News

Premier League
The deferred dessert on the St Stephen’s Day Premier League menu was the Friday night Molineaux meeting of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City with Matt Doherty scoring the winning goal in the final minutes as the hosts recovered a two goal deficit in a contest fraught with tension. The task was made easier following the 12th minute dismissal of the visiting City goalkeeper.

The day itself provided a starter of Tottenham Hotspur against Brighton & Hove Albion at 12.30pm. The visitors included Aaron Connolly and Shane Duffy in their starting eleven but after a fine first half performance, during which they took the lead, they failed to maintain their form in the second period and went down to a two one defeat. Duffy had a fine match in the middle of an initial back three while Connolly led the line very well during his 68 minute stint, although he did miss an excellent scoring opportunity. Later in the day, Aston Villa won a crucial relegation themed battle with fellow promoted side Norwich City with the only goal scored by 56th minute substitute Conor Hourihane just eight minutes after his introduction. Michael Obafemi started in place of the injured Shane Long for Southampton who stunned high flying Chelsea with a two nil success at Stamford Bridge where  Obafemi scored an excellent opening goal. The ‘London Derby’ meeting of Crystal Palace and West Ham United saw the hosts come from behind to record a two one success. James McCarthy was an 88th minute substitute for the hosts. Seamus Coleman returned to the starting eleven for Everton under new manager Carlo Ancelotti and had a fine match in their one nil victory over visitors Burnley who included Robbie Brady in their starting eleven with Kevin Long an 88th minute substitute. The form of the third promoted side Sheffield United has been something of a revelation so far this season but they were not at their best in this afternoon’s one all draw with Bramall Lane visitors Watford. The Irish trio of John Egan, Enda Stevens and David McGoldrick all completed the full ninety minutes while Callum Robinson was an unused substitute.

Championship
Defensive duo Daragh Lenihan and Derrick Williams were in action for Blackburn Rovers who played out a one all Championship draw with Ewood Park visitors Birmingham City. The Millwall trio of Jayson Molumby, Shaun Williams and Alex Pearce all played the full ninety minutes of their one all draw at Cardiff City while Callum O’Dowda was an 83rd minute substitute for Bristol City who went down to a three two defeat at Charlton Athletic for whom Josh Cullen remains on the injury list. James Collins scored the opening goal for Luton Town who continued their battle for survival with a three all draw against promotion chasing visitors Fulham for whom Cyrus Christie was again in the starting eleven. Stoke City included James McClean, who opened the scoring after 11 minutes, in their starting eleven alongside Stephen Ward as they secured a three two victory over visitors Sheffield Wednesday. Nathan Collins was unused on the substitute bench. Young Jason Knight was again in the starting eleven for Derby County who scored  a very late equaliser at Wigan Athletic. The 5.15pm kick-off at Elland Road saw second place Leeds United score an 88th minute equaliser to draw one each with Preston North End who included Alan Browne, who opened the scoring after 22 minutes, and Sean Maguire in their starting eleven. The 7.30pm kick-off witnessed Reading score the only goal to defeat visitors QPR for whom Ryan Manning was in action at the Madejski Stadium.

League One
Loanee goalkeeper Kieran O’Hara was in League One action for Burton Albion who defeated visitors Tranmere Rovers by four goals to two while Ipswich Town and Alan Judge played out a scoreless draw with visitors Gillingham who included Southampton loanee Thomas O’Connor in their side. Loanee goalkeeper Max O’Leary was in action for Shrewsbury Town who went down to a two one home defeat by Rotherham United for whom Chiedoze Ogbene started while Trevor Clarke was an unused substitute.

Monday
Daragh Lenihan was in Championship action for Blackburn Rovers on Monday evening and was joined by fellow defender Derrick Williams who returned to action following his injury layoff. The contest with bottom side Wigan Athletic finished scoreless at Ewood Park. 

