Round Up - Weekend of 29th December 2016

Thursday, 29 December 2016

Championship

Rotherham 1-2 Burton Albion
Damien McCrory was booked for the first time this season

Friday, 30 December 2016

Premier League

Hull City 2-2 Everton
David Meyler returned to the Hull City starting XI for his first start in a month

Championship

Newcastle Utd 3-1 Nottingham Forest
Ciaran Clark was booked for the first time this season

League 1

Port Vale 1-0 Chesterfield
Jay O'Shea made his 200th appearance for Chesterfield

League 2

Hartlepool 3-2 Morecambe
Jake Carroll made his 100th appearance since leaving St Patrick's Athletic
Padraig Amond scored his eighth goal of the season, having not found the back of the net since November 19th

Scottish Premier League

Hearts 0-1 Aberdeen
Jonathan Hayes scored his 25th goal for Aberdeen

Saturday, 31 December 2016

Premier League

Southampton 1-2 West Bromwich Albion
Shane Long's first goal of the season wasn't enough for Southampton to beat West Brom on the last day of the year

Championship

Huddersfield 1-1 Blackburn
Derrick Williams made his 150th career appearance

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 QPR Ryan Manning made his first appearance for QPR, and unfortunately was booked

Brentford 0-0 Norwich
John Egan made his 25th appearance for Brentford
Robbie Brady was sent off for the second time in his career, five years after his last red card in November 2011

League 1

Southend United 1-1 Charlton
Simon Cox was booked for the fifth time this season (his first booking since 26 November 26th) and is suspended for the next game

Bolton 2-1 Scunthorpe
Stephen Dawson unfortunately marked his 50th start for Scunthorpe with his  fifth booking of the season and is suspended for the next game. This was the midfielder's first yellow card in two months

Bristol Rovers 2-0 AFC Wimbledon
Rory Gaffney made his 50th appearance for Bristol Rovers

League 2
Luton 3-1 BarnetAlan Sheehan scored his second goal of the season, three months after his last goal on September 27th. This was also the defender's fifth goal in League Two
Glen Rea was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Newport Co. 1-4 Exeter
Liam McAlinden made two assists in his first start for Exeter in more than a month

Plymouth 2-0 Crawley
James Collins made his 250th career start
Both Connor Smith and Mark Connolly picked up their fifth bookings of the season, and will be suspended for their next game

Round Up - Week of 26th December 2016

Monday, 26 December 2016

Premier League

Watford 1-1 Crystal Palace
Damien Delaney was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Burnley 1-0 Middlesbrough
Stephen Ward was booked for the first time since the opening day of the season in what was the defender's 300th start in England
Jeff Hendrick was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Chelsea 3-0 Bournemouth
Harry Arter made his 200th career start

Swansea 1-4 West Ham United
Declan Rice was in the matchday squad at West Ham for the first time as an unused substitute

Championship

Brentford 2-2 Cardiff
Brian Murphy made his first appearance for Cardiff since signing for the Bluebirds in September, indeed this was his first appearance in a matchday squad for the club!

Aston Villa 2-1 Burton Albion
Damien McCrory made his 300th career appearance

Barnsley 2-0 Blackburn
Darragh Lenihan was sent off for the first time in his career

Ipswich 0-2 Fulham
Jonathan Douglas made his 50th start for Ipswich

Newcastle 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Keiren Westwood's performance for Sheffield Wednesday against Newcastle was recognised by WhoScored and EA as the among the best of the week's fixtures

ST @hazardeden10, @paulpogba and @LacazetteAlex in TOTW 15! https://t.co/gSqAcZfgOs pic.twitter.com/oreAAyrPnF

— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) December 28, 2016

Championship Team of the Week - Gameweek 23 https://t.co/7094SxKrhN pic.twitter.com/It3an5cko5

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) December 28, 2016

Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 Bristol City
Joe Mason came off the bench to make his first appearance for Wolves since October 15th

League 1

Southend United 3-0 AFC Wimbledon
Simon Cox ended a goal drought of more than a month by scoring his first brace since November 2014, and his performance was recognised by the Football League as one of the best of the week

🌟 #EFL Team of the Week, with @EASPORTSFIFA 🌟

Our selection of stand-out stars from the Boxing Day schedule >> https://t.co/fGq4Mq8Kta. pic.twitter.com/S4SilFiN5O

— EFL (@EFL) December 28, 2016

Bristol Rovers 4-1 Coventry
Liam Lawrence made his first appearance for Bristol Rovers since August 30th

League 2

Leyton Orient 3-2 Crawley
James Collins was booked for the fifth time this season (his first booking in more than a month) and is suspended for the next game

Luton 0-1 Colchester
Owen Garvan was booked for the first time this season

Newport Co. 2-3 Portsmouth
On his 34th birthday, Noel Hunt made his first start for Portsmouth since November 5th
Enda Stevens scored his first goal for Portsmouth, 18 months after signing for Pompey in June 2015. This was the defender's first goal since February 2015

Yeovil 0-0 Exeter
Liam McAlinden was booked for the first time this season

Tuesday, 27 December 2016

Premier League

Liverpool 4-1 Stoke City
Jonathan Walters scored his 60th goal for Stoke

Championship

Brighton and Hove Albion 3-0 QPR
Shane Duffy made his 150th career start

Wednesday, 28 December 2016

Premier League

Southampton 1-4 Tottenham
Shane Long was picked up his second booking of the season, more than 100 days since his last booking on September 18th

Scottish Premier League

Inverness CT 1-2 Motherwell
Carl McHugh returned to the Motherwell starting XI for his first appearance the opening day of the season

St Johnstone 1-1 Rangers
Graham Cummins lined out for St Johnstone for the first time since October 29

Round Up - Week of 21st December 2016

Wednesday, 21 December 2016

League 1

Millwall 3-1 Charlton
In what was a memorable night for striker Aiden O'Brien, he made his 100th appearance for Milwall and scored his 25th goal for the Lions, which was also his 20th league goal for the club, and his tenth goal of the season!

