A Brief History Of The Hunt Brothers Playing Together

With the conclusion of Noel Hunt's loan to his brother Stephen's team Ipswich Town, and his return to Leeds United, we are unlikely to see both players together on the pitch again. During his loan to the Tractor Boys, the brothers appeared together against Brentford and Charlton.
Noel's most memorable appearance was arguably his debut against Charlton, where he came off the bench to score a late winner for Mick McCarthy's side. However, while both players were in the matchday XVI, they were not on the pitch at the same time, with Stephen being substituted on 76 minutes, before Noel's late introduction on 83 minutes.
We have to go back to 18th April 2009 to find the last time they both started for the same team, both starting for Reading in a 0-0 draw against Championship rivals Barnsley. This was the last of 29 games they started together, the first coming on 12 Aug 2008 in a League Cup game away to Dagenham and Redbridge.
Both players scored in only three games they appeared in together, against Luton in the League Cup on 26th August 2008, against Swansea in the Championship on 27th September 2008 and finally against Burnley on 4th October 2008.

Their overall record when starting together is as follows:

	Home			Away			Overall
P	W	D	L	W	D	L	W	D	L
23	11	3	2	2	3	11	13	6	4

Irish Abroad player statistics for December 2014

Appearance data for December 2014: http://irish-abroad.appspot.com/MonthlyStats?month=12
AFC Bournemouth's Harry Arter won five of the six games he started in December
John O'Shea, Paul Green and Michael Harriman all started three draws in the final month of 2014
Millwall's David Forde and Shaun Williams both started four losses in December, along with Seamus Coleman, Stephen McLaughlin, and Wigan duo Chris McCann and James McClean
Coleman and McLaughlin also started the most number of games in December, along with Cyrus Christie, John O'Shea, Ciaran Clark, Enda Stevens, David Meyler, and Michael Harriman. Each player lined out for their respective side six times
Of these, Coleman, O'Shea, Stevens and Christie all completed 90 minutes in each game. Strangely, none of the midfielders who started six games completed all six games
Midfielder Jeff Hendrick was withdrawn from the action more times than any other Irish player, the Derby County player was substituted in four games. Oddly, two goalkeepers were substituted last month - Conrad Logan and Robert Elliott
Conversely, both Wes Hoolahan and Leon Best were introduced from the bench the most, with each player coming on four times in December
Kevin Long and Shay Given were both named as unused substitutes six times in December 2014
Daryl Murphy topped the scoring charts in December with six finishes, one ahead of Harry Arter's five finishes. Their combined total of eleven is only just under half of every other Irish goal scored in December - 23! Their respective sides went on to win every game Murphy and Arter scored in!
David McGoldrick, Murphy's strike partner at Ipswich, was shown more yellow cards than any other Irish player, with three bookings in his five starts

Irish Scorers 26th December 2014

26 December 2014 Sky Bet Championship Bournemouth 2-0 Fulham Harry Arter(90) Brentford 2-4 Ipswich Town Daryl Murphy(1) Daryl Murphy(21) Leeds United 0-2 Wigan Athletic James McClean(83) Rotherham United 2-2 Huddersfield Town Lee Frecklington(90) Sky Bet League 1 Chesterfield 3-2 Peterborough United Eoin Doyle(10) Eoin Doyle(54) Leyton Orient 4-1 Crawley Town David Mooney(88) Scunthorpe United 2-1 Rochdale Paddy Madden(77) Sky Bet League 2 Burton Albion 2-0 Tranmere Rovers Damien McCrory(23, penalty) Cambridge United 0-1 Southend United Barry Corr(57) Newport County AFC 2-0 Plymouth Argyle Mark Byrne(82) Oxford United 0-2 Shrewsbury Town James Collins(13) Portsmouth 0-2 AFC Wimbledon Frankie Sutherland(9)

On Hat Tricks

Former U21 striker Andy Jackson notched his second career hat trick in the Scottish Cup for Brechin City on Tuesday, 9th December, scoring three goals in a 4-2 win over Annan Athletic. This came more than three years after his last treble, in an 8-0 win for Morton away to Stranraer, in which the Scottish-born striker finished with four goals to his name.

What was notable about the more recent hat trick was the speed at which he managed the feat, finding the back of the net in the 4th, 11th and 27th minutes, taking 23 minutes in total to complete the task.

We've examined the record books here at Irish Abroad to see where this ranks in the history of Irish strikers' hat tricks.

Jackson's fellow former U21 striker Billy Mehmet holds the current record for the fastest hat trick, scoring three in 11 minutes for St Mirren in a bizarre 6-3 win for the Buddies against East Stirlingshire in August 2009. With the Paisley side leading 3-0, their opponents scored three times to level the scores, before Mehmet struck twice more before substitute Stephen O'Donnell also found the net to leave the final score 6-3, and the Irishman scoring more than half the goals!

