News

Monday
There is a further Premier League contest scheduled for Monday evening with Brighton & Hove Albion welcoming South Coast neighbours Southampton to the AMEX Stadium at 8pm. The hosts include Aaron Connolly in their starting eleven but Jayson Molumby does not make the matchday squad. Shane Long is named on the ‘Saints’ substitute bench but there is no place for Michael Obafemi.

Sunday
The Premier League had another early start on Sunday with West Bromwich Albion going down to a crushing five one home defeat by Crystal Palace at the Hawthorns in a noon kick-off. Dara O’Shea and Callum Robinson were late substitutes for the ‘Baggies’ who crumbled following the dismissal of Costa Pereira on 34 minutes. Sheffield United, with just one point to date, sit in forlorn isolation at the foot of the league table and suffered further bitter disappointment  when Leicester City scored in added time for a two one victory at Bramall Lane this Sunday afternoon. John Egan was in action for the ‘Blades’ but Enda Stevens again missed out through injury. Following his midweek Champions League performance, Caoimhin Kelleher started his first league match for Liverpool and produced another excellent performance as his side defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers by four goals to nil in the late kick-off at Anfield.

The Scottish Premiership struggle continues for Glasgow Celtic who scored a late equaliser to draw one each with Celtic Park visitors  St Johnstone this afternoon. Millwall loanee Danny McNamara was again in excellent form for the visitors.   

Saturday
Robbie Brady, having recovered from injury, started for Burnley and scored after just three minutes of their Turf Moor contest with Everton in the Premier League early on Saturday afternoon. However, it secured just one point as the ‘Toffees’ equalised in first half added time. Defenders Kevin Long and Jimmy Dunne were both unused on the substitute bench but Everton club captain Seamus Coleman remains on the injury list.

The early Championship kick-off saw Reading secure a two nil home victory over Nottingham Forest who included Cyrus Christie and Harry Arter in their starting eleven. Darragh Lenihan started for  Blackburn Rovers but was dismissed after 36 minutes of their encounter with Brentford which ended in a two all draw at their new  West London home. Callum O’Dowda and Bristol City went down to a one nil defeat by visitors Birmingham City for whom Scott Hogan started at Ashton Gate. Conor Masterson was an unused substitute for QPR who went down to a two nil defeat at Huddersfield Town. Teenager Jason Knight scored the only goal for visitors Derby County to overcome Millwall at the New Den where fellow teenager Troy Parrott was a 58th minute substitute for the hosts. Another teenager, Andrew Omobamadele, was an unused substitute for Norwich City who overcame  Sheffield Wednesday by two goals to one at Carrow Road. Preston North End included Alan Browne and Sean Maguire in their starting eleven while Adam O’Reilly was an unused substitute for the visit of Daryl Horgan and Wycombe Wanderers which ended in a two all draw. Nathan Collins and James McClean were in the Stoke City side for the one nil victory over visitors Middlesbrough with Collins scoring the winning goal. Ryan Manning was an unused substitute for the hosts while James Collins started for Luton Town who went down to a two nil defeat at Swansea City.

In League One, loanee Ryan Cassidy was an unused Accrington Stanley substitute in their two one victory over visitors MK Dons who included loanee Warren O’Hora in their starting eleven. Ipswich Town included Stephen Ward, Alan Judge and Arsenal loanee Mark McGuinness in their starting eleven for the two one victory at Plymouth Argyle while Corey Ndaba was an unused substitute. Ronan Curtis and another recent declaree Marcus Harness were in the Portsmouth side which defeated visitors Peterborough United and Jack Taylor by two goals to nil at Fratton Park. 

Loanee Joshua Kayode was in the Carlisle United side which journied to Bradford City in League Two and secured a one nil victory while another loanee, Lee O’Connor was in the Tranmere Rovers side which suffered a three one home defeat by visitors Walsall.

 

Friday
The scheduled Premier League meeting of Newcastle United and Aston Villa has been postponed following a Covid-19 outbreak in the host ranks.

