Tuesday, 26 April 2016
League 2
AFC Wimbledon 0-1 Portsmouth
Adam Barton returned to the Portsmouth starting XI for his first start since 23rd January
Enda Stevens made his 50th appearance for Pompey
Brian Murphy's introduction from the bench was his first appearance since 19th January
Scottish First Division
Hibernian 4-0 Dumbarton
Anthony Stokes scored the 130th goal of his career
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
Cypriot Premier League
Omonia Nicosia 2-0 Nea Salamis
Cillian Sheridan scored his 15th league goal of the season
Congratulations to Central Coast Mariners' Roy O'Donovan for winning A-League Goal of the Season for this strike
Congratulations to Derby County Player of the Season, and Players' Player of the Season, Richard Keogh, and Young Player of the Season Cyrus Christie
Further Reading
Kevin Doyle holds on to Euro 2016 hopes after dramatic injury return - The Telegraph
Egan eager for Ireland call-up - Herald.ie
The official blog of the Irish Abroad stats site. Appearance and performance information on Irish footballers around the world
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
Monday, 25 April 2016
Round Up - Weekend of 22nd April 2016
Friday, 22 April 2016
Scottish Premier League
St Johnstone 3-0 Aberdeen
Jonathan Hayes made his 150th start for Aberdeen, and picked up his first booking since December
Saturday, 23 April 2016
Premier League
Aston Villa 2-4 Southampton
Kevin Toner made his first appearance for Aston Villa as a second half substitute, and marked the occasion with an assist on their second goal
Shane Long's ninth Premier League goal of the season is a new personal best for the Tipperary striker
League 1
Bradford City 4-0 Walsall
Liam Kinsella returned to the Walsall starting XI for his first start since 19th March
Colchester 0-3 Burton Albion
Louis Dunne made his first start for Colchester
Peterborough 0-2 Scunthorpe
Paddy Madden made his 50th appearance of the season
Stephen Dawson fourth booking of the season was more than three month since his last yellow card
Wigan 4-1 Southend United
David Mooney returned to the Southend team for his first appearance since 5th March
Chris McCann scored his third goal of the season, this was his first strike since 12th January
League 2
Luton 1-1 Newport Co.
Like Paddy Madden, Mark Byrne made his 50th appearance of the season!
Morecambe 1-4 Stevenage
Jamie Devitt was booked for the fifth time in 2015/16
English FA Cup
Everton 1-2 Manchester United
Darron Gibson made his fiftieth start for Everton
Sunday, 24 April 2016
MLS
Colorado Rapids 3-1 Seattle Sounders FC
Kevin Doyle marked his first appearance for the Rapids since 20th March with his fifth goal for the club
Further Reading
Vox in the Box: Guardian cartoonist David Squires - [thesetpieces]
Long Lacks Star Quality But Remains Key Saints Regular - whoscored.com
Next Jamie Vardy? Padraig Amond Interview - pogmogoal.com
Interview: Jeff Hendrick on choosing soccer over Gaelic and Martin O’Neill’s magic touch - The Irish Post
Scottish Premier League
St Johnstone 3-0 Aberdeen
Jonathan Hayes made his 150th start for Aberdeen, and picked up his first booking since December
Saturday, 23 April 2016
Premier League
Aston Villa 2-4 Southampton
Kevin Toner made his first appearance for Aston Villa as a second half substitute, and marked the occasion with an assist on their second goal
Shane Long's ninth Premier League goal of the season is a new personal best for the Tipperary striker
League 1
Bradford City 4-0 Walsall
Liam Kinsella returned to the Walsall starting XI for his first start since 19th March
Colchester 0-3 Burton Albion
Louis Dunne made his first start for Colchester
Peterborough 0-2 Scunthorpe
Paddy Madden made his 50th appearance of the season
Stephen Dawson fourth booking of the season was more than three month since his last yellow card
Wigan 4-1 Southend United
David Mooney returned to the Southend team for his first appearance since 5th March
Chris McCann scored his third goal of the season, this was his first strike since 12th January
League 2
Luton 1-1 Newport Co.
Like Paddy Madden, Mark Byrne made his 50th appearance of the season!