English FA Cup

Newport Co. 0-1 Plymouth
Graham Carey will remember his first goal in the FA Cup (his tenth goal of the season) after earning Plymouth a third round tie against Liverpool

Cypriot Premier League

Doxa 2-3 Omonia Nicosia
Cillian Sheridan scored his eighth goal of the season, almost two months after his last goal on October 29th. This was also the striker's 30th goal in the Cypriot League

Friday, 23 December 2016

Scottish Premier League

Motherwell 1-3 Aberdeen
After going more than a month without scoring since his last goal on November 19th, Adam Rooney scored his tenth goal of the season, this was the Don's striker's 70th goal in the Scottish Premier League

Dundee 3-2 Hearts
Darren O'Dea's second goal of the season was the defender's first SPL goal since scoring for Celtic in May 2010 season, and his fifth goal in the competition overall

Saturday, 24 December 2016

Scottish Championship

Dundee Utd 2-1 St Mirren
Sean Dillon returned to the Dundee United starting XI for his first start since November 12th

Round Up - Weekend of 17th December 2016

Saturday, 17 December 2016

Championship

Greg Cunningham and Liam Kelly made the WhoScored Championship Team of the Week for their performances this weekend

Championship Team of the Week - Gameweek 22 https://t.co/7094SxKrhN pic.twitter.com/Cq4UNH110d

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) December 19, 2016

Bristol City 1-2 Preston North End
Aiden McGeady was booked for the first time this season

Cardiff 3-4 Barnsley
Anthony Pilkington scored his fifth goal of the season, this was also the winger's 15th goal for Cardiff

Fulham 2-2 Derby County
Alex Pearce scored his second goal of the season, the first time the defender has scored more than once in a season since 2013/14

Leeds United 1-0 Brentford
John Egan was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Congratulations to Connor Ronan on making his first senior appearance for Wolves

Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Rotherham
Keiren Westwood made his 100th appearance for Sheffield Wednesday

Wigan 2-3 Ipswich
David McGoldrick scored his 15th goal for Ipswich

League 1

AFC Wimbledon 4-0 Port Vale
Sam Kelly was booked for the first time this season

Oldham 0-2 Southend United
Stephen McLaughlin made his 25th appearance of the season

Scunthorpe 3-0 Millwall
Stephen Dawson made his 50th appearance for Scunthorpe
Paddy Madden scored his third brace of the season, and was booked for the first time this season

League 2

Carlisle United 2-1 Yeovil
Kevin Dawson made his 25th appearance of the season

Scottish Premier League

Ross County 2-1 Aberdeen
Jonathan Hayes was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Sunday, 18 December 2016

Premier League

Tottenham 2-1 Burnley
Stephen Ward made his 50th start for Burnley

Australian A-League

Central Coast Mariners 1-2 Brisbane Roar
Roy O'Donovan scored his fifth goal of the season

Round Up - Week of 13th December 2016

Tuesday, 13 December 2016

Championship

Blackburn 2-3 Brighton and Hove Albion
Shane Duffy scored his first goal for Brighton, this was also the defender's tenth goal of his career

Cardiff 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Anthony Pilkington scored his fourth goal of the season, just over three months since his brace on September 10th
Matt Doherty's goal was the first time the defender had scored in consecutive games since December 2012

English FA Cup
Oxford United 3-0 Macclesfield
Congratulations to Canice Carroll on making his senior career debut!

MK Dons 3-1 Charlton
Kevin Foley was booked for the first time this season, the full back's last yellow card was in February

Football League Trophy

Walsall 1-3 Oldham
Liam Kinsella's first appearance in more than a month was his 25th appearance for Walsall

Wednesday, 14 December 2016

Premier League

West Ham United 1-0 Burnley
Darren Randolph made his 25th appearance for West Ham, all of which are starts

Stoke City 0-0 Southampton
Glenn Whelan returned to the Stoke City starting XI for his first start since November 5th

Round Up - Weekend of 10th December 2016

Saturday, 10 December 2016

Premier League

Burnley 3-2 Bournemouth
This game was the first time two Irish players scored for the same team in the Premier League since Brady and Hoolahan for Norwich in February
Stephen Ward's goal (his first of the season) was his fifth goal in the Premier League, almost five years after his last PL goal in January 2012
Harry Arter was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Championship

Barnsley 2-1 Norwich
Conor Hourihane scored his first goal since September 13th

Newcastle Utd 4-0 Birmingham City
Congratulations to Republic of Ireland U19 defender Corey O'Keeffe on making his senior competitive debut as a second half substitute for Birmingham

