Had Boots Did Travel - Irish Abroad (weekend 21/22 Jan 2017)

“The bonds of affection that unite our two countries mean that there will always be a special relationship between us…We will always want immigration, especially high-skilled immigration”

Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (17 January 2017)

 

Football fans from clubs across all four professional divisions in England this weekend were delighted with their Irish players’ highly skilled performance in front of goal. Irishmen grabbed ten goals in total including four scored from players who have emigrated from the League of Ireland (Seamus Coleman, Ryan Mannning, Eoghan O'Connell and Chris Forrester).

 

There was one goal scored in the top flight and one in League Two, with eight split evenly between the Championship and League One.

 

In total there were 70 players in action in England this weekend. Ten played in the top flight, 30 played in Championship with 17 and 13 in action in League One and League Two respectively.

 

Scottish Premier League football will return next week after their mid-winter break and this weekend’s Scottish Cup Fourth Round Action.



 

England

 

Premier League

Republic of Ireland captain Seamus Coleman got the late winner for Everton away to Crystal Palace who had Damien Delaney in their starting lineup. If Coleman was also your Fantasy Football captain, you’ll have been delighted with his 87th minute strike that went along with the cleansheet for the Toffees. It was his fourth league goal of the season and his 18th in his Premier League career since moving from Sligo Rovers for £60,000.

 



 

Having been substituted 17 minutes before the end of the game, Jeff Hendrick could only look on from the bench at the dramatic conclusion to Burnley’s game at Arsenal. It seemed the Clarets, who had Stephen Ward at full back, had earned only their second point of the season away from home with a late injury time penalty. However they conceded a spot kick in the 98th minute to lose 2-1.

 

Earning a late Southampton penalty, Shane Long played the final 10 minutes of the Saints’ 3-0 win on Sunday to Premier League champions Leicester on the day he turned 29.

 

 

Stoke City’s midfield was marshalled by Glenn Whelan but City conceded Wayne Rooney’s late historic injury time equaliser at home to Manchester United.

 

Nine minutes of action was all James McClean got for West Brom on Saturday at home to a Sunderland side captained by John O’Shea. The Derry man was on the victorious team as the Baggies won 2-0.

 

In his 11th league start of the season Darren Randolph had to pick the ball out of the back of the net just once as West Ham United went to Middlesbrough and won 3-1.

 

David Meyler was a substitute for Hull City midway through the first half replacing Ryan Mason who suffered a nasty head clash at Stamford Bridge in Sunday’s game which Chelsea won 2-0.

 

Championship

There was a high calibre goalscoring performance from Ryan Manning in QPR’s 1-1 draw at Loftus Road against Fulham. The 20-year-old former Galway United player has had to bide his time before he finally made his QPR debut on New Year’s Eve. Saturday’s goal capped an excellent week as he earned a new contract with the Hoops.

 

 

Barnsley captain Conor Hourihane likely added a few more pounds sterling to his transfer value with a fine free kick in his team’s 3-1 win over Leeds United – Eunan O’Kane got just over a half an hour of action off the bench for United. Hourihane’s goal, his sixth strike in the league this season, comes as the transfer window will soon close. He could well be on his way out of Barnsley as they look likely to cash in on a player who is out of contract at the end of this current campaign.

 

A first half injury time Daryl Murphy opener for Newcastle, and a Ciaran Clark clean sheet, helped the Magpies back to the top of the table with a 4-0 win over Rotterham. Anthony Forde played 87 minutes of the match for the visitors before being replaced by Stephen Kelly.

 

Matt Doherty got a chance to go in goal for Wolves on Saturday in a dramatic match against Norwich City. Robbie Brady converted a spot kick in Norwich City’s 3-1 win over Wolves. The penalty came when his Ireland teammate Wes Hoolahan was fouled by Doherty in the box. Unhappy with the decision, ‘keeper Carl Ikeme pushed Hoolahan to the ground and was sent off. With all subs used Doherty went in goal but couldn’t save the penalty.  Joe Mason also started for the visitors.

 

While both Andy Boyle and Daryl Horgan were named on the Preston North End bench, of the former Dundalk duo only Horgan got some game time. He came on to play along side Aiden McGeady and Alan Browne for the final 30 minutes as North end came back from two goals down at Aston Villa. McGeady gave away a penalty but his late cross was converted by Jordan Hugill 14 minutes from time to earn a 2-2 draw.

 

 

Liam Kelly got two assists for Reading but he was still on the losing side against Derby County in a game that had two Irish internationals sporting captain armbands (Reading’s Paul McShane and Derby’s Richard Keogh). Keogh, playing alongside Alex Pearce, got an assist for one goal. Cyrus Christie was a late Derby substitute coming on with two minutes remaining.