Sunday
Callum O’Dowda was in Championship action for Bristol City on Sunday afternoon as they went down to a one nil defeat at Sheffield Wednesday for whom Keiren Westwood was named on the substitute bench following his six match injury absence.

Saturday
The pre Christmas Saturday in the Premier League saw Aston Villa, with Conor Hourihane in their starting eleven, go down to a three one home defeat by visitors Southampton for whom Shane Long started with Michael Obafemi replacing him on 82 minutes. Gavin Kilkenny was an unused substitute for AFC Bournemouth who lost to the only goal from their visitors Burnley for whom Jeff Hendrick started but was withdrawn on 65 minutes while Robbie Brady was introduced from the bench on 82 minutes with Kevin Long an unused substitute. Brighton & Hove Albion introduced fit again Aaron Connolly from the bench at half-time in their one nil home defeat by visitors Sheffield United while Shane Duffy was an unused substitute. John Egan, Enda Stevens and David McGoldrick all completed ninety minutes for the victorious ‘Blades’ while fit again Callum Robinson was an unused substitute. Newcastle United scored the only goal to defeat visitors Crystal Palace for whom James McCarthy completed the full 90 minutes at St James Park. Norwich City went down to a two one defeat by visitors  Wolverhampton Wanderers for whom Matt Doherty was in action at Carrow Road.

There was an early (12.30pm) Championship kick-off for Preston North End who included Alan Browne and Sean Maguire in their side as they played out a scoreless draw at Cardiff City. Cyrus Christie retained his starting position for Fulham who defeated Leeds United by two goals to one at Craven Cottage. Luton Town had James Collins in their side as they went down to a one nil home defeat by visitors Swansea City while Millwall had Jayson Molumby and Shaun Williams in their starting eleven as they went down to a two one home defeat by Barnsley at the New Den. Sixtieth minute substitute Aiden O’Brien scored the goal for the ‘Lions’. Jason Knight completed the full ninety minutes for Derby County who suffered a three nil defeat at Reading after having a defender red carded after just four minutes. Dara O’Shea was a half-time substitute for current leaders West Bromwich Albion who came from behind to draw one each with visitors Brentford. 

League One saw Gillingham, who included Southampton loanee Thomas O’Connor in their starting eleven, defeat visitors MK Dons by three goals to one in the early kick-off at Priestfield. Portsmouth defeated Fratton Park visitors Ipswich Town by one goal to nil with Ronan Curtis the goalscorer while Alan Judge was a 38th minute substitute for the ‘Tractor Boys’.  

The Airtricity League Premier Division Fixtures for the 2020 season were released this afternoon. The league season is set to kick-off on Friday the 14th February 2020 with the following fixtures:-

Bohemian v Shamrock Rovers
Cork City v Shelbourne
Dundalk v Derry City
Finn Harps v Sligo Rovers
St Patrick’s Athletic v Waterford

The league season will be preceded by the 2020 President’s Cup between the reigning league champions Dundalk and the FAI Cup Holders Shamrock Rovers which is set for Oriel Park on Sunday the 9th February 2020.

The Airtricity League First Division fixture announcement has been deferred to a later date with the demise of Limerick FC a cause for concern and presumably the reason for the delayed announcement.

Our U15 side under the guidance of Head Coach Jason Donohue defeated England by three goals to one at their St George’s Park HQ this Sunday afternoon. This was their sixth contest this season and all have resulted in victory.

Ireland got off to a storming start this afternoon with Kevin Zeffi finding the net with less than a minute on the clock. Ireland were dominant in possession during the first half and added the second on thirty minutes through captain Caden McLoughlin.

The hosts fought back in the early stages of the second half and reduced arrears with a long range goal. Ireland remined undaunted and Zeffi ensured victory with his second and our third goal on 73 minutes.

Our own Club member James McManus started in midfield and completed the full match.