Reading 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Paul McShane was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Rotherham 1-0 QPR
Lee Frecklington unfortunately marked his return to the Rotherham first team for the first time since October 22nd with his first booking since October 1st
Anthony Forde was booked for the first time this season

Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-4 Fulham
Matt Doherty scored his fifth goal in the Championship, almost exactly four months after his last goal on August 13th

Preston North End 3-2 Blackburn
Anthony Stokes came off the bench to make his first appearance for the Blackburn senior team since October 29th, although he has played and scored for their U23 side in the Checkatrade Trophy since then
Darragh Lenihan was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

League 1

MK Dons 1-0 AFC Wimbledon
Samir Carruthers made his 25th appearance of the season

Bristol Rovers 4-2 Bury
Rory Gaffney scored his fifth goal of the season, this was the former League of Ireland striker's 15th goal of his career in England

Millwall 0-1 Shrewsbury
Gary Deegan made his 25th appearance for Shrewsbury

Peterborough 5-2 Chesterfield
Chris Forrester made his 25th appearance of the season
Connor Dimaio made his 25th career start
Conor Wilkinson came off the bench for his first appearance since October 15th
Derek Daly came off the bench to make his league debut, his second senior appearance for Chesterfield, and was booked for the first time this season

Rochdale 3-2 Scunthorpe
Joe Rafferty made his 25th appearance of the season

Southend United 3-1 Coventry
Michael Timlin reached the milestone of 200 appearances for Southend
Stephen McLaughlin scored his tenth goal for the Shrimpers
Chris McCann was booked for the first time since October 15th

League 2

Crewe Alexandra 0-2 Crawley
Mark Connolly made his 150th career appearance
The first goal of James Collins' brace against Crewe was his tenth goal for the club

Plymouth 2-0 Doncaster Rovers
Graham Carey's opener against Doncaster was his 20th League Two goal

Scottish Premier League

Motherwell 0-0 Kilmarnock
Gary Dicker was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Inverness CT 1-1 Hamilton Academical
After coming off the bench for his last six appearances for Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Jake Mulraney returned to their starting XI for the first time since October 22nd

Rangers 2-0 Hearts
Robert Kiernan's opener was the defender's first goal for Rangers, his last goal was in April 2015 for Birmingham

Scottish Championship

Dunfermline 2-1 Greenock Morton
Gavin Gunning was booked for the first time this season

Scottish League One

Peterhead 1-1 Alloa
Fiacre Kelleher scored his third of the season, almost two months after his last goal on October 15th

Cypriot Premier League

Ermis 2-2 Omonia Nicosia
Cillian Sheridan returned to Nicosia's starting XI for his first start since 29 October 29th

Round Up - Weekend of 2nd December 2016

Friday, 2 December 2016

Scottish Championship

Dundee Utd 1-0 Hibernian
Willo Flood was booked for the fifth time this season

Saturday, 3 December 2016

Premier League

Stoke City 2-0 Burnley
Stephen Ward made his 50th appearance for Burnley
Jonathan Walters scored his first goal of the season, this goal made him Stoke City's leading Premier League scorer

Championship

Blackburn 1-1 Huddersfield
Darragh Lenihan's start against Huddersfield was his 50th appearance for Blackburn Rovers

Burton Albion 2-1 Rotherham
Anthony Forde returned to the Rotherham starting XI for his first start since August 16th

Cardiff 0-0 Brighton and Hove Albion
Shane Duffy was booked for the first time in two months

Norwich 5-0 Brentford
Robbie Brady's goal today was the 20th goal of his career, and also his tenth goal in the Championship

Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Preston North End
Alan Browne returned for Preston, in what was the former Cork City midfielder's first apperance since October25th
Eoin Doyle came off the bench for Preston on 80 minutes, scored his first goal since August 23rd on 83 minutes, and was sent off for the first time at Preston (the second time in his career in England) on 90 minutes

Scottish Premier League

St Johnstone 3-0 Inverness CT
Graham Cummins made his 50th appearance for St Johnstone in what was his first appearance since the end of October

English FA Cup

Chesterfield 0-5 Wycombe Wanderers
Jay O'Shea made his 25th appearance of the season

Luton 6-2 Solihull Moors
Glen Rea made his 25th start forLuton

Charlton 0-0 MK Dons
Samir Carruthers made his 100th start for MK Dons

Sunday, 4 December 2016

English FA Cup

Woking 0-3 Accrington Stanley
John O'Sullivan's goal today (his first since September 10th) was the midfielder's first goal in the FA Cup

Port Vale 4-0 Hartlepool
Port Vale's second goal in this cup was unfortunately former St Patrick's Athletic defender Jake Carroll's first own goal in England

Round Up - Weekend of 26th November 2016

Saturday, 26 November 2016

Premier League

Liverpool 2-0 Sunderland
John O'Shea picked up his first booking of the season

Championship

Derby County 1-0 Norwich
Robbie Brady made his 50th start for the club

Ipswich 3-0 QPR
Jonathan Douglas returned to the Ipswich starting XI for his first appearance since October 22nd

Newcastle Utd 0-1 Blackburn
Darragh Lenihan made his 50th career start

Preston North End 1-1 Burton Albion
Eoin Doyle's first appearance since October 25th was the striker's 200th appearance in England and Scotland