The Championship contest featuring Barnsley and visitors AFC Bournemouth took place at Oakwell on Friday afternoon and ended in a comprehensive four nil victory for the visiting ‘Cherries’. Young midfielder Gavin Kilkenny saw a few minutes of action at the end of the contest while goalkeeper Mark Travers was an unused substitute.

Thursday
Round Five in the Europa League was completed on Thursday evening with Dundalk making the journey to Norway where they went down to a three one defeat by FC Molde in a fixture the ‘Lilywhites’ could well have done without as they are set to face Shamrock Rovers in the FAI Cup final just three days later on Sunday. Matt Doherty and his Tottenham Hotspur colleagues travelled to face LASK in Austria where they played out a three all draw. Beleaguered Glasgow Celtic made the journey to Italy to take on AC Milan where they took an early two goal lead only to see it dissipate as they went down to a four two defeat while injury ruled Shane Duffy out of the matchday squad.

Wednesday
The Championship continued on Wednesday evening with Darragh Lenihan and Blackburn Rovers defeating visitors Millwall by two goals to one in Ewood Park. Tottenham Hotspur loanee Troy Parrott was again in the starting eleven for the defeated ‘Lions’. James Collins scored a second half penalty for Luton Town who defeated visitors Norwich City by three goals to one at Kenilworth Road. Teenage defender Andrew Omobamadele was an unused substitute for the ‘Canaries’.  Ryan Manning started for Swansea City who went down to a two one defeat at Middlesbrough. Manager Chris Hughton continued his challenging task with Nottingham Forest with a scoreless draw against visitors Watford at the City Ground where Harry Arter and Cyrus Christie were in the home starting eleven. Wycombe Wanderers included Daryl Horgan in their starting eleven for the visit of Stoke City for whom Nathan Collins started while James McClean was a 62nd minute substitute and provided the assist for the only goal.

The League One meeting of AFC Wimbledon and Peterborough United  featured midfielder Jack Taylor in action with the visitors who went down to a two one defeat. Watford loanee Ryan Cassidy had a very eventful evening with loan club Accrington Stanley who played out a two all draw at Shrewsbury Town. With his side trailing, Cassidy was introduced from the substitute bench in the 90th minute and four minutes later failed from the penalty spot but seemingly unperturbed he then did score the equaliser from open play less than a minute later.

Rotherham United loanee Joshua Kayode was in League Two action with Carlisle United who defeated visitors Salford City by two goals to one with Kayode providing the assist for the opening goal.

Tuesday
Goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was an unexpected inclusion in the Liverpool side for their Round Five Champions League encounter with Ajax of Holland at Anfield. The hosts scored the only goal for victory to qualify for the next stage of the competition. Kelleher had a relatively quiet evening dealing well with the few efforts requiring his attention.

The Championship continued on Tuesday with AFC Bournemouth going down to a surprise three two defeat by visitors Preston North End. Mark Travers and Gavin Kilkenny  were unused substitutes for the hosts while the visitors included Alan Browne and Sean Maguire in their starting eleven. Struggling Derby County named Jason Knight in their starting eleven for the visit of Coventry City to Pride Park where the sides played out a one all draw. Conor Masterson was an unused substitute for QPR who went down to a two one defeat by  visitors Bristol City and Callum O’Dowda at Loftus Road. Striker Scott Hogan, who has been off the international radar of new manager Stephen Kenny, scored for Birmingham City but it was not enough as visitors Barnsley recovered to score twice for victory.

Portsmouth included Ronan Curtis and Marcus Harness in their side for their one nil defeat at Blackpool in League One while Lincoln City had Anthony Scully in their starting eleven for their two one victory over visitors Wigan Athletic. Oxford United named Liam Kelly and Olamide Shodipo in their starting eleven for the scoreless draw with visitors Ipswich Town for whom Arsenal loanee Mark McGuinness, Stephen Ward and Aaron Drinan started while Alan Judge was a late substitute.

