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Our U19 Women completed their involvement in this year’s European Championship with a one nil victory over Greece to finish runners-up to Group winners France. The goal cane in the 4th minute of added time from captain Della Doherty.

Team: Rugile Auskalnyte; Kate Slevin, Shauna Brennan; Jessie Stapleton, Emily Corbett, Della Doherty (c), Maria Reynolds; Aoibheann Clancy; Emma Doherty, Erin McLoughlin, Rebecca Watkins
Substitutes:
Jenna Slattery for McLoughlin 88′
Abbey Tuthill for E Doherty 88′

There was disappointment for our U19 Women as they suffered  a three nil defeat by top seeds France in this afternoon’s second contest in European Championship Group A7 played in Ostrava. 

Team: Rugile Auskalnyte; Kate Slevin, Therese Kinnevey, Shauna Brennan; Jessie Stapleton, Erin McLaughlin, Della Doherty (c), Muireann Devaney; Aoibheann Clancy; Emma Doherty, Kerryanne Brown
Substitutes:
Rebecca Watkins for Brown 46′
Maria Reynolds for Devaney 46′
Emma Bucci for Slevin 46′
Michelle Doonan for Clancy 73′

Our U19 Women got off to an excellent start to their European Championship Group A7 campaign with a two nil victory over mini-tournament hosts the Czech Republic in Opava this afternoon. Two second half goals from Sligo Rovers striker Emma Doherty set the seal on a fine opening performance.

Team: Rugile Auskalnyte; Kate Slevin, Therese Kinnevey, Shauna Brennan; Jessie Stapleton, Erin McLaughlin, Della Doherty (c), Rebecca Watkins; Aoibheann Clancy; Emma Doherty, Kerryanne Brown
Substitutes:
Maria Reynolds for Watkins 80′
Muireann Devaney for Clancy 90’+1′

Our U19 Women guided  by Head Coach Dave Connell are in 2022 European round two action this week. We take on the hosts in our opening Group A7 encounter at 5pm on Wednesday afternoon in the City Stadium, Opava.  Our second contest against France is set for the Bazaly Stadium, Ostrava at 2pm on Saturday afternoon and the final contest against Greece takes place at 2pm on Tuesday afternoon again in the Bazaly Stadium.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Rugile Auskalnyte (DLR Waves), Ciara Glackin (Athlone Town)
Defenders: Shauna Brennan (Galway WFC), Emma Bucci (South Carolina State), Della Doherty (Wexford FC), Therese Kinnevey (Galway WFC), Jessie Stapleton (Shelbourne), Abbey Tuthill (Shamrock Rovers)
Midfielders: Aoibheann Clancy (Wexford FC), Emily Corbett (Athlone Town), Muireann Devaney (Athlone Town), Eva Mangan (Cork City), Maria Reynolds (Shamrock Rovers), Kate Slevin (Galway WFC) 
Forwards: Kerryanne Brown (Derry City), Emma Doherty (Sligo Rovers), Michelle Doonan (Peamount United), Erin McLaughlin (Peamount United), Rebecca Watkins (Wexford FC)

 

Thursday
West Ham United played out a one all draw with French side Lyon at the London Stadium in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final. The ‘Hammers’ played the second half with ten men following the dismissal of Cresswell just before the half-time break and are likely to be satisfied with the result in the circumstances. Darren Randolph was named on the substitute bench. 

Wednesday
Struggling Premier League sides Burnley and Everton met at Turf Moor with Nathan Collins starting and Kevin Long on the ‘Clarets’ bench while Seamus Coleman was on the bench for the ‘Toffees’. Collins gave the hosts the lead on 12 minutes but the visitors equalised from the penalty spot six minutes later and took the lead on 41 minutes, again from the penalty spot. The second half brought a response from Burnley who scored  twice for the victory which gives a lift to their survival hopes while drawing Everton closer to the relegation zone.

Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Aaron Connolly was on the Middlesbrough bench for the visit of  runaway Championship leaders Fulham who scored  the only goal for victory at the Riverside Stadium. Stuttering West Bromwich Albion named Dara O’Shea, Callum Robinson and loanee Jayson Molumby on their bench for the visit of second place AFC Bournemouth for whom Mark Travers was on net minding duty.  The hosts scored  twice early on and retained  their lead throughout for victory. The Irish trio were all introduced from the bench during the latter stages of the contest. 

Tuesday
The remaining Airtricity League Premier Division fixture postponed earlier in the season took place this evening with Sligo Rovers going down to a one nil defeat by visitors Bohemian in the Showgrounds.

Liverpool included Caoimhin Kelleher on their bench for their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Benfica which they won by three goals to one in Lisbon this evening.

The Championship marathon continued this evening with Millwall and Danny McNamara going down to a one nil defeat by visitors Swansea City who include Ryan Manning, Michael Obafemi and Fulham loanee Cyrus Christie in their side. Peterborough United duo, Jack Taylor, who started and 74th minute substitute Sam Szmodics contributed to their one all draw with visitors Luton Town and Peter Kioso.  Preston North End include Alan Browne and Greg Cunningham in their starting eleven for their one nil victory over visitors and near neighbours Blackpool.  Bramall Lane hosted the meeting of Sheffield United and QPR which saw John Egan and Enda Stevens start for the ‘Blades’ who won with the only goal. Loanee Conor Hourihane was an unused  substitute for the victors while Keiren Westwood, Jimmy Dunne and loanee Jeff Hendrick started for the ‘Rs’ with Hendrick withdrawn on 68 minutes.

The League One journey is also a lengthy one and tonight MK Dons and their Irish trio, Warren O’Hora and loanees Conor Coventry and Troy Parrott defeated visitors Crewe Alexandra by two goals to one with Parrott and Coventry scoring the goals. Midfielder Mark Sykes and defender Luke McNally were in action with Oxford United who went down to a two one defeat at Morecambe. Will Keane started and scored for Wigan Athletic in their three nil success against visitors Accrington Stanley while Jamie McGrath was a 90th minute substitute. Loanee Gavin Bazunu started for Portsmouth together with Marcus Harness, Sean Raggett and another loanee Aiden O’Brien who scored  their goal in a one all draw at Bolton Wanderers for whom Kieran Sadlier was their scorer from the penalty spot. Ronan Curtis and Shaun Williams were very late substitutes for ‘Pompey’.

Monday
Two of the Airtricity League Premier Division fixtures postponed during the early weeks of the season took place this evening with UCD going down to a two nil defeat by early leaders Derry City in The Bowl which sees the ‘Candystripes’ go six points clear at the summit while Finn Harps and Drogheda United played out a two all draw  in Finn Park.

There was also a previously postponed Airtricity League First Division fixture played this evening with Treaty United defeating visitors Athlone Town by two goals to nil in the Markets Field.

 

 

 

 

Sunday
Whilst fully fit and available James McCarthy was not included in our senior international squad last week which may signal the end of his involvement. He was an unused substitute for Glasgow Celtic who came from behind this afternoon to defeat Glasgow Rangers by two goals to one in their crucial Scottish Premiership clash in Ibrox Park which sees them go six points clear of their bitter rivals.

In the Premier League Tottenham Hotspur and Matt Doherty crushed visitors Newcastle United by five goals to one in their London Stadium. Doherty occupied a left wing back role and scored their second goal. 

Fresh from his midweek substitute appearance for Ireland, Scott Hogan and his Birmingham City colleagues defeated West Bromwich Albion, and their Irish trio of Callum Robinson who started together with Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Jayson Molumby and Dara O’Shea who were unused substitutes, with the only goal in their Championship meeting at St Andrew’s.

Rotherham United included Chiedoze Ogbene and Joshua Kayode in their starting eleven for this afternoon’s Football League Trophy Final against Sutton United. The League Two side led twice in the contest with the ‘Millers’ scoring an equaliser in the sixth minute of added time to take the contest to extra-time. Ogbene, who had been relatively quiet throughout regulation time, came to life in extra-time and scored  a stunning goal to put his side in front for the first time and they scored again to secure a four two victory.