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Connor Ronan was in the matchday squad for Wolves for the first time

Rotherham 1-2 Leeds United
Stephen Kelly made his 25th appearance for Rotherham

League 1

AFC Wimbledon 2-2 Fleetwood
Cian Bolger scored his first goal in League One, this was the defender's fifth goal of his career

Bury 2-3 Millwall
Aiden O'Brien was booked for the first time this season, 11 months after his last booking on 26th December

Chesterfield 3-2 Bristol Rovers
Jay O'Shea scored his 50th goal of his career in England. and has now scored six goals in his last six games

Gillingham 3-0 Rochdale
Mark Byrne scored his first goal in League One, three months after his last goal on August 23rd

Northampton 0-1 Bolton
John-Joe O'Toole was booked for the tenth time this season in only his 25th appearance of 2016/17

Shrewsbury 0-0 Port Vale
Gary Deegan was booked for the tenth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Swindon Town 1-0 Bradford City
Anton Rodgers scored his first goal of the season, this was his first goal since September 2015

Walsall 0-0 Southend United
Michael Timlin was booked for the first time this season

League 2

Carlisle United 5-2 Mansfield Town
Patrick Hoban scored his tenth goal since leaving the League of Ireland

Colchester 4-0 Crewe Alexandra
Owen Garvan scored his first goal of the season, this was his first goal since October 2015 and the 25th goal of his career

Crawley 3-2 Grimsby
Mark Connolly made his 100th appearance for Crawley

Exeter 0-0 Luton
Pierce Sweeney made his 25th appearance for Exeter City

Scottish Premier League

Dundee 2-1 Inverness CT
Darren O'Dea was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Monday, 28 November 2016

Championship

Huddersfield 1-2 Wigan
Sean Scannell made his 100th start for Huddersfield

Round Up - Week of 22nd November 2016

Tuesday, 22 November 2016

League 1

MK Dons 2-3 Chesterfield
Connor Dimaio made his 25th appearance for Chesterfield.
In the same game, Jay O'Shea scored his 40th goal for the Spirites, and unfortunately picked up his first booking this season

League 2

Cheltenham 0-3 Colchester
Owen Garvan marked his first appearance of the season (his first appearance since the end of April) with an assist

Luton 1-3 Portsmouth
Defender Glen Rea made his 25th appearance for Luton

Plymouth 0-2 Barnet
Connor Smith returned to the Plymouth starting XI for the first time October 4th, and was booked for the first time in three months

Scottish Championship

Raith 1-1 Ayr
Joel Coustrain marked the first start of his career with his first senior strike

Wednesday, 23 November 2016

MLS

Seattle Sounders FC 2-1 Colorado Rapids
Kevin Doyle scored his first goal for the Rapids since October 14th, and was booked for the first time since October 16th

Thursday, 24 November 2016

Europa League

Sparta Prague 1-0 Southampton
Shane Long returned from injury last weekend, and made his first start for the Saints since October 20th in their Europa League trip to Prague

Australian A-League

Central Coast Mariners 2-0 Perth Glory
Roy O'Donovan scored his fifth goal against Andy Keogh's side

Round Up - Weekend of 18th November 2016

Friday, 18 November 2016

Championship

Brighton and Hove Albion 1-1 Aston Villa
Shane Duffy's start was the defender's 150th career appearance

Australian A-League

Perth Glory 3-1 Adelaide United
After his brace against Adelaide, Andy Keogh has now scored six goals in his last five games

Saturday, 19 November 2016

Premier League

Everton 1-1 Swansea
James McCarthy marked his return to the Everton team for his first appearance in a month (his first start since August 23rd) with his first booking of the season
After only scoring once in 2015/16, Seamus Coleman now has two goals in 2016/17

Sunderland 3-0 Hull City
David Meyler came off the bench to make his 150th appearance for Hull

Championship

Preston North End 0-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Matt Doherty made his 150th career start

Ipswich 0-2 Nottingham Forest
David McGoldrick was booked for the first time this season

League 1

Bolton 2-0 Millwall
Shaun Williams was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Bristol Rovers 0-0 MK Dons
Rory Gaffney made his 50th appearance in England

Fleetwood 2-1 Chesterfield
Jay O'Shea scored his fifth goal of the season in what was the striker's 150th start for Chesterfield

Northampton 0-1 Peterborough
Chris Forrester scored his fifth goal for Peterborough

Rochdale 4-0 Swindon Town
Joe Rafferty made his 150th career appearance, all of which have been for Rochdale

Scunthorpe 1-0 Oldham
Paul Green was sent off for the first time in his career

League 2

Carlisle United 3-2 Exeter
Jamie Devitt was sent off for the fourth time in his career

Notts County 0-3 Newport Co.
Graham Burke made his 50th appearance for Notts County

Yeovil 2-1 Colchester
Kevin Dawson was booked for the tenth time this season in what was only the midfielder's twentieth appearance of the season

Scottish Premier League

Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1-3 Aberdeen
Adam Rooney marked his 400th career appearance with his ninth goal of the season

Motherwell 2-0 Partick Thistle
Daniel Devine was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

St Johnstone 2-4 Ross County
Aaron McCarey made his second appearance of the season, almost four months after his last appearance for Ross County on July 30th

