bournemouth
Swansea City v Barnsley

The League Two regular season was completed this Saturday afternoon and sees Tranmere Rovers and Glasgow Celtic loanee Lee O’Connor finish in sixth position following their scoreless draw with visitors Colchester United.

They will now contest the promotion play-offs where they will face Morecambe in the semi-final first leg at Prenton Park on Thursday the 20th May with the second leg set for the Globe Arena on Sunday the 23rd May.

Josh Cullen started for RSC Anderlecht who played out a two all draw with visitors Royal Antwerp in the Belgian First Division on Saturday evening. Cullen received an early yellow card  and was withdrawn at half-time.

 

 

The second series of fixtures in the Airtricity League Premier Division commenced  with two matches played this Friday evening. Derry City welcomed Longford Town to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium where the visitors took the lead but the hosts secured  a point with an added time equaliser.  Dundalk entertained Sligo Rovers in Oriel Park where they went down to a one nil defeat with a poor performance made worse by the fact that the visiting ‘Bit o’ Red’ played the final 40 minutes with ten men following the dismissal of centre back Gary Buckley.

The three remaining fixtures took place on Saturday evening with the top two St Patrick’s Athletic and Shamrock Rovers locking horns in Richmond Park where ‘The Hoops’ came from behind to score an added time winner for a two one victory and extend their lead at the summit to five points. Bohemian secured  a comfortable four nil victory over Finn Harps in Dalymount Park. Waterford, who parted company with their managerial duo Kevin Sheedy and Mike Newell in midweek, played their U19 side against visitors Drogheda United in the Regional Sports Centre because of Covid 19 implications and they suffered  a crushing seven nil defeat..

All five fixtures of Match Series 7 in the Airtricity League First Division  kicked-off at 7.45pm on Friday evening.  Cabinteely defeated Cobh Ramblers with the only goal at Stradbrook.  Cork City crushed Wexford by five goals to nil in Turner’s Cross. Galway United went down to a three two defeat by visitors Bray Wanderers in Eamonn Deacy Park.  Shelbourne defeated incoming leaders Athlone Town with the only goal in Tolka Park to leapfrog them and join  UCD , three two winners against visiting newcomers Treaty United, at the summit of the league table. 

 

It is with great sadness that we received the very sad news of the death of Alan McLoughlin this morning.  Alan was just 54 years of age and is survived by his wife Deby and daughters Abby and Megan and our condolences go out to them.

Alan was first diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and fought valiantly to overcome that attack and returned to his coaching role in football. Alan suffered a recurrence earlier this year and sadly was unable to win this battle.

Alan was born in Manchester and his youth career was spent at Old Trafford before he found much success at Swindon Town and Portsmouth. He also had spells at Southampton, Wigan Athletic, Rochdale and Forest Green Rovers. For the past 5 years Alan was Academy Director at Swindon Town FC.

He was capped 42 times by Ireland and will always be remembered for the iconic goal he scored  at Windsor Park to secure Ireland’s progression to the 1994 World Cup Finals.

 

Friday
FA Cup finalists Leicester City suffered a shock in their effort to consolidate their third place Premier League position when Newcastlke United visited the King Power Stadium on Friday evening and took a four goal lead before eventually securing a four two victory. Ciaran Clark and Jeff Hendrick were both named on the ”Magpies’ substitute bench with Hendrick seeing a few minutes of action in the closing stages..

Tuesday
James Collins started for Luton Town but was withdrawn on 62 minutes as his side played out a scoreless draw with visitors  Rotherham United in the Championship at Kenilworth Road this evening.  Chiedoze Ogbene was a 65th minute substitute for the visitors while  Kieran Sadlier remained on  the substitute bench.  

League One promotion play-off contenders Charlton Athletic and Lincoln City met at The Valley  with Anthony Scully in action for the visiting ‘Imps’ who went down to a three one defeat.  The appointment of Paul Cook has not yet brought about the desired improvement for Ipswich Town whose fruitless season continued with a scoreless draw at Shrewsbury Town.  The ‘Tractor Boys’ included loanees Mark McGuinness and Troy Parrott in their starting eleven this evening.

Glasgow Celtic loanee Luca Connell was a half-time substitute for  Scottish League Two champions Queens Park  who went down to a three two defeat at Elgin City this Tuesday evening with Connell scoring the second goal. 

Monday
The Premier League featured the Midlands Derby meeting of  relegation bound West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers with Dara O’Shea starting for the hosts but withdrawn on 33 minutes for tactical reasons while Callum Robinson was introduced from the substitute bench on 78 minutes as the sides played out a one all draw.  Burnley played host to West Ham United at Turf Moor where they took the lead but the visiting ‘Hammers’ struck back quickly and scored  twice to secure victory and sit in fifth place on the league table.  Jimmy Dunne was unused on the ‘Clarets’ substitute bench while  Darren Randolph, Conor Coventry and Ademipo Odubeko were also unused on the visiting ‘Hammers’ bench. 

There is a full set of Airtricity League Premier Division fixtures scheduled for this early May Bank Holiday.