Morecambe 1-4 Stevenage
Jamie Devitt was booked for the fifth time in 2015/16
English FA Cup
Everton 1-2 Manchester United
Darron Gibson made his fiftieth start for Everton
Sunday, 24 April 2016
MLS
Colorado Rapids 3-1 Seattle Sounders FC
Kevin Doyle marked his first appearance for the Rapids since 20th March with his fifth goal for the club
Further Reading
Vox in the Box: Guardian cartoonist David Squires - [thesetpieces]
Long Lacks Star Quality But Remains Key Saints Regular - whoscored.com
Next Jamie Vardy? Padraig Amond Interview - pogmogoal.com
Interview: Jeff Hendrick on choosing soccer over Gaelic and Martin O’Neill’s magic touch - The Irish Post
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Round Up - Midweek games of 19th April 2016
Tuesday, 19 April 2016
Championship
Birmingham City 2-2 Preston North End
Preston's Irish duo Greg Cunningham and Alan Browne scored their first goals since 12th January and 6th February, respectively
Brentford 2-1 Cardiff
Anthony Pilkington made his fiftieth start for Cardiff
League 1
Barnsley 1-0 Peterborough
Conor Hourihane made his one hundredth appearance for Barnsley
Chris Forrester was sent off for the first time in his career
Burton Albion 1-1 Wigan
Callum Reilly was booked for the first time since August
Rochdale 1-1 Gillingham
Emmanuel Osadebe came off the bench late on for Gillingham for his first appearance since the end of February
John Egan's fifth goal of 2015/16 was his tenth for the Gills, and equaled his tally from 2014/15
Southend United 0-1 Oldham
Stephen McLaughlin made his twenty-fifth appearance for Southend
Walsall 1-1 Swindon Town
Anthony Forde was booked for the first time since September
League 2
Hartlepool 1-2 Accrington Stanley
Seamus Conneely scored his first goal since 13th February, and was booked for the first time since November
York City 3-1 Portsmouth
Adam Barton's second half introduction was his first appearance since 1st March
Wednesday, 20 April 2016
Premier League
Liverpool 4-0 Everton
James McCarthy made his 100th start for Everton
Manchester United 2-0 Crystal Palace
Damien Delaney's won't to remember his 150th start for Crystal Palace, after scoring his third own goal against them - his second of the season!
Further Reading
Derby County: Richard Keogh - The Man Who Can't Be Moved - Derby Telegraph
Participation in sport is a human activity with all its baggage - footblogball
Elliott's enjoying his new life at Shels - The Herald
Ken Early: Soccer finally cracks the code in USA - The Irish Times
Championship
Birmingham City 2-2 Preston North End
Preston's Irish duo Greg Cunningham and Alan Browne scored their first goals since 12th January and 6th February, respectively
Brentford 2-1 Cardiff
Anthony Pilkington made his fiftieth start for Cardiff
League 1
Barnsley 1-0 Peterborough
Conor Hourihane made his one hundredth appearance for Barnsley
Chris Forrester was sent off for the first time in his career
Burton Albion 1-1 Wigan
Callum Reilly was booked for the first time since August
Rochdale 1-1 Gillingham
Emmanuel Osadebe came off the bench late on for Gillingham for his first appearance since the end of February
John Egan's fifth goal of 2015/16 was his tenth for the Gills, and equaled his tally from 2014/15
Southend United 0-1 Oldham
Stephen McLaughlin made his twenty-fifth appearance for Southend
Walsall 1-1 Swindon Town
Anthony Forde was booked for the first time since September
League 2
Hartlepool 1-2 Accrington Stanley
Seamus Conneely scored his first goal since 13th February, and was booked for the first time since November
York City 3-1 Portsmouth
Adam Barton's second half introduction was his first appearance since 1st March
Wednesday, 20 April 2016
Premier League
Liverpool 4-0 Everton
James McCarthy made his 100th start for Everton
Manchester United 2-0 Crystal Palace
Damien Delaney's won't to remember his 150th start for Crystal Palace, after scoring his third own goal against them - his second of the season!
Further Reading
Derby County: Richard Keogh - The Man Who Can't Be Moved - Derby Telegraph
Participation in sport is a human activity with all its baggage - footblogball
Elliott's enjoying his new life at Shels - The Herald
Ken Early: Soccer finally cracks the code in USA - The Irish Times
Wednesday, 20 April 2016
U21 Absentees
Two recent defeats for Ireland's U21 - losing 4-1 to Italy and 3-1 to Slovenia - saw some predictable media hand wringing about the make-up of the team. One of
the more commonly raised points was that only four of the starting XI
against Italy were born in Ireland. While this is true (and slightly
debatable since goalkeeper Daniel Rogers was born in America but raised
in Ireland), we think the media, instead of criticising those who did take part, should have been asking if the best players available had been selected to begin with - after all, this is a
favourite topic of journalists when the senior squad is announced by
Martin O'Neill, or any of his predecessor.