Sunday, 20 November 2016

Australian A-League

Newcastle Jets 1-1 Central Coast Mariners
Roy O'Donovan made his 25th appearance for Central Coast Mariners

Round Up - Weekend of 12th November 2016

Saturday, 12 November 2016

FIFA World Cup European Qualifying
Austria 0-1 Republic of Ireland
This was Ireland's first win in Austria, the first time the Boys in Green have beaten them since 1963(the longest winless streak against any opponent) and the first time beating higher ranked opposition in an away qualifier since a 2-1 victory against Lithuania in 1997
Shane Duffy continued his record of starting in each appearance for Ireland, and was booked for the first time in his Ireland career
Seamus Coleman made his 40th start for Ireland
James McClean's winner was the winger's eighth goal for Ireland
Both Harry Arter and David McGoldrick made their first competitive appearance for Ireland in their fourth and fifth senior appearances, respectively
Wes Hoolahan made his 37th appearance for Ireland, this was Hoolahan's 36th cap while signed to Norwich City, breaking Mark Bowen's record of 35 caps for Wales while playing for the Canaries

League 1
Bradford City 4-0 Rochdale
Billy Clarke made his 100th appearance for Bradford
Niall Canavan had not been sent off in his career before this season, but after this game, he has now been sent off twice in two months

Bury 1-4 Southend United
Stephen McLaughlin scored his tenth goal in England

Gillingham 2-1 Northampton
John-Joe O'Toole scored his fifth goal of the season

Millwall 4-0 Bristol Rovers
Shaun Williams scored his tenth goal for Millwall, almost three months after his ninth goal for the Lions on August 23rd

MK Dons 1-1 Walsall
Samir Carruthers was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

League 2

Colchester 0-3 Leyton Orient
Michael Collins was booked for the first time April 6th

Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Plymouth
Graham Carey scored his 20th goal for Plymouth

Portsmouth 4-0 Mansfield Town
Noel Hunt scored his first goal for Portsmouth, almost a year since his last goal on Friday, 18 December 2015

Round Up - Week of 8th November 2016

Tuesday, 8 November 2016

Football League Trophy

Everton U23 1-1 Blackpool
After returning from injury, Darron Gibson made his first start of the season
Although he's appeared for the Everton U23 side before this, Harry Charsley will remember his first appearance for the side in the Football League Trophy after marking it with a goal.
Mark Yeates was booked for the first time this season, before this the winger hadn't been shown a yellow card since last December

Crewe Alexandra 0-2 Chesterfield
Jay O'Shea scored his first goal in the Football League Trophy
Connor Dimaio scored his first goal of the season for Chesterfield

Blackburn Rovers U23 2-2 Oldham
Anthony Stokes scored his fourth goal of the season, his first since August 9th, in his first start in more than a month

Luton 1-3 Millwall
Congratulations to U19 midfielder Kyron Farrell made his senior debut
After signing for Millwall in the summer from Bohemians, Paul Rooney made his debut for the Lions

Wolves U23 4-0 Accrington Stanley
Connor Ronan scored his first goal of his career in his second appearance in the Football League Trophy

Swansea City U23 2-0 Plymouth
Tom Holland made his first appearance in the FLT

Stevenage 4-0 Southend United
Luke Wade Slater made his senior debut as a second half substitute for Stevenage
Michael Timlin made his first appearance of the season

Brighton U23 1-0 Leyton Orient
Richie Towell marked his first start of the season with his first goal for Brighton. This was the midfielder's first goal in the UK since July 2014
Michael Collins made his first start for Leyton Orient

West Bromwich Albion U23 0-2 Gillingham
After recovering from injury, Bradley Garmston made his first appearance of the season

Indian Super League

Kerala Blasters 2-1 Goa
Graham Stack returned to the Kerala Blasters starting XI for his first appearance in a month

Wednesday, 9 November 2016

Football League Trophy

Hartlepool 1-2 Rochdale
Brian Barry-Murphy made his first appearance of the season

Reading U23 0-2 Yeovil
Niall Keown made his first appearance of the season

Grimsby 2-4 Sheffield United
Graham Kelly made his first start for Sheffield United

Round Up - Weekend of 4th November 2016

Friday, 4 November 2016

Scottish Premier League

Partick Thistle 1-2 Aberdeen
Adam Rooney made his 100th start for Aberdeen
Adam Barton's equaliser for Partick Thistle was the midfielder's first goal since Saturday, 15 December 2012
Anthony O'Connor's opener (his first goal for Aberdeen) was the defender's first goal since Saturday, 12 December 2015, and the fifth of his career

Saturday, 5 November 2016

Premier League

West Ham United 1-1 Stoke City
Jonathan Walters returned to the Stoke starting XI for the first time since September 18th
The own goal scored by Glenn Whelan was the first time the midfielder had scored against his own side

Championship

Huddersfield 1-1 Birmingham City
Stephen Gleeson made his 100th appearance for Birmingham

Norwich 2-3 Leeds United
Wes Hoolahan reached two landmarks in this game - the midfielder made his 250th start and 300th appearance for Norwich
Robbie Brady scored his fifth goal for the Canaries, just over a month after his fourth goal on October 1st
Eunan O'Kane's appearance in the Leeds starting XI was the midfielder's 200th career start

