There were three Airtricity League Premier Division matches played this Friday evening with Dundalk regaining top spot with a comfortable four nil victory over visitors Limerick in Oriel Park. Bohemian went down to a two one defeat by visitors Derry City at Dalymount Park while third place Waterford secured a two nil success over visitors St Patrick’s Athletic.
News
Senior Women lose in crucial World Cup Qualifier…08/06/2018
Rep. Ireland senior women went down to a two nil defeat in Friday afternoon’s 2019 World Cup qualifying contest played in Tallaght Stadium against top seeds Norway. The sides meet again on Tuesday afternoon in Stavanger at 5pm with victory essential if Ireland are to retain any realistic hope of qualifying for the World Cup Finals.
2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers – Group 3
2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers – Group 3
Tuesday 12 June 2018
Norway v Republic of Ireland
17.00 Stavanger
Friday 31 August 2018
Republic of Ireland v N Ireland
19.30 Tallaght Stadium
Group 3 Standings:
| P | Pts | |
|---|---|---|
| Holland | 6 | 16 |
| Norway | 5 | 12 |
| Rep. of Ireland | 6 | 10 |
| N. Ireland |
6 | 3 |
| Slovakia | 5 | 0 |
Ireland Results to date:
19/09/2017 – N.Ireland 0-2 Rep. of Ireland
24/10/2017 – Slovakia 0-2 Rep. of Ireland
28/11/2017 – Holland 0-0 Rep. of Ireland
24/10/2017 – Slovakia 0-2 Rep. of Ireland
28/11/2017 – Holland 0-0 Rep. of Ireland
06/04/2018 – Rep. of Ireland 2-1 Slovakia
10/04/2018 – Rep. of Ireland 0-2 Holland
08/06/2018 – Rep. of Ireland 0-2 Norway
Senior Women set for crucial WCQ double header
Rep. Ireland senior women are currently in preparation for their upcoming 2019 World Cup qualifying contests both home and away against top seeds Norway. The sides first meet at Tallaght Stadium this Friday afternoon with a 5.30pm kick-off and again on Tuesday afternoon in Stavanger at 5pm. Head Coach Colin Bell has named a twenty two player squad which sees the return of Wexford WFC striker Rianna Jarrett who suffered her third ACL injury on her last appearance in March 2016.
Airtricity Premier Division, Monday…04/06/2018
Cork City returned to the summit of the Airtricity League Premier Division when they defeated fourth place Derry City by four goals to two in Turner’s Cross this Bank Holiday Monday afternoon in the re-arranged fixture postponed earlier this season in March. A sixth minute goal from Karl Sheppard set the ‘Leesiders’ on their way and when the same player extended the lead in the first minute of the second half all seemed done and dusted but the ‘Candystripes’ responded and scored two goals in quick succession to level matters. Their hopes were quickly shattered as Kieran Sadlier restored the hosts lead and Graham Cummins consolidated the situation with the fourth goal on eighty two minutes.
Ireland score added time winner to defeat USA
Eighty ninth minute substitute Alan Judge secured a two one victory for Ireland over the USA with the winning goal in just a little over a minute of his arrival on the Aviva Stadium pitch this Saturday evening. The match marked the final chapter in the international career of the retiring John O’Shea who captained Ireland on his 118th appearance. The Waterford man played the opening thirty four minutes of the contest before his withdrawal to a hugely merited standing ovation.
Despite dominating much of the opening half, Ireland conceded the opening goal seconds before the half-time break, with another sloppy piece of defending of a corner kick. Shamrock Rovers striker Graham Burke equalised on fifty six minutes, adding a finishing touch to debutant substitute Daragh Lenihan’s seemingly goal bound shot. There was also an international debut for Enda Stevens who was introduced to the fray on seventy eight minutes.
Starting eleven:- C Doyle; S Duffy, J O’Shea (C), K Long; S Coleman, D Rice, J Hendrick, C O’Dowda, J McClean; J Walters, G Burke
Squad complete training prior to USA encounter…01/06/2018
The Ireland squad, Friday morning, held their final training session prior to Saturday evening’s friendly international against the USA. A knee injury kept Shane Long sidelined and he is not expected to be available tomorrow evening, increasing the liklihood of Graham Burke being handed a starting role.
Squad update
Jeff Hendrick returned to training with the Ireland squad on Thursday morning where he was joined by Shamrock Rovers striker Graham Burke who will miss the ‘Hoops’ Airtricity League contest with Dundalk on Friday evening. Harry Arter and Derrick Williams sat out this morning’s session with thigh and groin injuries respectively. John O’Shea is expected to captain Ireland against the USA as he retires from international football having earned 118 caps.