First, the unavailable players, Preston's combative Cork-born midfielder Alan Browne was named in the original squad, but had to withdraw due to injury, and Dubliner Sam Byrne of Everton recently broke his leg in training. Full back Sean Kavanagh was suspended after being sent off in the meeting between Ireland and Lithuania in October. All are regulars in the underage setup, and there can't be any complaints about their omission - that's just football. Also unavailable due to injury was Liverpool's Daniel Cleary, who was included on the bench by Brendan Rogers in a Europa League game earlier this season, but strangely hasn't featured for any underage side since May 2014.
We've looked through the squads in the Professional U21 League Divisions 1 and 2 in England, and noticed the following
The strange absence of Liverpool's academy and reserve players at underage level has been discussed on the site before. Alex O'Hanlon was training with Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool senior team (or at least their squad members who were not in international duty) in Spain during the U21 games, and came off the bench for an assist on the opening goal in a reserve game against Reading the weekend after the qualifiers.
Reading FC have quite a few Irish players in their U21 side at the moment - Pierce Sweeney, Sean Long, Shane Griffin, Niall Keown, Liam Kelly and Conor Shaughnessy. Kelly and Long are currently out on loan - Kelly is at Bath City, finding the back of the net four times from midfield, while Long is with Braintree in the Nation League. Joshua Barrett who was called into the Ireland U21 squad despite being only 17! Clearly the Irish management team are monitoring the Reading side, so why were Kelly and Shaughnessy omitted?
Aston Villa's 19 year old centre half Kevin Toner made his first appearance in the Villains senior matchday squad as an unused substitute against Bournemouth earlier this month. After serving a suspension from the under 19's elite qualifiers in late 2015, he was available again but not included in the squad
Ryan Rainey of Wolves recently signed a one year extension to his current deal, but hasn't been involved with the national side since an U18 friendly with the Czech Republic in 2014
Stoke City reserves Ryan O'Reilly and Bobby Moseley are both out on loan at the moment, at Wrexham and in the States with San Antonio FC. O'Reilly hasn't been in an Ireland squad since 2013, but Moseley is a regular in underage sides, last appearing for the under 19's in the elite qualifying stage a year a go. Their fellow Potter, Bedford-born Mason Watkins-Clark is playing and scoring in the reserves, a recent finish sent their U21 side to the Final Development League Cup North Final.
In the league of Ireland, Celtic defender Eoghan O'Connell is currently on loan at Cork City, playing alongside U21 squad member Kevin O'Connor, while Shamrock Rovers striker Michael Drennan is still eligible for these qualifiers.
So, while the two losses and the statistic about the lineup were disappointing to say the least, should there be more asked of the manager about the players listed above?
First, the unavailable players, Preston's combative Cork-born midfielder Alan Browne was named in the original squad, but had to withdraw due to injury, and Dubliner Sam Byrne of Everton recently broke his leg in training. Full back Sean Kavanagh was suspended after being sent off in the meeting between Ireland and Lithuania in October. All are regulars in the underage setup, and there can't be any complaints about their omission - that's just football. Also unavailable due to injury was Liverpool's Daniel Cleary, who was included on the bench by Brendan Rogers in a Europa League game earlier this season, but strangely hasn't featured for any underage side since May 2014.
We've looked through the squads in the Professional U21 League Divisions 1 and 2 in England, and noticed the following
The strange absence of Liverpool's academy and reserve players at underage level has been discussed on the site before. Alex O'Hanlon was training with Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool senior team (or at least their squad members who were not in international duty) in Spain during the U21 games, and came off the bench for an assist on the opening goal in a reserve game against Reading the weekend after the qualifiers.
Reading FC have quite a few Irish players in their U21 side at the moment - Pierce Sweeney, Sean Long, Shane Griffin, Niall Keown, Liam Kelly and Conor Shaughnessy. Kelly and Long are currently out on loan - Kelly is at Bath City, finding the back of the net four times from midfield, while Long is with Braintree in the Nation League. Joshua Barrett who was called into the Ireland U21 squad despite being only 17! Clearly the Irish management team are monitoring the Reading side, so why were Kelly and Shaughnessy omitted?