Rotherham 1-3 Preston North End
Aiden McGeady marked his return from injury for Preston after a month out with an assist

Wigan 0-3 Reading
Paul McShane was booked for the first time since the opening day of the season

English FA Cup

Yeovil 2-2 Solihull Moors
Having not been sent off before this season, Kevin Dawson has now been send off twice in just over a month, after receiving two yellow cards in this cup tie, and being sent off on October 4th

Northampton 6-0 Harrow Borough
John-Joe O'Toole scored his first goal since September 27th for his fifth goal in the FA Cup

Gillingham 2-2 Brackley
Emmanuel Osadebe made his first start in a month

Portsmouth 1-2 Wycombe Wanderers
Noel Hunt made his first start for Portsmouth in this cup tie. This was the striker's first start since February 26th

Colchester 1-2 Chesterfield
After appearing for Colchester in the League Cup earlier this season, Louis Dunne made his first appearance in the FA Cup
Jay O'Shea scored his fifth goal in the FA Cup, this was the striker's first goal since August 20th

Exeter 1-3 Luton
Glen Rea scored his first goal in the FA Cup, almost two months after his last goal on September 10th

Charlton 3-1 Scunthorpe
Kevin Foley start for Charlton was the defender's first appearance for the Addicks in a month

Sunday, 6 November 2016

English FA Cup

Sheffield United 6-0 Leyton Orient
After making four appearances off the bench for Leyton Orient in the last few weeks, Alan Dunne made his first start in almost a year, his last time appearing in the O's starting XI was on Sunday, 15th November 2015

Blackpool 2-0 Kidderminster Harriers
Mark Yeates and Eddie Nolan both made their first appearances since the same game - against Bolton on Tuesday, 4 October 2016

October 2016 Appearance Stats

Irish Abroad players appearance statistics for October 2016: http://irish-abroad.appspot.com/MonthlyStats?month=10

Wins
Ciaran Clark won five games in October, just ahead of fellow Championship defender Shane Duffy on four. No other player started more than three wins.

Draws
Quite a few players started two draws in the run up to Halloween with Daniel Devine, Richard Keogh, Alex Pearce, Cyrus Christie, John Egan, Matt Doherty, Adam Barton, Harry Arter, James McClean, and Robbie Brady all starting a pair of games that finished level

Losses
Rotherham midfielder Lee Frecklington started each of the Millers' four games in October, and unfortunately lost each one

Starts/Completed Games
Devine, Keogh, Pearce, Christie, Egan, Doherty and Clark also started five games in October, along with Shane Duffy, Joe Shaughnessy, Anthony O'Connor, Stephen Gleeson, Eunan O'Kane, Jonathan Hayes, Wes Hoolahan, and Gary Dicker. Of these Keogh, Pearce, Clark, Duffy, Shaughnessy, Christie, Devine, Egan, O'Connor, Gleeson, Dicker, and O'Kane all completed 90 minutes in each game.

Substitutions/Introductions
Wes Hoolahan was substituted in four of the five games he started for Norwich, no other player was substituted more than twice. Jonathan Walters, David Meyler and Jake Mulraney were all introduced from the bench three times in October, with all of Meyler's introductions coming away from home.

Stayed On Bench
Goalkeepers Aaron McCarey and Jack Bonham both remained on the bench for five games in October. From the outfield players Liam Kelly, Anthony Forde, and Eoin Doyle were all unused substitutes for four games.

Goals
Both Andy Keogh and Adam Rooney scored three goals in October. The strikers were the only players to scored more than once, with Keogh's goals all coming in one game.

Discipline
James McClean was shown four yellow cards in October, no other player was booked more than twice.

Round Up - Weekend of 29th October 2016

Saturday, 29 October 2016

Premier League

West Bromwich Albion 0-4 Manchester City
After being booked for the third game in a row, James McClean has picked up five yellow cards this season and is suspended for the next game

Arsenal 4-1 Sunderland
John O'Shea made his 350th start in the Premier League, but unfortunately had to be substituted due to injury in the first half

Today is John O'Shea's 350th Premier League start.

What a marvellous achievement. 👏https://t.co/HOMHF6eujG#SUNARS pic.twitter.com/Rn91R5ajT4

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) October 29, 2016

Championship

Brighton and Hove Albion 5-0 Norwich
Robbie Brady introduction from the bench was his 50th appearance for Norwich City

Derby County 2-0 Sheffield Wednesday
This was the first game where two Irish international defenders scored since November 2009 when Ian Harte and Richard Keogh scored for Carlisle in a 3-2 defeat to Bristol Rovers
Cyrus Christie marked his 100th start for Derby County with his first goal of the season
Alex Pearce's first goal for Derby (also his fifth in the Championship) was the defender's first goal since 14 April 2014

Ipswich 2-2 Rotherham
David McGoldrick marked his return to the Ipswich Town starting XI since August 6th with his first goal since the same game

Leeds United 2-0 Burton Albion
Eunan O'Kane's 250th career appearance was marred with his first booking of the season

Reading 2-0 Nottingham Forest
Paul McShane made his 50th start for Reading

League 1

Oxford United 1-2 Millwall
Aiden O'Brien scored his 15th goal in League One

Bolton 3-1 Port Vale
After returning to the Port Vale side with an appearance from the bench a week and a half ago, Sam Kelly made his first start since August 9th

