The draw for the quarter-finals of the 2021 FAI Cup was made this evening and has produced the following pairings. The matches are scheduled for the week ending 19 September 2021.
Bohemian v Maynooth University Town
Finn Harps v Dundalk
St Patrick’s Athletic v Wexford
UCD v Waterford
The 2021 UK summer transfer window commenced on Tuesday the 1st June 2021 and concluded on Tuesday the 31st August 2021 and there has been a significant amount of activity involving Irish players which we detail below. Most notable is the £12 million signing of 20 year old centre back Nathan Collins by Burnley from Stoke City while Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu is on a season long loan at League One Portsmouth. Mick McCarthy at Cardiff City has made two significant acquisitions in senior international striker James Collins from Luton Town and U21 centre back Mark McGuinness from Arsenal. Nineteen year old Tottenham Hotspur striker Troy Parrott has gone on a season long loan deal to League One MK Dons. James McCarthy has joined Glasgow Celtic on a four year deal following his release by Crystal Palace. Following a falling out with his Stoke City manager, James McClean has joined League One Wigan Athletic on a one year contract for an undisclosed fee. Twenty three year old Liam Scales has joined Glasgow Celtic from Shamrock Rovers on a four year contract for a fee believed to be €600,000. Midfielder Jayson Molumby has joined West Bromwich Albion on a season long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion with an option to make the move permanent. Another midfielder Conor Hourihane has joined Sheffield United from Aston villa on a season long loan. Deadline day moves include season long loans for senior international Harry Arter from Nottingham Forest to Charlton Athletic, U21 internationals Conor Coventry from West Ham United to Peterborough United and Lee O’Connor from Glasgow Celtic to Tranmere Rovers where he spent last season on loan.
| Name | From | To | Details |
| Val Adedokun | Dundalk | Brentford | Undisclosed |
| Harry Arter | Nottingham Forest | Charlton Athletic | Season Loan |
| Padraig Amond | Newport County | Exeter City | Season Loan |
| Gavin Bazunu | Manchester City | Portsmouth | Season Loan |
| Jack Bonham | Gillingham | Stoke City | 1 Year Deal |
| Jamie Bowden | Tottenham Hotspur | Oldham Athletic | Season Loan |
| Robbie Brady | Burnley | End of Contract | |
| Courtney Brosnan | West Ham United | Everton Ladies | 1 Year Deal |
| Dennis Cirkin | Tottenham Hotspur | Sunderland | 3 Year Deal |
| Jack Clarke | Aston Villa | End of Contract | |
| Trevor Clarke | Rotherham United | Bristol Rovers | 1 Year Deal |
| James Collins | Luton Town | Cardiff City | Undisclosed |
| Nathan Collins | Stoke City | Burnley | £12 million |
| Dylan Connolly | St Mirren | Northampton Town | 2 Year Deal |
| Conor Coventry | West Ham United | Peterborough Utd | Season Loan |
| Ryan Delaney | Bolton Wanderers | Morecambe | End of Contract |
| Gary Dicker | Kilmarnock | Brighton & Hove A | U23 Player/Coach |
| Colin Doyle | Hearts | End of Contract | |
| Jake Doyle-Hayes | St Mirren | Hibernian | 2 Year Deal |
| Aaron Drinan | Ipswich Town | Leyton Orient | 2 Year Deal |
| Courtney Duffus | Bromley | Morecambe | 2 Year Deal |
| Jimmy Dunne | Burnley | QPR | 3 Year Deal |
| Zack Elbouzedi | Lincoln City | AIK Solna(Sweden) | 3 Year Deal |
| Will Ferry | Southampton | Crawley Town | Season Loan |
| Kian Flanagan | Crystal Palace | Barnet | |
| Alex Gilbert | Brentford | Swindon Town | Season Loan |
| Stephen Henderson | Crystal Palace | End of Contract | |
| Conor Hourihane | Aston Villa | Sheffield United | EoS Loan |
| Ryan Johansson | Sevilla | Fortuna Sittard | Season Loan |
| Alan Judge | Ipswich Town | Colchester United | 2 Year Deal |
| Fiacre Kelleher | Wrexham | Bradford City | 2 Year Deal |
| Liam Kelly | Feyenoord | Rochdale | 2 Year Deal |
| Richard Keogh | Huddersfield Town | Blackpool | 1 Year Deal |
| Peter Kioso | Luton Town | MK Dons | Season Loan |
| Bosun Lawal | Watford | Glasgow Celtic | 3 Year Deal |
| Ian Lawlor | Doncaster Rovers | Dundee | 2 Year Deal |