Aston Villa's 19 year old centre half Kevin Toner made his first appearance in the Villains senior matchday squad as an unused substitute against Bournemouth earlier this month. After serving a suspension from the under 19's elite qualifiers in late 2015, he was available again but not included in the squad
Ryan Rainey of Wolves recently signed a one year extension to his current deal, but hasn't been involved with the national side since an U18 friendly with the Czech Republic in 2014
Stoke City reserves Ryan O'Reilly and Bobby Moseley are both out on loan at the moment, at Wrexham and in the States with San Antonio FC. O'Reilly hasn't been in an Ireland squad since 2013, but Moseley is a regular in underage sides, last appearing for the under 19's in the elite qualifying stage a year a go. Their fellow Potter, Bedford-born Mason Watkins-Clark is playing and scoring in the reserves, a recent finish sent their U21 side to the Final Development League Cup North Final.
In the league of Ireland, Celtic defender Eoghan O'Connell is currently on loan at Cork City, playing alongside U21 squad member Kevin O'Connor, while Shamrock Rovers striker Michael Drennan is still eligible for these qualifiers.
So, while the two losses and the statistic about the lineup were disappointing to say the least, should there be more asked of the manager about the players listed above?
Monday, 18 April 2016
Round Up - Weekend of 15th April 2016
Friday, 15 April 2016
Championship
Hull City 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
David Meyler returned to the Hull starting XI for the first time since 8th March
Saturday, 16 April 2016
Premier League
Everton 1-1 Southampton
Darron Gibson returned to the starting XI for his first start since 9th January, this was also his first league start of the season. Remarkably, his booking today was the first time he'd been booked since September 2013 - it's been more than 900 days since his last yellow at club level!
Championship
Blackburn 0-2 Huddersfield
Shane Duffy and Darragh Lenihan were both booked for the tenth time this season. All of Lenihan's bookings this season have come in 2016.
Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Ipswich
David McGoldrick made his first for Ipswich start since 31st October
League 1
Coventry 2-1 Millwall
Shaun Williams was sent off for the third time for Millwall (fourth in his career), his last red card was in December 2014
Gillingham 0-2 Port Vale
John Egan made his first start since 13th February
League 2
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Crawley
Connor Smith was booked for the first time this season, after more than two years since his last booking in February 2014
Charles Dunne was booked for the first time this season, having not been booked since January 2015
Bristol Rovers 2-1 Yeovil
Rory Gaffney scored his tenth goal of the season, more than a month after his last goal
Portsmouth 1-2 Plymouth
Carl McHugh was booked for the tenth time this season
Stevenage 2-1 Newport Co.
Jake Mulraney scored his first goal for Stevenage, which was also the first goal of the season, and the first goal of his career! Congratulations Jake!
Scottish FA Cup
Hibernian 0-0 Dundee Utd
Conrad Logan made his first appearance since December 2014, after recently signing a short term deal with Hibs
Sunday, 17 April 2016
Premier League
Arsenal 1-1 Crystal Palace
Damien Delaney made his 150th appearance for Crystal Palace
Monday, 18 April 2016
Premier League
Stoke City 0-4 Tottenham
Shay Given made his first start since 22nd September, and his first league start since May!
Further Reading
DAVID SHONFIELD: Cesare Maldini: The Italian who turned defending into an art - Irish Examiner
Football clubs trawl social media for gaffes by transfer targets - The Guardian
"The future for the League of Ireland is to have academies" according to Ruud Dokter - Off The Ball
Championship
Hull City 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
David Meyler returned to the Hull starting XI for the first time since 8th March
Saturday, 16 April 2016
Premier League
Everton 1-1 Southampton
Darron Gibson returned to the starting XI for his first start since 9th January, this was also his first league start of the season. Remarkably, his booking today was the first time he'd been booked since September 2013 - it's been more than 900 days since his last yellow at club level!
Championship
Blackburn 0-2 Huddersfield
Shane Duffy and Darragh Lenihan were both booked for the tenth time this season. All of Lenihan's bookings this season have come in 2016.
Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Ipswich
David McGoldrick made his first for Ipswich start since 31st October
League 1
Coventry 2-1 Millwall
Shaun Williams was sent off for the third time for Millwall (fourth in his career), his last red card was in December 2014
Gillingham 0-2 Port Vale
John Egan made his first start since 13th February
League 2
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Crawley
Connor Smith was booked for the first time this season, after more than two years since his last booking in February 2014
Charles Dunne was booked for the first time this season, having not been booked since January 2015
Bristol Rovers 2-1 Yeovil
Rory Gaffney scored his tenth goal of the season, more than a month after his last goal
Portsmouth 1-2 Plymouth
Carl McHugh was booked for the tenth time this season
Stevenage 2-1 Newport Co.
Jake Mulraney scored his first goal for Stevenage, which was also the first goal of the season, and the first goal of his career! Congratulations Jake!