In League Two, Tranmere Rovers included Glasgow Celtic loanee Lee O’Connor in their side as they secured the points with he only goal at Oldham Athletic.  

 

Our senior women went down to a three one defeat by Germany in their final Group I European Championship Qualifier at Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. Ireland started the match in second place one point ahead of Ukraine who were hosting bottom side Montenegro at the same time, a contest they were expected to win comfortably. They did win, but only just, an unexpected 2-1 scoreline was sufficient to claim second place and drop Ireland to third. Ireland did make a valiant effort but the top ranked visitors were just too strong. The visitors scored on 20 and 29 minutes to take command but a penalty converted by Katie McCabe a minute before the half-time break gave rise to hope but it was not to be and Germany added a third on 85 minutes to end the contest. 

Team:- Grace Moloney; Aine O’Gorman, Louise Quinn, Diane Caldwell, Jamie Finn; Niamh Fahey, Denise O’Sullivan, Ruesha Littlejohn, Katie McCabe(C); Heather Payne, Rianna Jarrett
Substitutes:-
Amber Barrett for Jarrett 55′
Emily Whelan for Finn 80′

Squad:-
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan, Marie Hourihan, Grace Moloney, Niamh Reid-Burke
Defenders: Isibeal Atkinson, Diane Caldwell, Megan Campbell, Keeva Keenan, Aine O’Gorman, Eabha O’Mahoney, Claire O’Riordan, Louise Quinn, Harriet Scott, Claire Walsh
Midfielders: Niamh Fahey, Niamh Farrelly, Jamie Finn, Ruesha Littlejohn, Ellen Molloy, Denise O’Sullivan, Emily Whelan, Jessica Ziu
Forwards: Amber Barrett, Rianna Jarrett, Leanne Kiernan, Katie McCabe, Heather Payne

             P  W  D  L   F  A   G/D  Pts
Germany      8  8  0  0  46  1   45   24
Ukraine      8  5  0  3  16 21   -5   15
Ireland      8  4  1  3  11 10    1   13
Greece       8  2  1  5   6 21  -15    7
Montenegro   8  0  0  8   2 28  -26    0

Monday
There was further Premier League action this Monday evening with Conor Hourihane starting for Aston Villa who went down to a two one defeat at the London Stadium by West Ham United for whom Darren Randolph was, as expected, named on the substitute bench.

Sunday
The Premier League continued on Sunday afternoon with Southampton going down to a three two defeat by visitors Manchester United at St Mary’s Stadium. The ‘Saints’ led by two goals to nil at half-time but were overrun in the second half. Shane Long was a 72nd minute substitute while Michael Obafemi remained on the substitute bench.

There was Championship disappointment for manager Chris Hughton as his Nottingham Forest went down a one nil defeat by visitors Swansea City at the City Ground. Cyrus Christie started with Harry Arter a 37th minute substitute for Forest while Ryan Manning was an unused substitute for the victors.

Saturday
Aaron Connolly started and was in excellent form for Brighton & Hove Albion before his surprise withdrawal on 63 minutes of their one all Premier League draw with AMEX Stadium visitors Liverpool early on Saturday afternoon. Jayson Molumby was an unused substitute for the hosts. Later in the afternoon, Burnley made the short journey to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Kevin Long and Jimmy Dunne are both on the ‘Clarets’ substitute bench but injury rules out Robbie Brady. Struggling duo, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United meet at 8pm in the Hawthorns where Callum Robinson started with Dara O’Shea unused on the substitute bench for the hosts while John Egan started for the visiting ‘Blades’ with international retiree David McGoldrick also unused on the bench. The match ended in a one nil victory for the hosts despite the visitors having numerous scoring opportunities all of which were squandered. 