RSC Anderlecht included Josh Cullen in their starting eleven for their four nil victory over visitors Sporting de Charleroi in the Belgian First Division this afternoon.

Saturday
Following his two international appearances, during which he barely had a save to make, Caoimhin Kelleher as expected  was on substitute duty for Liverpool who defeated Watford by two goals to nil in the Premier League early this afternoon. Shane Duffy was unused on the Brighton & Hove Albion bench for the scoreless  draw with visitors Norwich City while injury ruled out Evan Ferguson. Defender Kevin Long was in the Burnley side which suffered  a two nil loss to Manchester City at Turf Moor while Nathan Collins missed out through suspension. Shane Long played the final six minutes while Will Smallbone remained on the bench for Southampton who played out a one all draw at Leeds United.

Midweek U21 goal scorer Ross Tierney was a 74th minute substitute for Motherwell who defeated visitors St Mirren by four goals to two in the Scottish Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Connor Ronan starting for the visitors.

Mark Travers was fit and started for AFC Bournemouth who came from behind to defeat visitors Bristol City by three goals to two in the Championship while fellow goalkeeper Max O’Leary was unused on the visitors bench. The ‘Welsh Derby’ meeting of Cardiff City and Swansea City featured U21 defenders Joel Bagan and Mark McGuinness for the hosts against Michael Obafemi and Fulham loanee Cyrus Christie for the visitors who crushed  their hosts by four goals to nil with Obafemi scoring twice. Derby County included Jason Knight, Festy Ebosele and Eiran Cashin in their starting eleven for their one nil victory over visitors Preston North End and Alan Browne. Midfield hopefuls Jack Taylor and Sam Szmodics were both in the Peterborough United side which suffered  a four nil defeat by visitors Middlesbrough and their Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Aaron Connolly who was not involved with the senior squad last week.  Whilst only involved in international training last week, Jimmy Dunne together with Newcastle United loanee Jeff Hendrick were unused on the QPR bench for their two nil defeat by visitors Fulham. Veteran goalkeeper Keiren Westwood started for the hosts.  John Egan started and conceded  the own goal which was the only goal and secured victory for their hosts Stoke City. Aston Villa loanee Conor Hourihane and the fit again Enda Stevens were unused substitutes. 

There was a 12.30pm kick-off for the League One meeting of Wigan Athletic and Bolton Wanderers which ended in a one all draw with Will Keane and James McClean starting for the hosts. McClean scored the opening goal after just seven minutes. Fresh from the euphoria of his winning midweek strike, loanee Troy Parrott was in action for MK Dons alongside fellow loanee and Ireland U21 captain Conor Coventry and young central defender Warren O’Hora for their two nil win over visitors Shrewsbury Town. Midfielder Mark Sykes was part of the international squad last week and together with defender Luke McNally, reported to be the subject of  interest from Tottenham Hotspur, was in the Oxford United side which went down to a one nil defeat at Plymouth Argyle. Daryl Horgan who was not involved in last week’s  international gathering was in the Wycombe Wanderers side for their two nil victory over visitors Doncaster Rovers for whom U21 striker Mipo Odubeko who is on loan from West Ham United, was a 71st minute substitute.

Another of our midweek U21 side midfielder Lee O’Connor was in League Two action for Tranmere Rovers who were held to a two all draw by visitors Carlisle United.

Friday
Central defender Sean McLoughlin was in action with Hull City who went down to a one nil defeat by visitors Huddersfield Town in the Championship on Friday evening.

Young defender Oisin McEntee, who played for our U21s in their midweek success in Sweden, was in action for loan club Greenock Morton who played out a one all draw with Scottish Championship leaders Kilmarnock on Friday evening. McEntee is on a season long loan from his parent club Newcastle United.