James Collins and Anthony Stokes have both scored trebles in only 12 minutes, for Swindon Town and Falkirk respectively, while Collins also has the record of the longest time taken to complete his hat trick, needing 92 minutes to finish his three goals for Swindon in a 4-3 extra time win for the Robins against Stoke City in August 2012.

Stokes has the most hat tricks since we started compiling information on Irish players, the Celtic striker has collected no less than seven match balls in his career to date, including consecutive hat tricks for Falkirk in the Scottish Premier League.

So far, Adam Rooney is the only player to score a hat trick in European competition, scoring three away to Daugava Rīga in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League in July this year.

Only four midfielders have scored hat tricks while the site has been active, with a treble apiece for Liam Lawrence(Stoke City), Aiden McGeady(Celtic), Wes Hoolahan(Norwich City) and Jimmy Ryan(Accrington Stanley).

Irish Scorers weekend of 20th December 2014

20 December 2014 Sky Bet Championship Blackpool 1-6 Bournemouth Harry Arter(76) Ipswich Town 2-0 Middlesbrough Daryl Murphy(25) Jay Tabb(45) Sky Bet League 1 Barnsley 2-0 Leyton Orient Conor Hourihane(13) Crawley Town 1-2 Port Vale Conor Henderson(88) Gillingham 2-3 Chesterfield John Egan(61) Jimmy Ryan(69) Milton Keynes Dons 7-0 Oldham Athletic Darren Potter(51) Sky Bet League 2 Accrington Stanley 1-1 Wycombe Wanderers Sean Maguire(49) Australian A-League Perth Glory 4-1 Central Coast Mariners Andy Keogh(35)

Irish Scorers weekend of 13th December 2014

14 December 2014 Sky Bet Championship Bournemouth 5-3 Cardiff City Harry Arter(43) Brentford 3-1 Blackburn Rovers Jonathan Douglas(16) Watford 2-1 Wigan Athletic Chris McCann(45) Sky Bet League 1 Chesterfield 0-1 Bradford City Billy Clarke(57) Sky Bet League 2 Morecambe 3-0 Luton Town Padraig Amond(81) Portsmouth 2-3 Accrington Stanley John O'Sullivan(15) Scottish Premiership Dundee United 0-2 Aberdeen Adam Rooney(19) Adam Rooney(33) Scottish League One Morton 2-2 Brechin City Andy Jackson(9)

14 December 2014 Scottish Premiership Celtic 4-1 St Mirren Anthony Stokes(67)

Irish Scorers week of 9th December 2014

09 December 2014 Johnstone's Paint Trophy Tranmere Rovers 2-2 Walsall Anthony Forde(63) Scottish Cup Brechin City 4-2 Annan Athletic Andy Jackson(4) Andy Jackson(11) Andy Jackson(27) UEFA Youth League Liverpool3-0Basel Daniel Cleary(90)

10 December 2014 Johnstone's Paint Trophy Bristol City 2-0 Coventry City Derrick Williams(30) UEFA Youth League Roma0-4Manchester City Jack Byrne(76)

Irish Scorers week of 16th December 2014

17 December 2014 The FA Cup Worcester City 1-1 Scunthorpe United Paddy Madden(45)

Talking Points

Zak Gilsenan has been linked with a move from Barcelona to Liverpool. Should there be a ban on transferring players who are only 11 years old?
Joey O'Brien made his first appearance for West Ham this weekend since the end of August. With his history of injury problems, is he still a candidate to appear in defence for Ireland?
Stephen Ward's injury is unfortunate for both club and country, what player do you think can fill in at left full?
Chestefield's Eoin Doyle has been linked with a move to the Championship, with Millwall and Reading both reportedly monitoring the striker. How do you think he would fare at a higher level, and would that be a springboard to the international side?
With the transfer window about to reopen in England, Richie Towell has been linked with Millwall and Ipswich. After failing to agree terms with Cardiff, should he bide his time before going across the water?
Darren O'Dea has signed a short term deal with Blackpool FC. Is he ready to return to football, and a relegation battle at Bloomfield Road?
After some extremely promising performances for club and country, Robbie Brady has slipped out of the starting XI at Hull City. Should he look for a move in January?
Mark O'Brien has reportedly been told he has no future at Derby County, should he try to earn a long term contract at Motherwell, or find another club in England?
Congratulations to U21 player Glen Rea on his first appearance as an unused substitute for Brighton
Ciaran Clark's recent run of form culminated in his goal against Leicester, his first in two years, can he become the first choice partner for John O'Shea?
Congratulations to LA Galaxy's Robbie Keane on scoring the winning goal in the MLS Cup final against New England Revolution.
Please vote for Stephanie Roche for the FIFA Puskas Goal of the Year award here: http://www.fifa.com/ballon-dor/puskas-award/index.html (remember to use multiple browsers on all devices and delete cookies afterwards to vote again!)