Team: C Walsh; F Cowper-Gray, L O’Brien, S Curtis, C Heffernan; J McManus, J O’Brien-Whitmarsh, J Ferizaj; C McLoughlin, K Zeffi, A Murphy
Substitutes:
R Vata for Whitmarsh 55′
A Nugent for Murphy 55′
S O’Leary for Walsh 74′
D Kelly for Cowper-Gray 74′
T Hughes for O’Brien 74′
A Nolan for McLoughlin 74′
G Tetteh for Zeffi 74′

Squad:
Goalkeepers: Shay O’Leary(Shamrock Rovers), Conor Walsh(Mayo SL)
Defenders: Finn Cowper-Gray(Klub Kildare), Sam Curtis(Shamrock Rovers), Cathal Heffernan(Cork City), Tristan Hughes(Shamrock Rovers), Daniel Kelly(Mayo SL), Luke O’Brien(Bray Wanderers)
Midfielders: Cian Barrett(Shamrock Rovers), Justin Ferizaj(Shamrock Rovers), James McManus(St Kevins Boys/Bohemian), Adam Murphy(Belvedere), Alex Nolan(Cabinteely), Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh(Cork City), Rocco Vata(Glasgow Celtic)
Forwards: Caden McLaughlin(Malaga CF), Adam Nugent(Mayo SL), Gideon Tetteh(Shamrock Rovers), Kevin Zeffi(Shamrock Rovers)

 

Another week of football action, in which Irish players who are or may become involved at some international level, kicked off on Saturday afternoon last, the 14th December 2019.

Friday
The English Championship continued on Friday evening with Stoke City travelling to face Middlesbrough for whom Darren Randolph continues to be an injury absentee. The visitors included James McClean and Stephen Ward in their starting eleven but injury forced both their withdrawals during the second half as their side went down to a two one defeat. Aston Villa loanee Scott Hogan and Nathan Collins were unused substitutes for Stoke.

Wednesday
The English Football League Cup quarter-finals were completed on Wednesday evening with Seamus Coleman, who returned to first team duty on Sunday last, in action for Everton who welcomed high flying Leicester City to Goodison Park where they exited the competition in a penalty shoot-out after they recovered an early two goal deficit to level the match at two goals each.
The two remaining quarter-finals featured Oxford United, who went down to a three one defeat at home to Manchester City while Colchester United travelled to face Manchester United at Old Trafford where they were defeated by three goals to nil.
The draw for the semi-finals of the competition has paired the two Manchester sides, City and United while the Midlands duo of Aston Villa and Leicester City clash in the other two-legged semi-final.

Tuesday
The quarter-finals of the English Football League Cup commenced on  Tuesday evening with Aston Villa crushing Liverpool by five goals to nil at Villa Park. The hosts were at full strength but the visitors fielded a reserve side as their senior squad is contesting the World Club Championship Finals in Qatar. Conor Hourihane started and scored the opening goal following his absence from the Villa match day squad on Saturday last while our U21 International Goalkeeper Caomihin Kelleher was in the firing line for Liverpool.

Monday
There was further English Premier League action on Monday evening with Crystal Palace playing host to Brighton & Hove Albion at Selhurst Park. The match ended in a one all draw but the visitors will be bitterly disappointed as they totally dominated the first hour of the contest but had only one goal to show for their supremacy. James McCarthy was introduced from the Palace bench for the second half and helped stem the visitors flow. The hosts then had a purple patch for some 15 minutes during which they scored the equaliser. Shane Duffy was introduced from the Brighton bench on 85 minutes as they solidified to secure the away point.

Sunday
The English Premier League continued on Sunday afternoon with Seamus Coleman returning to the Everton starting eleven which earned a well deserved point from a one all draw at Manchester United. There was disappointment for Matt Doherty and Wolverhampton Wanderers who went down to a two one defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur.