 

Tuesday
The League Two contest between Harrogate Town and Leyton Orient featured Irish involvement as the visitors secured  a three nil victory. Former U21 international Aaron Drinan scored  twice for the victors while Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Lewis Richards for the hosts was forced off through injury on 30 minutes and replaced by another former U21 international in Simon Power. Middlesbrough loanee Calum Kavanagh was a 58th minute substitute for the hosts.

Saturday
Wes Hoolihan was a 71st minute substitute for Cambridge United who scored  the only goal for a League One victory at AFC Wimbledon while Anthony Scully was an unused substitute for Lincoln City who suffered  a one nil defeat at Shrewsbury Town.

Following their disappointing midweek home defeat Harrogate Town travelled to Scunthorpe United and secured a three nil League Two victory with Middlesbrough loanee Calum Kavanagh in their starting eleven.

All ten clubs were in Airtricity League Premier Division action this Friday evening. Bohemian went down to a two one defeat by Derry City in Dalymount Park despite taking the lead. Dundalk overcame visitors UCD by two goals to nil in Oriel Park. St Patrick’s Athletic manager Tim Clancy faced his former club Drogheda United who held their hosts to a one all draw in  Richmond Park. Defending champions Shamrock Rovers secured  a comfortable three nil success at Finn Harps while Shelbourne and Damian Duff were also successful in the North West as they defeated Sligo Rovers with the only goal in The Showgrounds.

                    P  W  D  L   F  A   G/D  Pts
Derry City              8  6  2  0  13  5    8   20
Shamrock Rovers         8  4  2  2  13  6    7   14
St Patrick’s Athletic   8  4  1  3  11  6    5   13
Sligo Rovers            7  3  3  1  10  5    5   12
Dundalk                 8  2  5  1  10  6    4   11
Shelbourne              8  2  3  3   5  9   -4    9
Drogheda United         8  2  2  4   9 15   -6    8
Bohemian                7  1  4  2   7  8   -1    7
Finn Harps              8  1  3  4   7 14   -7    6
UCD                     8  0  3  5   3 14  -11    3 

 

Match Series Eight in the Airtricity League First Division saw Athlone Town draw one each with visitors Bray Wanderers while Galway United, with the Comer Brothers in  control, defeated Cobh Ramblers with the only goal in Eamonn Deacy Park. Waterford and Longford Town shared two goals in the RSC  while Wexford went down to a one nil defeat by leaders Cork City in Ferrycarrig Park. 

                        P  W  D  L   F  A   G/D  Pts
Cork City               8  6  1  1  19  2   17   19
Galway United           7  5  1  1  12  7    5   16
Waterford               7  3  2  2  12 10    2   11
Treaty United           6  3  1  2  10  8    2   10
Longford Town           5  2  2  1   7  4    3    8
Bray Wanderers          7  2  2  3   5 12   -7    8
Wexford                 7  2  1  4   7 14   -7    7
Cobh Ramblers           6  1  1  4   5  9   -4    4
Athlone Town            7  0  1  6   8 19  -11    1

 

Our U21 side under the guidance of Head Coach Jim Crawford ignited  their hopes  of a first ever qualification for a European Championship finals with an excellent two nil victory over group leaders Sweden in Boras this afternoon. Shorn of a large number of players for a variety of reasons the management team and the available players gave an accomplished performance. Ireland opened  the scoring on twelve minutes through Ross Tierney and while they had some difficult moments they maintained an excellent discipline and secured victory through substitute Tyreik Wright‘s goal on eighty nine minutes.

Earlier in the day Italy defeated Bosnia & Herzegovina by one goal to nil to supersede Sweden at the summit of the table. Ireland trail the Swedes by one point in third place with a game in hand. The first two weeks in June will decide our fate with home ties against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro followed by our final fixture away to Italy. While topping the Group and automatic qualification for the Finals may be just too much, the possibility of second place and the qualification play-offs is entirely in our own hands.