First into Championship action on Saturday afternoon were Reading and Bristol City, both of whom have made excellent starts to the season. The visiting ‘Robins’ included Callum O’Dowda in their starting eleven but the host ‘Royals’ prevailed  by three goals to one. Later in the day, Tottenham Hotspur loanee Troy Parrott started for Millwall who played out a scoreless draw at Birmingham City while Darragh Lenihan and Blackburn Rovers secured a two one victory over Barnsley at Ewood Park. James Collins started for Luton Town who suffered a four nil defeat at Cardiff City while struggling Derby County introduced Jason Knight from their substitute bench on 68 minutes of their one all draw with visitors Wycombe Wanderers and Daryl Horgan. Stoke City travelled to Sheffield Wednesday where both Nathan Collins and James McClean were in their starting eleven as they played out a scoreless draw. Preston North End were also on the road as they visited Watford where Sean Maguire started while Adam O’Reilly was an unused substitute as they crashed to a four one defeat. Ireland U17 international Andrew Omobamidele was an unused substitute for Norwich City who were held to a one all draw by Coventry City at Carrow Road.

Arsenal loanee Mark McGuinness was a 71st minute substitute for Ipswich Town while veterans Alan Judge and Stephen Ward both started their two nil League One defeat by visitors Charlton Athletic. Recent international declaree Mark Sykes ,who has been out of form for Oxford United, was a late substitute together with Olamide Shodipo while Liam Kelly started their late two one defeat by visitors Swindon Town and their new manager John Sheridan. 

Friday
Crystal Palace and Newcastle United met at Selhurst Park in the Premier League on Friday evening where the visiting ‘Magpies’ scored two very late goals for victory. The victorious visitors included Ciaran Clark and Jeff Hendrick in their starting eleven.

U21 defender Conor Masterson remained on the substitute bench for QPR who went down to a two one Championship defeat at Brentford on Friday evening.

 

FAI Cup
The semi-finals of the 2020 FAI Cup took place this Sunday the 29th November with League Champions Shamrock Rovers easing to a two nil victory over Sligo Rovers in Tallaght Stadium at 2pm while First Division Athlone Town crashed to a humiliating eleven nil defeat by  Dundalk later in the evening. The final between Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk is set for the Aviva Stadium next Sunday at 6.40pm.

Scottish League Cup
Glasgow Celtic loanee and U21 international Jonathan Afolabi was in Scottish League Cup action on Saturday afternoon with his loan club Dundee who went down to a one nil defeat at Hibernian in Round Two. Currently beleaguered Glasgow Celtic suffered a two nil home defeat by Ross County on Sunday afternoon with Shane Duffy introduced from the substitute bench on 79 minutes.

FA Cup
Saturday afternoon saw U21 international Anthony Scully in action with Lincoln City who make the lengthy journey to Plymouth Argyle where they suffered  a two nil defeat. Ronan Curtis and Marcus Harness were in the Portsmouth side which crushed non-league visitors King’s Lynn Town by six goals to one. Harness scored one of the goals as also did Ireland eligible defender Sean Raggett. For the visitors, Kyle Callan-McFadden, their recent acquisition from Sligo Rovers, endured a torrid afternoon. U21 midfielder Jack Taylor who was included in the senior squad for the Nations League match against Bulgaria scored for Peterborough United after just two minutes but the ‘Posh’ went on to suffer a shock two one home defeat by non-league Chorley.

Sunday afternoon saw another U21 squad member and loanee Joshua Kayode in FA Cup second round action with loan club Carlisle United who went down to a two one defeat by visitors Doncaster Rovers.

 

 

 

The Europa League continued on Thursday evening with Dundalk going down to a three one defeat by Rapid Vienna of Austria in the Aviva Stadium. Following a lack lustre first half during which they conceded two goals the ‘Lilywhites’ made three half-time changes and were much improved in the second half. However substitute Nathan Oduwa badly missed a penalty kick and three other gilt edged chances which would have brought quite a different complexion to matters. Captain Chris Shields did convert a second penalty kick but it was too little too late. At the same time, Matt Doherty was in action with Tottenham Hotspur who crushed visitors Ludogorets of Bulgaria by four goals to nil. Glasgow Celtic are out of contention after their four one defeat by Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic. The  visitors opened the scoring on 15 minutes but thereafter were very much second best. Shane Duffy was unused on the substitute bench.

