Ireland manager Mick McCarthy was expected to visit Ashton Gate on Sunday afternoon when our two most in-form players, Callum O’Dowda and Matt Doherty were in direct opposition when Bristol City and Wolverhampton Wanderers met in the FA Cup at the fifth round stage. Both performed admirably with Doherty creating the winning goal for the visitors.
At the same time, Blackburn Rovers went down to a one nil defeat by visitors Middlesbrough at Ewood Park in the Championship. Darragh Lenihan remains on the injured list while Derrick Williams, who has been in and out of the starting eleven for the hosts, started today but was red carded on the stroke of half-time for a failed last man challenge. Goalkeeper Darren Randolph was, as expected, in action for the visitors.
In the Scottish Premier League, Motherwell, for whom Carl McHugh was a 69th minute substitute, defeated Heart of Midlothian by two goals to one with an added time goal following a calamitous error by goalkeeper Colin Doyle. Jake Mulraney and Conor Shaughnessy both started for Hearts while teenage striker Aiden Keena was a 78th minute substitute. Later in the afternoon, Kilmarnock included Gary Dicker and Alan Power in their starting eleven for the Rugby Park visit of Glasgow Celtic who had Jonny Hayes in their starting eleven while seventeen year old striker Armstrong Okoflex was an unused substitute. The visitors scored the only goal in added time at the end of the match.