Scottish FA Cup
Hibernian 0-0 Dundee Utd
Conrad Logan made his first appearance since December 2014, after recently signing a short term deal with Hibs
Sunday, 17 April 2016
Premier League
Arsenal 1-1 Crystal Palace
Damien Delaney made his 150th appearance for Crystal Palace
Monday, 18 April 2016
Premier League
Stoke City 0-4 Tottenham
Shay Given made his first start since 22nd September, and his first league start since May!
Further Reading
DAVID SHONFIELD: Cesare Maldini: The Italian who turned defending into an art - Irish Examiner
Football clubs trawl social media for gaffes by transfer targets - The Guardian
"The future for the League of Ireland is to have academies" according to Ruud Dokter - Off The Ball
Friday, 15 April 2016
Round Up - Midweek games of 12th April 2016
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
Championship
Middlesbrough 2-1 Reading
Simon Cox scored his first goal of the season, his last goal came in December 2014
League 1
Gillingham 1-2 Walsall
Bradley Garmston returned to the Gillingham starting XI for the first time since 20th February, while John Egan came off the bench for his first appearance since 13th February
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
Premier League
Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton
James McCarthy was sent off for the first time in his career
Further Reading
Richard Dunne and dusted: Irish legend at ease in retirement - Irish Examiner
Championship
Middlesbrough 2-1 Reading
Simon Cox scored his first goal of the season, his last goal came in December 2014
League 1
Gillingham 1-2 Walsall
Bradley Garmston returned to the Gillingham starting XI for the first time since 20th February, while John Egan came off the bench for his first appearance since 13th February
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
Premier League
Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton
James McCarthy was sent off for the first time in his career
Further Reading
Richard Dunne and dusted: Irish legend at ease in retirement - Irish Examiner
Monday, 11 April 2016
Round Up - Weekend of 9th April 2016
Saturday, 9 April 2016
Premier League
Aston Villa 1-2 Bournemouth
Congratulations to U19 player Kevin Toner on his first appearance in the matchday squad for Aston Villa as an unused substitute
Watford 1-1 Everton
James McCarthy scored his first goal of the season, almost a year to the day since his last strike for Everton on 26th April 2015
Southampton 3-1 Newcastle Utd
Shane Long scored his eleventh of the season, and eighth in the Premier League, equaling his career best in England's top division
Manchester City 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
James McClean returned to the West Brom starting XI for his first start in almost two months
Championship
Ipswich 1-3 Brentford
We were desperately disappointed to hear of Alan Judge's double leg break in this game, and wish him a speedy recovery.
Middlesbrough 1-0 Preston North End
Eoin Doyle first start since 23rd January was his 25th appearance for Preston
MK Dons 0-4 Rotherham
Stephen Kelly was booked for the first time this season, and Leon Best scored his fourth goal in five games - could he make a late run to the Euro 2016 squad?
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-0 Blackburn
Darragh Lenihan's start against Wolves was his twenty-fifth appearance for Blackburn
League 1
Bradford City 1-0 Swindon Town
Anton Rodgers made his fiftieth appearance for Swindon
Billy Clarke scored his third of the season, having not scored before this game since early November
Southend United 2-2 Fleetwood
Gary Deegan made his fiftieth appearance for Southend, and in the same game Jimmy Ryan made his three hundred fiftieth career start
League 2
Crawley 1-5 Oxford United
Frankie Sutherland won't want to remember his 25th career appearance after this loss at home to Oxford!
Callum O'Dowda scored his fourth goal in three games, having only scored five goals in the season before that!
Dagenham and Redbridge 1-4 Portsmouth
Michael Doyle scored his second of the season, and was booked for the third time in 2015/16
Morecambe 2-5 Hartlepool
Having only been sent off once in his career before 2015/16, goalkeeper Barry Roche has now been sent off twice in the last four games!