The fourth quarter-final in the 2020 FAI Cup took place in the  Showgrounds on Wednesday evening with Sligo Rovers playing host to Derry City. A fairly even contest, with the ‘Candystripes’ playing marginally better football while the ‘Bit’of’Red’ had the better scoring opportunities, ended scoreless after extra-time. The penalty shoot-out went the way of the hosts by three goals to one. The victors will travel to Tallaght Stadium to face League Champions Shamrock Rovers in the semi-final at 2pm on Sunday next.

There will be second round FA Cup action on Friday evening for U21 defender Lee O’Connor whose loan club Tranmere Rovers play host in Prenton Park at 7.55pm to non-league Brackley Town.

Wednesday
The Championship continued on Wednesday evening with beleaguered Derby County, who included Jason Knight in their starting eleven, going down to a three nil defeat at Middlesbrough. Tottenham Hotspur loanee Troy Parrott started for Millwall who played out a one all draw with visitors Reading at the New Den. Callum O’Dowda was in the Bristol City side which played out a scoreless draw with Watford at Ashton Gate while Swansea City, for whom Ryan Manning was a 61st minute substitute, were held to a one all draw by visitors Sheffield Wednesday. Goalkeeper Keiren Westwood started his first match for the ‘Owls’ in almost twelve months but his evening ended prematurely as he was forced off through injury after just fourteen minutes.

Tuesday
U21 full back Danny McNamara, on loan with St Johnstone from Millwall, was in Scottish Premiership action on Tuesday evening when his loan club travelled to face Hibernian at Easter Road where they secured a point from a two all draw.

The Championship continued on Tuesday evening with James Collins and Luton Town playing out a one all draw with visitors Birmingham City in Kenilworth Road. Conor Masterson and QPR welcomed Rotherham United to Loftus Road where the hosts ran out three two winners.  Nathan Collins was a half-time substitute and scored for Stoke City who went down to a three two defeat by visitors and current leaders Norwich City. Daryl Horgan was a 68th minute substitute for Wycombe Wanderers who played out a scoreless draw with visitors Huddersfield Town. Preston North End included Alan Browne in their starting eleven with Sean Maguire an 80th minute substitute as they suffered a three nil defeat by near neighbours Blackburn Rovers and Darragh Lenihan at Deepdale. Young Adam O’Reilly was an unused substitute for the ‘Lilywhites’. The late kick-off on the South Coast witnessed AFC Bournemouth defeat visitors Nottingham Forest by two goals to nil. Goalkeeper Mark Travers was on the host substitute bench while Chris Hughton included Harry Arter and Fulham loanee Cyrus Christie in his starting eleven.

Accrington Stanley introduced Watford loanee Ryan Cassidy from their substitute bench on 73 minuters of their one nil League One victory over visitors Crewe Alexandra. Arsenal loanee Mark McGuinness started for Ipswich Town alongside Alan Judge and Stephen Ward as they suffered a three nil defeat at home to Hull City. Midfielder Jack Taylor and his Peterborough United colleagues recovered from their weekend defeat with a one nil success against Plymouth Argyle at London Road. Ronan Curtis and newly eligible Marcus Harness started alongside Sean Raggett who opened the scoring with a header from a Curtis cross on 19 minutes for Portsmouth who played out a one all draw with Oxford United at Fratton Park. Anthony Scully was in the Lincoln City starting eleven at Swindon Town where they scored an added time winner. 

Under 21 defender Lee O’Connor, on loan at Tranmere Rovers from Glasgow Celtic, was in League Two action in their one nil victory over visitors Carlisle United who included striker Joshua Kayode, himself on loan from Rotherham United.