News

The draw for the second round of the 2018 Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup was made this evening and produced just one all Premier Division clash with Derry City set to host St Patrick’s Athletic in the Brandywell on Friday the 24th August. Non-league side CIE Ranch were first out of the drum and play host to current First Division leaders UCD while the other surviving non-league side Maynooth University Town will travel to face the cup holders and current Premier Division leaders Cork City. The remaining five fixtures are:- Drogheda United v Waterford, Dundalk v Finn Harps, Galway United v Bohemian, Limerick v Cabinteely, Longford Town v Shelbourne

Packie Bonner and Tony Galvin are set to join the RISSC LONDON SPECIAL CELEBRATORY EVENING together with Thomas Morgan, captain of our 1997 FIFA U20 World Cup Bronze Medal winners in Malaysia and Goalkeeper Alex O’Reilly from our European U18 Championship winning side in Cyprus

Two stars from our maiden voyage to the 1988 European Championship Finals, Packie Bonner and Tony Galvin, are set to join us at our special Celebratory Dinner event on the evening of Saturday the 6th October 2018. We are also delighted to confirm that Thomas Morgan, who captained our U20 side which finished third at the 1997 FIFA World Championship Finals in Malaysia, together with our U18 goalkeeper from the 1998 European Championship winning side in Cyprus, Alex O’Reilly, will join us on the evening.

We are still in communication with another member of that senior team and also certain members of the double European Championship success of our U16 and U18 sides in the summer of 1998 and hope to make some further announcements shortly.

The event will take place in the upstairs function room at the Claddagh Ring in Hendon on Saturday the 6th October 2018 with arrival time targeted for 7pm and our three course dinner, followed by coffee/tea and mints, scheduled to commence at 8pm. We aim to introduce our first guest(s) at c7.30pm and would encourage your early arrival. Music will be provided by DJ Shox and we have a late extension.

The concluding contests in Group One of the Women’s Champions League took place on Monday afternoon with the scoreless draw between Thor/KA (Iceland) and AFC Ajax (Holland) in Solitude, the home of Cliftonville FC, sending the Dutch side through to the next stage by virtue of having scored one goal more than their opponents in their respective opening fixtures despite their goal difference being identical. There was a quite dramatic finale between Linfield Ladies and Wexford WFC at Seaview to determine the bottom two positions with Wexford taking an early two goal lead only for the hosts to pull one back just before the break and draw level in the third minute of added time which would have given them third place but in the fifth minute of added time Kylie Murphy scored the winner for Wexford.

The Premier League continued on Sunday afternoon with Liverpool crushing  West Ham United by four goals to nil at Anfield. Declan Rice started in a midfield holding role for the ‘Hammers’ but was substituted at half-time. Burnley travelled to St Mary’s and played out a scoreless draw with hosts Southampton. Shane Long did not make the ‘Saints’ matchday squad but Stephen Ward and Jeff Hendrick started for the ‘Clarets’. Jon Walters was on the visiting bench but it was bad news for Kevin Long who missed out on the matchday squad for the first time in over a year while Robbie Brady is still not considered fit enough for selection.

The two remaining first round contests in the 2018 FAI Cup took place this Sunday afternoon with holders Cork City securing a comfortable five one victory at non-league Home Farm while Cockhill Celtic of the Ulster Senior League went down to a two nil defeat by Limerick in the Charlie O’Donnell Sports Ground. 

Scottish Premiership side Hibernian have this morning announced the signing of Daryl Horgan from Preston North End for an undisclosed fee on a three year contract and the Galway man is expected to be in the squad for their league fixture at St Johnstone on Sunday afternoon.

The Championship continued on Saturday afternoon with Aston Villa duo, Conor Hourihane and Glenn Whelan named on the substitute bench for their last gasp three two victory over visitors Wigan Athletic. Hourihane played the final few minutes but Scott Hogan remains an injury casualty. Promoted Blackburn Rovers included recent international debutant Darragh Lenihan in their starting eleven while visitors Millwall had Aiden O’Brien and Shaun Williams in their team as the sides played out a scoreless draw. Callum O’Dowda started for Bristol City in their two all draw at Bolton Wanderers while Darren Randolph started for Middlesbrough who scored the only goal to defeat visitors Birmingham City. International retiree Daryl Murphy was an unused substitute for Nottingham Forest who defeated visitors Reading by one goal to nil. Paul McShane and David Meyler  started for the ‘Royals’ with John O’Shea an unused substitute at the City Ground. Ryan Manning was an unused substitute for QPR who went down to a two one defeat by visitors Sheffield United who included John Egan and Enda Stevens in their starting eleven. Preston North End had Alan Browne and Callum Robinson in their starting eleven with Graham Burke a second half substitute in their one nil defeat at Swansea City. James McClean started for Stoke City who were held to a one all draw by visitors Brentford for whom Alan Judge was an unused substitute at the Brittania Stadium. Richard Keogh started and Alex Pearce was on the bench for Derby County who went down to a four one defeat by visitors Leeds United in the late kick-off.