Saturday
A still stuttering Burnley received a welcome boost with a one nil victory over a seemingly revitalised Newcastle United at Turf Moor in the English Premier League on Saturday afternoon. The hosts had Jeff Hendrick in their starting eleven with Robbie Brady unused on the substitute bench. Kevin Long appears to have dropped down the pecking order and has not made the matchday squad in recent weeks. Ciaran Clark, who has been performing splendidly for the ‘Magpies’ in the middle of a back three, suffered injury in last Sunday’s win over Southampton and missed out this weekend. Sheffield United had John Egan, Enda Stevens and David McGoldrick in their starting eleven for the two nil victory over fellow promoted side Aston Villa at Bramall Lane but Callum Robinson did not feature in the matchday squad while Conor Hourihane was similarly absent from the Villa squad. The late kick-off saw Shane Long start for Southampton who went down to a one nil home defeat by West Ham United while Michael Obafemi was unused on the substitute bench. Gavin Kilkenny was an unused substitute for AFC Bournemouth who secured a one nil victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Ashton Gate hosted the Championship meeting of Bristol City and Blackburn Rovers which went the way of the visitors by two goals to nil with midweek goal scorer Callum O’Dowda introduced from the substitute bench on 59 minutes while Daragh Lenihan was in central defence for the victors. Teenage midfielder Jason Knight started for Derby County who suffered a one nil defeat at home to Millwall who included loanee Jayson Molumby, Shaun Williams and Alex Pearce in their starting eleven with Aiden O’Brien an 81st minute substitute. Preston North End duo, Alan Browne and Sean Maguire both started the two one victory over Deepdale visitors Luton Town for whom James Collins scored their goal from the penalty spot. New manager Michael O’Neill seems to be having a positive effect on Stoke City but they were held to a scoreless draw by visitors Reading this afternoon. James McClean and Stephen Ward both started with Scott Hogan a 63rd minute substitute while Nathan Collins was an unused substitutes. Cyrus Christie was in the Fulham side which went down to a one nil defeat at Brentford.

Southampton loanee Thomas O’Connor was in League One action with Gillingham who played out a one all draw at Fleetwood Town while Alan Judge was a 65th minute substitute for Ipswich Town who went down to a two one defeat by visitors Bristol Rovers at Portman Road. Trevor Clarke was an unused substitute while Chiedoze Ogbene was in the Rotherham United side which drew two each at Southend United while Kieran O’Hara and his Burton Albion colleagues went down to a two nil defeat at Wycombe Wanderers.

Republic of Ireland U15 Head Coach Jason Donohue has announced his eighteen player squad which will travel to face England at their HQ in St George’s Park in an international friendly on Sunday the 15th December.

Squad:
Goalkeepers: Shay O’Leary(Shamrock Rovers), Conor Walsh(Mayo SL)
Defenders: Finn Cowper-Gray(Klub Kildare), Sam Curtis(Shamrock Rovers), Cathal Heffernan(Cork City), Daniel Kelly(Mayo SL), Luke O’Brien(Bray Wanderers)
Midfielders: Cian Barrett(Shamrock Rovers), Justin Ferizaj(Shamrock Rovers), James McManus(St Kevins Boys/Bohemian), Adam Murphy(Belvedere), Alex Nolan(Cabinteely), Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh(Cork City), Rocco Vata(Glasgow Celtic)
Forwards: Caden McLaughlin(Malaga CF), Adam Nugent(Mayo SL), Gideon Tetteh(Shamrock Rovers), Kevin Zeffi(Shamrock Rovers)

Another week of club action with significant Irish involvement kicked off on Saturday afternoon last.

Thursday
The Europa League continued on Thursday evening with Glasgow Celtic  travelling to face Romanian side CFR Cluj. Later, Wolverhampton Wanderers played host to Besiktas of Turkey at Molineaux. Celtic who had already won Group E and qualified for the next phase went down to a two nil defeat while Wolves, already assured of progressing, secured a four nil victory and finish as runners-up to Braga by a single point in Group K.