There was a 2pm kick-off time for the meeting of Drogheda United  and Bohemian at Head in the Game Park which saw the hosts score a dramatic equaliser in the second minute of added  time for a one all draw.  In the other early kick-off,  Shamrock Rovers defeated Waterford by three goals to nil in Tallaght Stadium to create a new league record of 31 consecutive unbeaten matches. They go two points clear at the top of the league table with second place St Patrick’s Athletic scoring an equaliser in the fourth minute of added time against third place Sligo Rovers in the Showgrounds. Dundalk and Longford Town shared four goals in Bishopsgate at the same time. The North West Derby meeting of Derry City and Finn Harps saw the visitors come from behind to secure a two one victory in the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium and retain their fourth place on the league table. 

Sunday
The Premier League continued on Sunday afternoon with Newcastle United  and Arsenal meeting at 2pm in St James Park. The hosts include Ciaran Clark in their starting eleven with  Jeff Hendrick unused on the substitute bench as they suffered  a two nil defeat. Later at 7.15pm, Tottenham Hotspur crushed relegated Sheffield United by four goals to nil in their London Stadium.  The visitors included John Egan, Enda Stevens and David McGoldrick in their starting eleven while Matt Doherty returned on the substitute bench for the hosts following his lengthy injury absence.  

Josh Cullen was an unused substitute for RSC Anderlecht who played out a two all draw at Club Bruges in the Belgian First Division on Sunday afternoon.

Saturday
First into Premier League action on Saturday afternoon were Crystal Palace and Manchester City who met at Selhurst Park where the visitors secured  a two nil victory.  James McCarthy was an unused substitute for the hosts.   Brighton & Hove Albion secured  a two nil victory over Leeds United at the AMEX Stadium which pretty much eased any fears of being dragged into the relegation scene.  Aaron Connolly was an unused substitute for the victors. There was disappointment for Seamus Coleman and his Everton colleagues who went down to a two one defeat by visitors  Aston Villa at Goodison Park this evening.

Manager Jim Goodwin and his St Mirren side suffered a two one home defeat at Love Street by Hamilton Accademical in the Scottish Premiership.  The hosts named  Joe Shaughnessy and Jake Doyle-Hayes in their starting eleven while  Jamie McGrath  was introduced from the substitute bench on 62 minutes and scored  their goal nine minutes later.   

Luton Town included James Collins in their starting eleven for the Championship visit of Middlesbrough which ended in a one all draw at Kenilworth Road. Collins disappointingly missed from the penalty spot. Danny McNamara started for Millwall who defeated visitors Bristol City by four goals to one at the New Den where Max O’Leary was in goals for the visitors.  Andrew Omobamidele and Norwich City came from behind to defeat visitors Reading by four goals to one at Carrow Road. The Preston North End duo of Alan Browne  and  loanee  Greg Cunningham started in the two nil victory over visitors Barnsley while Sean Maguire and another loanee  Jayson Molumby  were unused substitutes.  Chiedozie Ogbene was in the Rotherham United side which scored  a late equaliser against  visitors Blackburn Rovers and Darragh Lenihan. Relegation threatened Sheffield Wednesday included Keiren Westwood in their side for the visit of Nottingham Forest and loanee Cyrus Christie which ended scoreless.  Westwood  conceded a first half penalty but then made an excellent save from the resultant spot-kick. Play-off candidates Swansea City came from behind to defeat relegation threatened visitors Derby County by two goals to one. Ryan Manning was a 65th minute substitute for the ‘Swans’ with Conor Hourihane unused on the substitute bench.  Jason Knight was in the visiting ‘Rams’ side with  Festy Ebosole and Louie Watson unused on their substitute bench.  Daryl Horgan was an unused substitute for Wycombe Wanderers who defeated  play-off bound AFC Bournemouth with the only goal at Adams Park. Loanee Shane Long was a 67th minute substitute for the ‘Cherries’ while Mark Travers was an unused substitute.

The League One promotion race is proving quite a contest.  Jack Taylor and his Peterborough United colleagues secured second place and automatic promotion behind champions Hull City with a dramatic fight back to secure a three all draw against  Lincoln City who led by three goals to nil ten minutes into the second half with Anthony Scully having scored twice.  Portsmouth who currently sit sixth, the final play-off position,  secured  a three one victory at AFC Wimbledon where  Ronan Curtis opened the scoring and provided the assist for the other two goals.  Marcus Harness also started for the the victors.  Sunderland  moved  up to third place while  Blackpool retained  fifth place with victories at Plymouth Argyle and Northampton Town respectively.  Seventh place Oxford United and eight place Charlton Athletic are still very much in contention for a play off  place  with  the ‘U’s’ securing a three two victory at Shrewsbury Town while ‘The Addicks’  earned  a one all draw at Accrington Stanley.  Oxford included recent international declaree Mark Sykes in their side while Anthony Forde and QPR loanee Olamide Shodipo were unused substitutes.

Tranmere Rovers suffered a two one defeat at Forest Green Rovers which ended their  outside chance of automatic promotion from League Two and require a point from their final league fixture to to ensure involvement in the play-offs.  They included Glasgow Celtic loanee Lee O’Connor in their side this afternoon.