Fleetwood 2-1 Gillingham
Cian Bolger was booked for the first time this season

Sheffield United 2-1 MK Dons
Darren Potter scored his first goal of the season, before this the midfielder hadn't scored since January 31st

Scunthorpe 4-1 Swindon
The second goal of Paddy Madden's brace against Swindon (his fourth goal in four games) was the former Shamrock Rovers' striker's fiftieth goal for Scunthorpe, in 140 appearances for the Iron

Southend United 1-1 Shrewsbury
Stephen McLaughlin scored his fifth goal of the season, having gone more than a month since his last strike

League 2

Cambridge United 0-1 Portsmouth
Noel Hunt marked his first appearance for Portsmouth since September 10th with his first booking in over a year, having not been shown a yellow card since Monday, 31 August 2015
Michael Doyle was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Carlisle United 3-1 Crawley
Mark Connolly's consolation goal was his fifth time scoring for Crawley

Doncaster Rovers 2-2 Wycombe Wanderers
Michael Harriman was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Leyton Orient 0-2 Crewe Alexandra
After appearing on the Sky Sports documentary "Out of Contract", Michael Collins signed a short term contract with Leyton Orient and came off the bench against Crewe to make his debut for the O's

Mansfield Town 1-2 Stevenage
Patrick Hoban scored his fifth goal in League Two

Scottish Premier League

Inverness CT 3-3 Hearts
Having returned to the Inverness first team last week, Aaron Doran scored his first goal of the season in almost 18 months against Hearts, his last goal came on Saturday, 2 May 2015

St Johnstone 1-2 Partick Thistle
Adam Barton was booked for the first time in two months

Cypriot Premier League

Omonia Nicosia 3-1 Aris
Cillian Sheridan scored his 25th goal for Omonia Nicosia on his 50th appearance for the club

Australian A-League

Western Sydney Wanderers 1-1 Central Coast Mariners
Roy O'Donovan was booked for the first time this season

Round Up - Week of 25th October 2016

Tuesday, 25 October 2016

English League Cup

Newcastle Utd 6-0 Preston North End
The yellow card awarded to Eoin Doyle (his first booking of the season) was the first time the striker had been booked in 18 months, his last booking came on Saturday, 18 April 2015Alan Browne's red card was the first time the former Cork City player had been sent off in his career

Wednesday, 26 October 2016

Scottish Premier League

Motherwell 0-3 Inverness CT
After eight introductions from the bench this season following a serious injury, Aaron Doran returned to the Inverness starting XI for his first start since Thursday, 23 July 2015

Rangers 1-1 St Johnstone
Robbie Kiernan was booked for the second time this season

English League Cup

West Ham United 2-1 Chelsea
Darren Randolph made his fifth appearance of the season for West Ham, but has yet to make an apearance in the league for the Hammers in 2016/17

Round Up - Weekend of 21st October 2016

Friday, 21 October 2016

Australian A-League

Melbourne City 2-3 Perth Glory
Andy Keogh scored his first hat trick almost exactly two years after his last triple on 19th October 2014.

Saturday, 22 October 2016

Premier League

Burnley 2-1 Everton
Seamus Coleman made his 200th start for Everton
Jeff Hendrick was booked for the first time since the opening game of the season

Championship

Brentford 0-2 Barnsley
Conor Hourihane was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Newcastle Utd 3-0 Ipswich
David McGoldrick came off the bench to make his first appearance since August 9th

Rotherham 0-1 Reading
Paul McShane scored his second of the season, two months after his last goal on 20 August 2016. The defender has now scored more than once in a season for the first time since 2012-13

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Leeds United
Matt Doherty was booked for the first time this season, exactly 200 days after his last yellow card on April 5th

League 1

Bradford City 3-3 Sheffield United
Billy Clarke scored his fifth goal of the season

MK Dons 0-3 Southend United
Simon Cox's scored his third of the season, two months after his last strike on August 20th
Darren Potter was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Scottish Championship

Dundee Utd 2-1 Dumbarton
Willo Flood picked up his fourth booking of the season, his first since August 20th

Round Up - Weekend of 14th October 2016

Friday, 14 October 2016

Scottish Premier League

Inverness CT 0-1 Rangers
Robert Kiernan returned to the Rangers' starting XI for his first appearance since September 10th

MLS

Colorado Rapids 2-1 San Jose Earthquakes
Kevin Doyle marked his return to the Rapid's starting XI (his first start since September 4th) with two strikes, his first goals since July. Before this brace, the Wexford striker hadn't scored twice in the same game since December 2012!