| Kameron Ledwidge | Southampton | End of Contract | |
| Conor Masterson | QPR | Cambridge United | Loan to January |
| Charlie McCann | Manchester United | Glasgow Rangers | £750,000 3yr deal |
| James McCarthy | Crystal Palace | Glasgow Celtic | 4 Year Deal |
| James McClean | Stoke City | Wigan Athletic | 1 Year Deal |
| Mark McGuinness | Arsenal | Cardiff City | 3 Year Deal |
| Shane McLoughlin | AFC Wimbledon | Morecambe | 1 Year Deal |
| Paul McShane | Rochdale | Manchester United | U23 Player Coach |
| Jayson Molumby | Brighton & HA | West Bromwich Alb | Season Loan |
| Brian Barry Murphy | Rochdale | Manchester City | Dev. Squad Manager |
| Corrie Ndaba | Ipswich Town | Salford City | Season Loan |
| Glory Nzingo | St Patrick’s Ath | Reims (France) | |
| Michael Obafemi | Southampton | Swansea City | 3 Year Deal |
| Jake O’Brien | Cork City | Crystal Palace | Undisclosed |
| Darragh O’Connor | Leicester City | Motherwell | 1 Year Deal |
| Lee O’Connor | Glasgow Celtic | Tranmere Rovers | Season Loan |
| Thomas O’Connor | Southampton | Burton Albion | 2 Year Deal |
| Ademipo Odubeko | West Ham United | Huddersfield Town | Season Loan |
| Eunan O’Kane | Leeds United | End of Contract | |
| Corey O’Keeffe | Mansfield Town | Rochdale | January 2022 Loan |
| Armstrong Okoflex | Glasgow Celtic | West Ham United | 2 Year Deal |
| John O’Sullivan | Morecambe | Accrington Stanley | 3 Year Deal |
| Troy Parrott | Tottenham Hotspur | MK Dons | Season Loan |
| Anthony Pilkington | East Bengal | Fleetwood Town | 1 Year Deal |
| Alan Power | Kilmarnock | St Mirren | 1 Year Deal |
| Louise Quinn | Fiorentina | Birmingham City L | 2 Year Deal |
| Stephen Quinn | Burton Albion | Mansfield Town | 1 Year Deal |
| Callum Reilly | AFC Wimbledon | Leyton Orient | 1 Year Deal |
| Danny Rogers | Kilmarnock | Oldham Athletic | 1 Year Deal |
| Liam Scales | Shamrock Rovers | Glasgow Celtic | 4 Yr Deal €600,000 |
| Conor Shaughnessy | Rochdale | Burton Albion | 2 Year Deal |
| Cillian Sheridan | Wisla Plock-Poland | Dundee | 2 Year Deal |
| Ryan Sweeney | Mansfield Town | Dundee | |
| Ethon Varian | Stoke City | Raith Rovers | Loan to January |
| Stephen Ward | Ipswich Town | Walsall | 1 Year Deal |
| Corey Whelan | Wigan Athletic | Carlisle United | 2 Year Deal |
| Aidy White | Hearts | Rochdale | 2 Year Deal |
| Conor Wilkinson | Leyton Orient | Walsall | 2 Year Deal |
| Shaun Williams | Millwall | Portsmouth | 1 Year Deal |
| Tyreik Wright | Aston Villa | Salford City | Season Loan |
| Kevin Zefi | Shamrock Rovers | Inter Milan |
Sunday
There was further Premier League action on Sunday afternoon with Burnley and Leeds United playing out a one all draw at Turf Moor where Nathan Collins was an unused substitute for the hosts. Matt Doherty was also an used substitute for Tottenham Hotspur who scored the only goal to defeat visitors Watford at their London Stadium.
The Scottish Premiership meeting of St Mirren and St Johnstone with Jamie McGrath in action with the hosts ended in a scoreless draw.
The Belgian Premier League saw RSC Anderlecht and Josh Cullen visit KRC Genk where they went down to a one nil defeat in a rather fractious encounter.
Saturday
Aston Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane, who completed the full 90 minutes in their midweek EFL Cup success, was an unused substitute in their one all Premier League draw with newly promoted Brentford at Villa Park. Shane Duffy started while Aaron Connolly was an unused substitute for Brighton & Hove Albion who went down to a two nil defeat by visitors Everton and Seamus Coleman at the AMEX Stadium. Ciaran Clark, who was not included in the Ireland squad announced by Stephen Kenny, and Jeff Hendrick were unused substitutes for Newcastle United who played out a two all draw with visitors Southampton for whom Shane Long was not in the matchday squad. Adam Idah was a 79th minute substitute for Norwich City while Andrew Omobamidele was unused in their two one defeat by visitors Leicester City. Ireland U21 captain Conor Coventry was an unused substitute for West Ham United who played out a two all draw with visitors Crystal Palace.