Northampton 2-2 Bristol Rovers
Congratulations to John-Joe O'Toole, Brendan Moloney (who made his fiftieth appearance for Northampton today) and James Collins on winning promotion to League One next season in this game
Plymouth 1-2 AFC Wimbledon
Graham Carey scored his tenth goal of the season
Scottish Premier League
Hamilton Academical 2-1 Dundee
Darren O'Dea was booked for the fifth time this season
Scottish First Division
Falkirk 3-2 St Mirren
Jim Goodwin was booked for the sixth time this season, in only 18 appearances
Eredivisie
SC Cambuur 0-1 Ajax
Jack Byrne made his twenty-fifth career appearance
Australian A-League
Central Coast Mariners 2-4 Newcastle Jets
Roy O'Donovan scored his fourth goal in his last four games
Further Reading
Sean Kavanagh still hopeful of saving Fulham FC career - getwestlondon
‘Lucky mascot’ Stephen Kelly eager to maintain Millers’ climb to safety - The Yorkshire Post
HOBAN: “Hopefully I Can Push On From Here” – Defender On Injury Return - watfordfc.com
Steven Reid: FAI have to realise we will win nothing without kids - Irish Independent
Premier League
Aston Villa 1-2 Bournemouth
Congratulations to U19 player Kevin Toner on his first appearance in the matchday squad for Aston Villa as an unused substitute
Watford 1-1 Everton
James McCarthy scored his first goal of the season, almost a year to the day since his last strike for Everton on 26th April 2015
Southampton 3-1 Newcastle Utd
Shane Long scored his eleventh of the season, and eighth in the Premier League, equaling his career best in England's top division
Manchester City 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
James McClean returned to the West Brom starting XI for his first start in almost two months
Championship
Ipswich 1-3 Brentford
We were desperately disappointed to hear of Alan Judge's double leg break in this game, and wish him a speedy recovery.
Middlesbrough 1-0 Preston North End
Eoin Doyle first start since 23rd January was his 25th appearance for Preston
MK Dons 0-4 Rotherham
Stephen Kelly was booked for the first time this season, and Leon Best scored his fourth goal in five games - could he make a late run to the Euro 2016 squad?
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-0 Blackburn
Darragh Lenihan's start against Wolves was his twenty-fifth appearance for Blackburn
League 1
Bradford City 1-0 Swindon Town
Anton Rodgers made his fiftieth appearance for Swindon
Billy Clarke scored his third of the season, having not scored before this game since early November
Southend United 2-2 Fleetwood
Gary Deegan made his fiftieth appearance for Southend, and in the same game Jimmy Ryan made his three hundred fiftieth career start
League 2
Crawley 1-5 Oxford United
Frankie Sutherland won't want to remember his 25th career appearance after this loss at home to Oxford!
Callum O'Dowda scored his fourth goal in three games, having only scored five goals in the season before that!
Dagenham and Redbridge 1-4 Portsmouth
Michael Doyle scored his second of the season, and was booked for the third time in 2015/16
Morecambe 2-5 Hartlepool
Having only been sent off once in his career before 2015/16, goalkeeper Barry Roche has now been sent off twice in the last four games!
Northampton 2-2 Bristol Rovers
Congratulations to John-Joe O'Toole, Brendan Moloney (who made his fiftieth appearance for Northampton today) and James Collins on winning promotion to League One next season in this game
Plymouth 1-2 AFC Wimbledon
Graham Carey scored his tenth goal of the season
Scottish Premier League
Hamilton Academical 2-1 Dundee
Darren O'Dea was booked for the fifth time this season
Scottish First Division
Falkirk 3-2 St Mirren
Jim Goodwin was booked for the sixth time this season, in only 18 appearances
Eredivisie
SC Cambuur 0-1 Ajax
Jack Byrne made his twenty-fifth career appearance
Australian A-League
Central Coast Mariners 2-4 Newcastle Jets
Roy O'Donovan scored his fourth goal in his last four games
Further Reading
Sean Kavanagh still hopeful of saving Fulham FC career - getwestlondon
‘Lucky mascot’ Stephen Kelly eager to maintain Millers’ climb to safety - The Yorkshire Post
HOBAN: “Hopefully I Can Push On From Here” – Defender On Injury Return - watfordfc.com
Steven Reid: FAI have to realise we will win nothing without kids - Irish Independent
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Round Up - Midweek games of 5th April 2016
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
Championship
Birmingham City 1-2 Brighton and Hove Albion
Richie Towell returned to the Brighton matchday squad for the first time since February, but has still to make his league debut for the Seagulls
Derby County 4-0 Hull City
Congratulations to Cyrus Christie on his 200th career appearance
Middlesbrough 3-0 Huddersfield
Sean Scannell's 25th appearance this season was his 150th appearance for Huddersfield
MK Dons 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
MK Dons' Darren Potter was booked for the fifth time this season, more than a month since his last yellow