 

A win for Shane Duffy and a loss for Kieran Westwood under the Friday Night Lights as Sheffield Wednesday were defeated 2-1 at Brighton. Chris Hughton’s team are just one point off top spot in the Championship.

 

In the 1-1 draw between Blackburn and Birmingham, Derrick Williams, playing alongside Darragh Lenihan, earned the assist for Rovers’ goal in a game that saw City’s Stephen Gleeson also get 90 minutes of game time.

 

Nottingham Forest ‘keeper Stephen Henderson kept a clean sheet as Forest earned a much required 1-0 win against Bristol City who used Callum O’Dowda as a half time sub.

 

Anthony Pilkington got 54 minutes of action in Cardiff’s 1-0 home win over Burton Albion.

 

Ipswich Town, skippered by Luke Chambers, went down 2-0 at Huddersfield, with Jonathan Douglas a half time substitute for Town.

 

John Egan has played all 27 league matches this season for Brentford. He played 63 minutes in a back-three for the Bees in their 2-1 loss away to Wigan.

 

League One

The match winner for Peterborough, a minute into the second half, came from Chris Forrester. The former St. Pat’s player got the only goal of the game away to Swindon Town.

 

 

Having scored last week, there was a fourth league goal of the season for Cian Bolger as he headed home at the death to earn Fleetwood all three points away to Coventy City who had Callum Reilly and Kevin Foley in their line up.

 

 

Having gone on loan from Celtic recently and making his debut last week, Eoghan O’Connell got the opener for Walsall in their 3-1 win over Bristol Rovers. Former League of Ireland striker Rory Gaffney played 74 minutes of the match for Rovers.

 

 

Darren Potter got one of eight goals scored at the MK Stadium. His second goal of the league campaign helped his team to a 5-3 win over Northampton. John-Joe O’Toole conceded a penalty for Town with a handball in their box.

 

 

Colin Doyle conceded a 50th minute goal against Millwall but Bradford City, who used Billy Clarke as a 78th minute sub, scored on the hour mark to earn a draw at home. Josh Cullen (who is on loan from West Ham) played also. Shaun Williams and Aiden O’Brien, who played 69 minutes, were on the losing side.

 

It wasn’t a happy day for Conrad Logan who had to pick the ball out of the Rochdale net four times. Niall Canavan was a 63rd minute sub as Rochdale lost 4-0 to Oxford United.

 

Ex-League of Ireland player Jay O’Shea played 70 minutes of the goalless draw between Chesterfield and AFC Wimbledon.

 

Mark Byrne played the last six minutes for Gillingham in their 2-2 draw against League Two leaders Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

 

Shrewsbury Town won 1-0 at home to Oldham Athletic with former LOI midfielder Gary Deegan starting his 21st league game of the season.

 

 

League Two

 

Second half substitute Liam McAlinden got the third goal in Exeter’s 3-0 win over Colchester.

 

 

Mark Yeates got an hour of action for Blackpool in their 2-2 draw against Yeovil town who had Kevin Dawson making his 24th league appearance of the season.

 

Sean Kavanagh started at right back and Padraig Amond made an appearance off the bench up front for Hartlepool for the final 16 minutes of their 2-0 win over Stevenage.

 

Former Sligo Rovers player Seamus Conneely skippered Accrington Stanley in their 1-1 draw against Carlisle who brought Jamie Devitt off the bench 64 minutes into the game.

 

Having made his debut last week, Ian Lawlor continued in goal for Doncaster as they beat Crewe 3-1.

 

It was a similar story for former St. Patrick’s Athletic player Jake Carroll who made the starting lineup this week having debuted last time out for Cambridge United.

 

Graham Carey was on the winning team as Plymouth Argyle won 2-1 away to Cheltenham Town thanks to an injury time winner as they remain four points off top spot in the table.

 

Mark O’Brien kept a clean sheet for bottom side Newport in their 0-0 draw away to Barnet.

 

Former Dundalk striker Pat Hoban came off the bench with a minute to go in Mansfield’s 3-1 win over Cambridge United.

 

Having made his season debut in the league last week, Gavin Gunning played the last four minutes of Grimsby Town’s 2-0 home win over Notts County.

    About Macdara Ferris

    Macdara Ferris is a contributor since 2007 to Hoops Scene (Shamrock Rovers' match day programme) and is the co-author of two books on Shamrock Rovers - 'Tallaght Time: Shamrock Rovers 2009 to 2012' (with Karl … View Full Profile