There was a 12.30pm kick-off for the Championship clash of Cardiff City and Bristol City with the visitors prevailing by two goals to one. First time Ireland U21 call-up, left back Joel Bagan was in the starting eleven while James Collins was a 73rd minute substitute with defender Mark McGuinness confined to the substitute bench for the hosts. U21 midfielder Louie Watson remained on the Derby County substitute bench for their one all draw with visitors Nottingham Forest. Mark Travers was absent from the AFC Bournemouth matchday squad while U21 midfielder Gavin Kilkenny was confined to the substitute bench for their scoreless draw at Hull City. John Egan and Sheffield United also played out a scoreless draw at Luton Town while Ryan Manning and Swansea City went down to a three one defeat at Preston North End. There was an unusual 8pm kick-off time for the meeting of Peterborough United and West Bromwich Albion who included Dara O’Shea in their starting eleven as they scored the only goal in the fourth minute of added time. The ‘Posh’ included the Ireland eligible goalkeeper Christy Pym and midfielder Sammy Szmodics in their starting eleven while Jack Taylor returned after his injury absence and entered the fray at half-time. All three showed promise.
MK Dons included Troy Parrott in their starting eleven for their two nil League One victory over visitors Accrington Stanley. Daryl Horgan was in the Wycombe Wanderers side which went down to a three one defeat at Sunderland. James McClean was a 54th minute substitute for Wigan Athletic in their one nil victory over visitors Portsmouth who included Gavin Bazunu and Ronan Curtis in their side.
The second round of the 2021 FAI Cup kicked off on Friday evening with holders Dundalk defeating non-league St Mochta’s by five goals to one in Oriel Park. Cork City gave St Patrick’s Athletic quite a battle in Turners Cross where the visitors 89th minute penalty conversion looked the winner but the hosts responded with the equaliser in the 5th minute of added time. There were no further goals in extra-time with the Dublin side prevailing in the penalty shoot-out by four goals to one. UCD defeated Longford Town by two goals to one in The Bowl. Non-League outfit Kilnamanagh went down to a four one defeat by Waterford in the RSC while the North West Derby meeting of Finn Harps and Derry City ended in a one nil victory for the Ballybofey hosts.
Non-League Maynooth University Town defeated First Division visitors Cobh Ramblers by three goals to two on Saturday evening.
The fourth surviving non-league side Killester Donnycarney went down to a two nil defeat by visitors Wexford FC at 2pm on Sunday afternoon while bitter Dublin rivals Bohemian and Shamrock Rovers clashed in Dalymount Park at 4pm where the hosts emerged victorious by two goals to one in a quite dramaric encounter.
The quarter-final draw is scheduled to take place at 6.30pm on Tuesday evening.
Cardiff City defender Mark McGuinness has not fully recovered from his recent injury and has withdrawn from the squad. He is replaced by Ronan Boyce of Derry City.
Republic of Ireland U21 Head Coach Jim Crawford has announced his 24 man squad for the upcoming brace of away European U21 Championship qualifying contests against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Luxembourg.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Sam Blair (Norwich City-on loan at Bury Town), Brian Maher (Bray Wanderers), Daniel Rose (Schalke 04)
Defenders: Joel Bagan (Cardiff City) Andy Lyons (Bohemian), Oisin McEntee (Newcastle United), Mark McGuinness (Cardiff City), Anselmo Garcia McNulty (Wolfsburg), Jake O’Brien (Crystal Palace), Lee O’Connor (Glasgow Celtic), Ronan Boyce (Derry City)
Midfielders: Conor Coventry (West Ham United), Dawson Devoy (Bohemian), Ryan Johansson (Sevilla- on loan at Fortuna Sittard), Gavin Kilkenny (AFC Bournemouth), Andrew Moran (Brighton & Hove Albion), Conor Noss (Borussia Monchengladbach), Ross Tierney (Bohemian), Louie Watson (Derby County)
Forwards: Evan Ferguson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Will Ferry (Southampton-on loan at Crawley Town), Joshua Kayode (Rotherham United), Oliver O’Neill (Fulham), Colm Whelan (UCD), Tyreik Wright (Aston Villa-on loan at Salford City)
Bohemian goalkeeper James Talbot has been called in to the Ireland squad for the upcoming trio of fixtures following the illness withdrawal of Mark Travers.
Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny has announced his 25 man squad for the upcoming triple header of World Cup 2022 qualifying matches.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Gavin Bazunu (Manchester City-on loan at Portsmouth), Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth), James Talbot (Bohemian)
Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Nathan Collins (Burnley), Matt Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), John Egan (Sheffield United), Ryan Manning (Swansea City), James McClean (Wigan Athletic), Andrew Omobamidele (Norwich City), Dara O’Shea (West Bromwich Albion)
Midfielders: Harry Arter (Nottingham Forest), Josh Cullen (RSC Anderlecht), Jeff Hendrick (Newcastle United), Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), Jamie McGrath (St Mirren), Jayson Molumby (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Forwards: James Collins (Cardiff City), Aaron Connolly (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ronan Curtis (Portsmouth), Daryl Horgan (Wycombe Wanderers), Adam Idah (Norwich City), Shane Long (Southampton), Troy Parrott (Tottenham Hotspur-on loan at MK Dons)
Friday
U21 midfielder Ryan Johannson was an unused substitute in this evening’s Dutch Eredivisie contest between his loan club Fortuna Sittard and visitors RKC Waalwijk which ended in a two all draw.
Thursday
James McCarthy was not included in the Glasgow Celtic squad which travelled to Holland where they went down to a two one defeat by AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of the Europa League qualifying round but progressed on a three two aggregate having gained a two nil first leg advantage.
The second leg in the Europa Conference League play-off round featured Shamrock Rovers at home to Flora Tallinn of Estonia in Tallaght Stadium where they went down to a one nil defeat to exit the competition on a five two aggregate scoreline. Jonny Hayes started for Aberdeen who went down to a three one defeat by FK Qarabag of Azerbaijan at Pittodrie to exit the competition on a four one aggregate scoreline. Tottenham Hotspur included Matt Doherty in their side for the three nil victory over Pacos de Ferreira at their London Stadium which earned them a three one aggregate success and entry to the group stage of the competition.
Wednesday
There was further EFL Cup – Round Two action this Wednesday evening with Newcastle United exiting the competition with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out defeat after a scoreless draw with Burnley at St James Park. Ciaran Clark and Jeff Hendrick started for the hosts while young Nathan Collins was given an outing by the visiting ‘Clarets’. League Two side Newport County crashed to an eight nil home defeat by Southampton for whom Shane Long and Michael Obafemi were introduced from the substitute bench on 65 minutes. West Bromwich Albion suffered a crushing six nil defeat by Arsenal at the Hawthorns where Dara O’Shea was given a rest from the busy start to the ‘Baggies’ season. The news that Callum Robinson has again contacted Covid19 and must now isolate for 10 days comes as a bitter blow to Stephen Kenny and Ireland. He will definitely miss the Portugal and Azerbaijan matches but could be available for the Serbia contest.
Tuesday
Conor Hourihane completed the full ninety minutes for visitors Aston Villa in their six nil trouncing of League Two side Barrow in the second round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday evening. Aiden O’Brien scored all three goals for Sunderland who defeated their hosts Blackpool by three goals to two while Dennis Cirkin completed the full ninety minutes at left back. Greg Cunningham started and Sean Maguire was a 59th minutes substitute for Preston North End who defeated their hosts Morecambe by four goals to two. U21 midfielder Louie Watson was in action with Derby County who went down to a two one defeat at Sheffield United. New signing James McClean was in the Wigan Athletic side who eliminated Bolton Wanderers in a penalty shoot-out following a scoreless draw. Andrew Omobamidele started for Norwich City who crushed visitors AFC Bournemouth by six goals to nil at Carrow Road where Adam Idah was a 77tlf-time in their four one success over visitors Plymouth Argyle. James Collins started for Cardiff City who went down to a two nil defeat by visitors Brighton & Hove Albion who included three Irish teenagers on their substitute bench with Andrew Moran (68) and Evan Ferguson (81) both seeing action while James Furlong was unused. Ryan Manning started for Swansea City but was withdrawn at half time of their four one success over visitors Plymouth Argyle. Jimmy Dunne was in the QPR side which defeated visitors Oxford United and Mark Sykes by two goals to nil at Loftus Road. Daryl Horgan was a 66th minute substitute for Wycombe Wanderers who overcame their hosts in a penalty shoot-out following a two all draw.
Anthony Scully scored all three goals as Lincoln City defeated Manchester United U21 by three goals to two in the EFL Trophy.
Monday
West Ham United followed their opening day Premier League victory at Newcastle United with a four one home success against Leicester City on Monday evening. Conor Coventry was an unused substitute for the ‘Hammers’ but Darren Randolph appears to have really slipped down the pecking order and was not involved.