Irish Scorers weekend of 6th December 2014

06 December 2014 Barclays Premier League Stoke City 3-2 Arsenal Jonathan Walters(45) Sky Bet Championship Huddersfield Town 2-1 Brentford Sean Scannell(18) Jonathan Douglas(70) Ipswich Town 4-1 Leeds United Daryl Murphy(12) David McGoldrick(26, penalty) Daryl Murphy(45) Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Bournemouth Harry Arter(73) Johnstone's Paint Trophy Gillingham 1-0 Leyton Orient John Egan(79) Scottish Premiership Aberdeen 3-0 Hamilton Academical Adam Rooney(55, penalty) Motherwell 0-1 Celtic Anthony Stokes(6)

07 December 2014 Barclays Premier League Aston Villa 2-1 Leicester City Ciaran Clark(17) The FA Cup Bradford City 4-1 Dartford Billy Clarke(10) Mark Yeates(59) Scunthorpe United 1-1 Worcester City Paddy Madden(35) American MLS League Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 New England Revolution Robbie Keane(111)

Irish Scorers week of 1st December 2014

07 December 2014 Australian A-League Sydney FC 1-2 Perth Glory Andy Keogh(87, penalty)

Talking Points

Does James McCarthy's latest injury have any long term repercussions for his career, bearing in mind he's been playing senior football regularly since he was 16?
Following the reveal of John Delaney singing in a bar after the USA game, should a code of conduct be introduced for the CEO?
Roy Keane has stepped down from his role with Aston Villa, how will this affect his role with the Republic of Ireland, and the Irish players at Villa Park?
Following Robbie Keane's victory in the Western Conference, should more Irish players consider a career in the MLS as an alternative to England?
With Sean St Ledger back in football at Ipswich Town, can he return to the international squad?
Alan Judge has the joint second number of assists in the Championship, should he be called into the squad, or does he offer anything that isn't already in the squad with McGeady, Brady, Pilkington and McClean, and possible Grealish?
Glenn Whelan was introduced from the bench, and then substituted with an injury before the end of the game last weekend for Stoke. Will he be recovered from his recent injury niggles before the international games return in the new year?
Eoin Doyle currently leads League One goalscorers with 16 goals. If this continues, can he follow in Paddy Madden's footsteps and progress to the senior international side?
Patrick Hoban and Rory Gaffney have agreed to join Oxford United and Cambridge United, respectively. Does this raise the profile of the league, or is the cost of losing the better players too high?
Chris McCann has continued his comeback from injury with a goal in only his fourth game, should the management be watching him with a view to calling him up?

Irish Abroad player statistics for November 2014

Appearance data for November 2014: http://irish-abroad.appspot.com/MonthlyStats?month=11
Brentford's Alan Judge and Perth Glory's Andy Keogh started the most wins, with both players finishing on the winning side five times
Keogh also started the most games of any outfield player, starting for his club six times. Goalkeeper Conrad Logan started seven games while out on loan at Rochdale, and both players completed 90 minutes in each one.
David Forde, Keiren Westwood, John O'Shea, Shaun Williams, Shane Duffy and Harry Arter all started three draws in November
Robbie Brady, Mark Connolly and Matt Doherty finished on the losing side four times
Doherty was also the most booked player, collecting three yellow cards
Aiden McGeady, Robbie Brady, Anthony Forde, David McGoldrick, Simon Cox, Anthony Stokes and Sean Scannell were all substituted three times in the second last month of 2014
Conversely, Conor Sammon was the most introduced substitute in November, coming off the bench five times
Goalkeepers Colin Doyle and Jack Bonham were the most unused substitutes, staying on the bench five times. Daniel Devine, Joey O'Brien and Leon Best were the most unused outfield substitute players, each player remained on the bench in four games
Daryl Murphy was the top scorer in November with four goals, and Adam Rooney was the only player to score a penalty, with a single strike from 12 yards

Irish Scorers weekend of 28th November 2014

28 November 2014 Sky Bet League 2 Accrington Stanley 2-3 Exeter City John O'Sullivan(65)

29 November 2014 Sky Bet Championship Brentford 4-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Alan Judge(29) Charlton Athletic 0-1 Ipswich Town Noel Hunt(90) Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Wigan Athletic Chris McCann(26) Sky Bet League 1 Barnsley 1-2 Scunthorpe United Paddy Madden(30) Paddy Madden(45) Bradford City 3-1 Leyton Orient Billy Clarke(79) David Mooney(74) Gillingham 2-2 Port Vale John Egan(29) John Egan(55) Sky Bet League 2 Southend United 2-0 Northampton Town Barry Corr(69, penalty) Stevenage 1-1 Morecambe Padraig Amond(85)

30 November 2014 Scottish Cup Hearts 0-4 Celtic Anthony Stokes(54)