In the same game, Wolves' Matt Doherty was booked for the first time this season, after more than a year since his last booking in March 2015
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Cypriot Cup
AEK Larnaca 0-0 Omonia Nicosia
Cillian Sheridan made his twenty-fifth start for Omonia Nicosia
Further Reading
If It Happened Today: Gazza, Euro ’96 and the dentist’s chair - eurosport
Johnstone's Paint Trophy: Team of the Tournament - www.football-league.co.uk
We Do Not Dream - Claudio Ranieri
Championship
Birmingham City 1-2 Brighton and Hove Albion
Richie Towell returned to the Brighton matchday squad for the first time since February, but has still to make his league debut for the Seagulls
Derby County 4-0 Hull City
Congratulations to Cyrus Christie on his 200th career appearance
Middlesbrough 3-0 Huddersfield
Sean Scannell's 25th appearance this season was his 150th appearance for Huddersfield
MK Dons 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
MK Dons' Darren Potter was booked for the fifth time this season, more than a month since his last yellow
In the same game, Wolves' Matt Doherty was booked for the first time this season, after more than a year since his last booking in March 2015
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Cypriot Cup
AEK Larnaca 0-0 Omonia Nicosia
Cillian Sheridan made his twenty-fifth start for Omonia Nicosia
Further Reading
If It Happened Today: Gazza, Euro ’96 and the dentist’s chair - eurosport
Johnstone's Paint Trophy: Team of the Tournament - www.football-league.co.uk
We Do Not Dream - Claudio Ranieri
Sunday, 3 April 2016
Round Up - Weekend of 2nd April 2016
Saturday, 2 April 2016
Premier League
West Ham United 2-2 Crystal Palace
Damien Delaney equaled his most goals scored in one season with his third of the season
Championship
Blackburn 1-2 Preston North End
Shane Duffy's red card in this game was the first time he was sent off in his career
After returning to the starting XI for Preston, Alan Browne has started as many games in 2015/16 for the Lilywhites (26) as in the previous two seasons combined (5 in 2013/14 and 21 in 2014/15)
Bolton 0-1 Reading
Stephen Quinn was booked for the third time this season in his twenty-fifth appearance of the season, but his performance was enough to include him in the WhoScored Championship Team of the Week
Hull City 4-0 Bristol City
Alex Pearce came off the bench for his first appearance since 23rd February, and was booked for the first time this season
Nottingham Forest 0-3 Brentford
Alan Judge made his one hundredth appearance for Brentford
Rotherham 2-1 Leeds United
Leon Best was booked for the first in more than two years, his last yellow card came in February 2014
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-0 Ipswich
David McGoldrick came off the bench for his first appearance since 12th December
League 1
Bradford City 1-0 Scunthorpe
Josh Cullen was booked for the fifth time this season
Chesterfield 4-2 Port Vale
Jay O'Shea scored his eighth goal of the season
Rochdale 2-2 Doncaster Rovers
Niall Canavan scored his first goal of the season
League 2
Bristol Rovers 3-0 Crawley
Liam Lawrence scored his first goal of the season, just over a year since his last strike in March 2015
Frankie Sutherland was booked for the first time since November 2014
Luton 0-1 Stevenage
Jake Mulraney made his first appearance for Stevenage and was booked for the first time this season
Scottish First Division
Dumbarton 0-0 Greenock Morton
Paul Heffernan made his first start for Dumbarton
Sunday, 3 April 2016
Scottish Premier League
Aberdeen 3-0 Hamilton Academical
Willo Flood returned from a hamstring injury for his first appearance in a month
Football League Trophy
Barnsley 3-2 Oxford United
Callum O'Dowda's eighth goal of the season in today's final will be some compensation for losing to Conor Hourihane's Barnsley
Australian A-League
Perth Glory 3-2 Melbourne City
Andy Keogh broke the A-League record with his eighth goal in consecutive games, which was also his tenth goal of the season
Further Reading
Conor Hourihane: A Natural Born Leader - The Southern Star
Premier League
West Ham United 2-2 Crystal Palace
Damien Delaney equaled his most goals scored in one season with his third of the season
Championship
Blackburn 1-2 Preston North End
Shane Duffy's red card in this game was the first time he was sent off in his career
After returning to the starting XI for Preston, Alan Browne has started as many games in 2015/16 for the Lilywhites (26) as in the previous two seasons combined (5 in 2013/14 and 21 in 2014/15)
Bolton 0-1 Reading
Stephen Quinn was booked for the third time this season in his twenty-fifth appearance of the season, but his performance was enough to include him in the WhoScored Championship Team of the Week
Championship Team of the Week - Gameweek 39 https://t.co/7094SxKrhN pic.twitter.com/VssdmME3GP
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) April 4, 2016
Hull City 4-0 Bristol City