Team: Brian Maher; Oisin McEntee, Jake O’Brien, Mark McGuinness, Joel Bagan; Conor Coventry (c), Lee O’Connor, Gavin Kilkenny; Ross Tierney, Ademipo Odubeko, Ollie O’Neill
Substitutes:
Tyreik Wright for O’Neill 64′
Joshua Kayode for Odubeko 70′

Under 21 Head Coach Jim Crawford has named a 21 man squad for the UEFA U21 European Championship qualifier against Sweden in Boras on Tuesday the 29th March at 5pm. The match will be shown live on RTE 2.

Goalkeepers: Brian Maher (Derry City), Luke McNicholas (Cliftonville on loan from Sligo Rovers), David Odumosu (St Patrick’s Athletic)

Defenders: Joel Bagan (Cardiff City), Eiran Cashin (Derby County), Andy Lyons (Shamrock rovers), Mark McGuinness (Cardiff City), Jake O’Brien (Swindon Town on loan from Crystal Palace), Lee O’Connor (Tranmere Rovers), Oisin McEntee (Greenock Morton on loan from Newcastle United), Joe Redmond (St Patrick’s Athletic)

Midfielders: Conor Coventry (MK Dons on loan from West Ham United), Dawson Devoy (Bohemian), Gavin Kilkenny (AFC Bournemouth), Will Smallbone (Southampton), Ross Tierney (Motherwell), Darragh Burns (St Patrick’s Athletic), Killian Phillips (Crystal Palace)

Forwards: Festy Ebosele (Derby county), Evan Ferguson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Joshua Kayode (Rotherham United), Mipo Odubeko (Doncaster Rovers on loan from West Ham United), Ollie O’Neill (Fulham), Colm Whelan (UCD), Tyreik Wright (Colchester United on loan from Aston Villa) 

 

A sublime goal in the seventh minute of added time from substitute Troy Parrott gave Ireland a one nil victory over Lithuania in this Tuesday evening’s friendly encounter at the Aviva Stadium. While Ireland deserved  to win the match there was little else to be cheerful about from a dull, dreary, lack lustre, tired and occasionally slip-shod performance.

Stephen Kenny made six changes to his starting eleven from Saturday’s exuberant performance and few, if any, laid claim to a starting role in June’s competitive  games. Nathan Collins and Dara O’Shea started either side of captain John Egan and while Collins was named ‘Player of the Match’ he had little to do defensively. The two wide men in the midfield four, Matt Doherty and Ryan Manning showed occasional flashes with the Galway man being most prominent during the first half while the Dubliner was more involved in the second period. The central midfield pairing of Alan Browne and Conor Hourihane was disappointing in both general play and more pertinently in the delivery of dead balls which were poor all evening. Chiedoze Ogbene was clearly a marked man and made little progress in general play and while he did put the ball in the net twice, both were correctly ruled out for offside as were  two other efforts from Hourihane and Hogan. Will Keane started his first game for the senior side following two cameo substitute appearances but made very little impact. Callum Robinson did show some flashes of quality from his left side role but he too looked a little weary.

A clearly frustrated Stephen Kenny made five changes during the second half and all five arguably performed better than those replaced, with Troy Parrott particularly catching the eye and while over ambitious on a couple of occasions his winning goal served notice of his potential. The other four substitutes, James McClean, Scott Hogan, Jeff Hendrick and Jason Knight all made positive contributions.

The match will have given Stephen Kenny much food for thought and while he will, as he should, seek the few positives and support his players he will have much to ponder during the coming months.

Team: Caoimhin Kelleher; Nathan Collins, John Egan (c), Dara O’Shea; Matt Doherty, Alan Browne, Conor Hourihane, Ryan Manning; Chiedoze Ogbene, Will Keane, Callum Robinson
Substitutes:
James McClean for O’Shea 63′
Troy Parrott for Keane 63′
Scott Hogan for Robinson 77′
Jeff Hendrick for Browne 82′
Jason Knight for Ogbene 82′

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Following three disappointing defeats at competitive underage level today our senior side raised spirits with a rewarding two all draw against Belgium. Ireland started brightly in the opening stages but were rocked on 12 minutes when the visitors scored  against the run of play. Stunned by the concession of the goal Ireland were outplayed for the next twenty minutes or so before recovering their composure and settling into a more positive pattern which brought it’s reward with the equaliser on 36 minutes with a spectacular overhead strike from Chiedoze Ogbene.