Wednesday
There was more Championship action on Wednesday evening with Ryan Manning in the QPR side which secured a two nil away victory at Birmingham City. Teenage midfielder Jason Knight started for Derby County in their one all draw with visitors Sheffield Wednesday. Daragh Lenihan was in central defence for Blackburn Rovers who earned an away point with a one all draw against Swansea City.

Tuesday
The Championship continued on Tuesday evening with Bristol City going down to a two one defeat by visitors Millwall who included  Jayson Molumby, Alex Pearce and Shaun Williams in their starting eleven at Ashton Gate while Aiden O’Brien was an unused substitute. Callum O’Dowda was introduced from the City bench on 76 minutes and scored eight minutes later but it was too little too late. Preston North End included Alan Browne and Sean Maguire, who scored the opening goal, in their starting eleven as they secured a two one victory over Deepdale visitors Fulham who had Cyrus Christie in their side. James McClean started and scored the opening goal for Stoke City who defeated visitors Luton Town by three goals to nil.  Stephen Ward also started for the victors while Scott Hogan and Nathan Collins were unused substitutes. The visitors included James Collins in their starting eleven.

Sunday
Aston Villa went down to a four one defeat by high flying visitors Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. Midfielder Conor Hourihane was an unused substitute for the hosts.  Newcastle United came from behind the defeat visitors Southampton by two goals to one at St James Park. Ciaran Clark started for the ‘Magpies’ but was withdrawn at half-time through injury. Shane Long completed the full match for the ‘Saints’ but Michael Obafemi remained unused on the substitute bench. The Sheffield United trio of John Egan, Enda Stevens and David McGoldrick started while Callum Robinson was a 65th minute substitute as the ‘Blades’ came from behind to secure a two one victory over fellow promoted side Norwich City at Carrow Road with Stevens scoring their first goal early in the second half. Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers played out a two all draw at the Amex Stadium where Shane Duffy remained on the bench for the hosts while Matt Doherty started for the visitors. An injury picked up in their midweek victory over Arsenal ruled Aaron Connolly out of contention.

Glasgow Celtic won the Scottish League Cup for the fourth successive year with a one nil victory over Glasgow Rangers at Hampden Park. Jonny Hayes, having recovered from injury, was restored to the Celtic starting eleven.  

Saturday
Burnley duo Robbie Brady and Jeff Hendrick both started in this Saturday afternoon’s  crushing five nil defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League where Troy Parrott was introduced from the host bench for his Premier League debut on 85 minutes. Kevin Long has been excluded from recent ‘Clarets’ matchday squads and missed out again. James McCarthy played all of the second half for Crystal Palace in their one nil victory over AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday night but only got the final seven minutes of this afternoon’s scoreless draw at beleaguered Watford.

Daragh Lenihan was in the Blackburn Rovers side which defeated visitors Derby County by one goal to nil in the Championship on Saturday afternoon. Cyrus Christie was a very late substitute for Fulham who went down to a two one defeat by visitors Bristol City for whom Callum O’Dowda was introduced from the bench on 78 minutes  following his return from injury. James McClean and Stephen Ward were in the Stoke City which went down to a two one defeat at in-form Hull City while James Collins and Luton Town secured a two one victory over visitors Wigan Athletic at Kenilworth Road. QPR and Ryan Manning defeated visitors Preston North End and their duo of Alan Browne and Sean Maguire by two goals to nil at Loftus Road.

Burton Albion included goalkeeper Kieran O’Hara in their starting eleven for their two nil defeat by League One visitors Lincoln City. Alan Judge started for Ipswich Town who played out a one all draw at Coventry City while U21 defender Thomas O’Connor started for Gillingham who defeated visitors Sunderland with the only goal at Priestfield. Ronan Curtis was in the Portsmouth side held to a two all draw by visitors Peterborough United at Fratton Park while Trevor Clarke was an unused substitute while Chiedoze Ogbene started for Rotherham United who lost to the only goal from visitors Rochdale.