Alex Pearce came off the bench for his first appearance since 23rd February, and was booked for the first time this season
Nottingham Forest 0-3 Brentford
Alan Judge made his one hundredth appearance for Brentford
Rotherham 2-1 Leeds United
Leon Best was booked for the first in more than two years, his last yellow card came in February 2014
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-0 Ipswich
David McGoldrick came off the bench for his first appearance since 12th December
League 1
Bradford City 1-0 Scunthorpe
Josh Cullen was booked for the fifth time this season
Chesterfield 4-2 Port Vale
Jay O'Shea scored his eighth goal of the season
Rochdale 2-2 Doncaster Rovers
Niall Canavan scored his first goal of the season
League 2
Bristol Rovers 3-0 Crawley
Liam Lawrence scored his first goal of the season, just over a year since his last strike in March 2015
Frankie Sutherland was booked for the first time since November 2014
Luton 0-1 Stevenage
Jake Mulraney made his first appearance for Stevenage and was booked for the first time this season
Scottish First Division
Dumbarton 0-0 Greenock Morton
Paul Heffernan made his first start for Dumbarton
Sunday, 3 April 2016
Scottish Premier League
Aberdeen 3-0 Hamilton Academical
Willo Flood returned from a hamstring injury for his first appearance in a month
Football League Trophy
Barnsley 3-2 Oxford United
Callum O'Dowda's eighth goal of the season in today's final will be some compensation for losing to Conor Hourihane's Barnsley
Australian A-League
Perth Glory 3-2 Melbourne City
Andy Keogh broke the A-League record with his eighth goal in consecutive games, which was also his tenth goal of the season
55' | Andy Keogh, take a bow son! That's 8 consecutive scoring games in a row, NEVER done before in this country! #PERvMCY #WestVsRest— Perth Glory FC (@PerthGloryFC) April 3, 2016
Further Reading
Conor Hourihane: A Natural Born Leader - The Southern Star
176 - Jack Byrne gave more successful passes into the final third than any other Eredivisie player in 2016. Threat.— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) April 2, 2016
Friday, 1 April 2016
March 2016 Appearance Stats
Irish Abroad players appearance statistics for March 2016
Wins
Andy Keogh's recent scoring streak meant he won all four of the games he started in March
Draws
Crawley Town's on loan midfielder Frankie Sutherland drew three League Two games in March, one more than Greg Cunningham, Matt Doherty, Stephen Quinn, Stephen Gleeson, John O'Sullivan (on loan at Bury) and Samir Carruthers
Losses
Inverness Caledonian Thistle's defender Daniel Devine lost four games in Match
Starts/Completed Games
Sutherland, Devine and Shane Duffy all started six games in March, and all three completed 90 minutes in each games
Substitutions/Introductions
Aiden McGeady was substituted three times for Sheffield Wednesday, one less than Cardiff striker Eoin Doyle came off the bench
Stayed On Bench
Alex Pearce didn't play a minute of Bristol City's four games in March, spending each one on the bench
Goals
Andy Keogh hasn't failed to score for Perth Glory since early February, including five goals in four games for them in March. Two of Keogh's goals were penalties, the same as Robbie Keane, and both players' goals led to wins for their respective sides when they scored. Leon Best's three goals in March were his first strikes since April 2014!
Discipline
Blackburn's midfielder Darragh Lenihan was booked four times in the six games he played in March, and has now been booked eight times since the beginning of February, having not been shown the yellow card at all this season before that
Wins
Andy Keogh's recent scoring streak meant he won all four of the games he started in March
Draws
Crawley Town's on loan midfielder Frankie Sutherland drew three League Two games in March, one more than Greg Cunningham, Matt Doherty, Stephen Quinn, Stephen Gleeson, John O'Sullivan (on loan at Bury) and Samir Carruthers
Losses
Inverness Caledonian Thistle's defender Daniel Devine lost four games in Match
Starts/Completed Games
Sutherland, Devine and Shane Duffy all started six games in March, and all three completed 90 minutes in each games
Substitutions/Introductions
Aiden McGeady was substituted three times for Sheffield Wednesday, one less than Cardiff striker Eoin Doyle came off the bench
Stayed On Bench
Alex Pearce didn't play a minute of Bristol City's four games in March, spending each one on the bench
Goals
Andy Keogh hasn't failed to score for Perth Glory since early February, including five goals in four games for them in March. Two of Keogh's goals were penalties, the same as Robbie Keane, and both players' goals led to wins for their respective sides when they scored. Leon Best's three goals in March were his first strikes since April 2014!
Discipline
Blackburn's midfielder Darragh Lenihan was booked four times in the six games he played in March, and has now been booked eight times since the beginning of February, having not been shown the yellow card at all this season before that