Ireland  set the pace in the early stages of the second half only to again concede the lead with the very poor defending of a corner kick. The response on this occasion was more positive with Ireland being the more dominant side and creating three scoring opportunities which went begging. Undaunted they continued to press  for the equaliser and reaped  their reward on 86 minutes with a powerful header from substitute Alan Browne following an excellent cross from the  ‘man of the match’ Ogbene.

While the contest lacked  the absolute intensity of a competitive encounter there were some quality passages of play from Ireland which augur well for the future. In his post match interview manager Stephen Kenny alluded to this point whilst offering a fair   assessment of the performance.

Team: Caoimhin Kelleher; Seamus Coleman (c), Shane Duffy, John Egan; Matt Doherty. Jeff Hendrick, Josh Cullen, Jason Knight, James McClean; Chiedoze Ogbene, Callum Robinson
Substitutes:
Alan Browne for Hendrick 76′
Will Keane for Knight 76′
Ryan Manning for McClean 80′
Troy Parrott for Robinson 90’+2′

Our Republic of Ireland senior international side take on FIFA Number One seeds Belgium at 5pm on Saturday afternoon in the Aviva Stadium as we celebrate the Centenary of our foundation.

The squad assembled in Dublin today and is joined by new Assistant Coach John Eustace who replaces the departed Anthony Barry. The 42 year old Solihull native is currently Assistant Manager at QPR where he has been in place for four years and he will retain that role. During his playing career, midfielder Eustace played for Coventry City, Derby County, Stoke City and Watford.

Gavin Bazunu, Darragh Lenihan and Mark Travers have been forced to withdraw from the squad through illness and  injury and will be replaced by Max O’Leary, Jimmy Dunne and James Talbot.

—————————————————————————————————

Republic of Ireland Manager Stephen Kenny has announced a 25 player squad for the upcoming friendly internationals against Belgium and Lithuania. Injury had already ruled out James Collins, Adam Idah, Andrew Omobamidele, Callum O’Dowda and Enda Stevens while Cyrus Christie, Aaron Connolly, Daryl Horgan, Jamie McGrath and Michael Obafemi have not been selected in this squad.

The omission of Obafemi will be a talking point given he has recently found some goal scoring form for Swansea City but his refusal to accept a call up to the U21 squad earlier this week, citing his interest in the senior side only, has backfired and rightly so. When you are invited  to represent your country at any level there is no decision to be made. Later in the day, manager Stephen Kenny advised  that Obafemi was never under consideration for the seniors or the U21s  because of  concerns relating to his hamstrings. Hmmmm.

The two newcomers to the squad, Connor Ronan and Mark Sykes, have both been in fine form with their clubs and are excellent technical players. 

Goalkeepers: Gavin Bazunu (Portsmouth on loan from Manchester City), Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth), Max O’Leary (Bristol City), James Talbot (Bohemian)

Defenders:  Seamus Coleman (Everton), Nathan Collins (Burnley, Matt Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), John Egan (Sheffield United), Darragh Lenihan (Blackburn Rovers), Ryan Manning (Swansea City), James McClean (Wigan Athletic), Dara O’Shea (West Bromwich Albion), Jimmy Dunne (QPR)

Midfielders: Alan Browne (Preston North End), Josh Cullen (RSC Anderlecht), Jeff Hendrick (QPR on loan from Newcastle United), Conor Hourihane (Sheffield United on loan from Aston Villa), Jason Knight (Derby County), Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion), Connor Ronan (St Mirren on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers), Mark Sykes (Oxford United)

Forwards: Scott Hogan (Birmingham City), Will Keane (Wigan Athletic), Chiedoze Ogbene (Rotherham United), Troy Parrott (MK Dons on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Callum Robinson (West Bromwich Albion)