Saturday, 15 October 2016

Premier League

Manchester City 1-1 Everton
James McCarthy came off the bench to make his first appearance for Everton since the end of August
Seamus Coleman was booked for the first time this season

West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Tottenham
James McClean made his 50th appearance for West Brom. THe Baggies have yet to lose a game the winger has started this season (via football365)

League 1

Charlton 3-0 Coventry
Chris McCann was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Fleetwood 2-0 Peterborough
Jimmy Ryan was booked for the first time this season

Northampton 1-3 Millwall
Shaun Williams made his 250th appearance in England

Scunthorpe 2-1 MK Dons
Paddy Madden's two goals were the striker's first goals in more than a month, and the first time the former League of Ireland player had scored a brace since January

League 2

Accrington Stanley 2-1 Blackpool
John O'Sullivan made his 25th start for Accrington Stanley

Cambridge United 0-1 Grimsby
James Berrett scored his first goal for Grimsby

Carlisle United 3-2 Hartlepool
Padraig Amond's opener was his fifth goal for Hartlepool and his 40th goal in League Two

Leyton Orient 1-2 Luton
Glen Rea's return to Luton's starting XI after seven weeks was his 25th career start

Plymouth 2-2 Portsmouth
Connor Smith marked his 50th career appearance with his first goal in League Two

Scottish League One

Airdrie Utd 1-3 Peterhead
Joe Gorman made his first appearance in two months

Cypriot Premier League

Omonia Nicosia 2-0 Anorthosis Famagusta FC
Cillian Sheridan scored his fifth goal in his last five games

Sunday, 16 October 2016

MLS

Portland Timbers 1-0 Colorado Rapids
Kevin Doyle was booked for the fifth time this season

Further Reading
The Premier League's most defensive attackers - football365

Dispelling The Mistrust Myths

A recent post by Póg Mo Goal examined the recent claims in Irish media that Wes Hoolahan is not trusted by the international management team. While the creative midfielder has been omitted by Martin O'Neill for some high profile fixtures, most notably Scotland and Poland in the Euro 2016 qualifiers, there has always been an explanation - for Scotland he was injured, and the midfielder himself asked to be excluded from the starting XI in the Poland game after not feeling fit having completed 90 minutes against Germany three days previously. Having witnessed that famous victory first hand, I clearly remember Hoolahan signaling to the bench that he had to come off late in the game. However with all three substitutes already used, the playmaker was forced to remain on the pitch until the final whistle.

After examining the appearance data for players during O'Neill's reign, the stats do back up their discovery. Only Shane Long(31) and James McLean(30) have had more appearances than Hoolahan's 28 caps in the manager's 34 games to date

Player	Caps	Goals
Shane Long	31	8
James McClean	30	7
Wes Hoolahan	28	2
Aiden McGeady	24	3
Glenn Whelan	24	0
Jeff Hendrick	24	1
Robbie Brady	24	6
John O'Shea	23	1
Robbie Brady	23	8

While researching the appearance details for Martin O'Neill, we also compiled the appearances under previous managers. Having given Glenn Whelan his international debut, Giovanni Trapattoni went on to select the midfielder more than any other player. earning 51 caps in the manager's 64 games in charge

Player	Caps	Goals
Glenn Whelan	51	2
Robbie Keane	50	28
John O'Shea	48	0
Aiden McGeady	42	2
Shay Given	39	0
Richard Dunne	39	3

Despite the Italian's reputation for defensive football, his predecessor Brian Kerr favoured defensive players, with Kenny Cunningham(28), Shay Given(27), John O'Shea(26) making up three of the top four most selected players during the former St Patrick's Athletic manager's 33 games. You could arguably add Kevin Kilbane to the list as a defensive player, given that he played at left full under Kerr.

Player	Caps	Goals
Kenny Cunningham	28	0
Kevin Kilbane	28	2
Shay Given	27	0
John O'Shea	26	1
Damien Duff	24	4
Robbie Keane	24	11
Clinton Morrison	24	6
Stephen Carr	23	0

The defensive trend continued with Mick McCarthy. In his 68 games, only Robbie Keane and again Kilbane(both 40 caps) appear in the top five most appearances, with centre half Gary Breen earning the most caps under McCarthy - 50.

Player	Caps	Goals
Gary Breen	50	6
Shay Given	47	0
Ian Harte	47	9
Kenny Cunningham	44	0
Steve Staunton	41	2
Kevin Kilbane	40	3
Robbie Keane	40	14

Further Reading
MythBusters: O'Neill doesn't trust Hoolahan - pogmogoal.com

Round up - Weekend of 8th October 2016

Saturday, 8 October 2016

League 1

Peterborough 3-1 Bury
Chris Forrester's equaliser for Peterborough was the former St Patricks Athletic midfielder's first goal in two months

Swindon Town 0-1 Bolton
Sean Murray made his 100th career appearance

Rochdale 3-0 Southend United
Niall Canavan scored his first goal of the season

League 2

Luton 1-1 Crewe Alexandra
Alan Sheehan made his 25th start for Luton

Australian A-League
Perth Glory 3-3 Central Coast Mariners
Roy O'Donovan started the comeback for Central Coast Mariners by scoring their first goal at 3-0 down and scoring the equaliser from the penalty spot on 86 minutes.

Sunday, 9 October 2016

FIFA World Cup European Qualifying

Moldova 1-3 Republic of Ireland
Stephen Ward made his 40th appearance for Ireland
Ciaran Clark made his 20th start for Ireland
Shane Long scored his 17th goal in his 71st appearance for Ireland
Eunan O'Kane came off the bench to make his fifth appearance for Ireland
Callum O'Dowda made his first competitive appearance for Ireland
James McClean scored his sixth and seventh goals for Ireland
Seamus Coleman was booked for the fifth time in his Ireland career
Jonathan Walters was shown his first yellow card in almost a year, before this game the striker had not been booked since 11 October 2015

Round Up - Week of 4th October 2016

Tuesday, 4 October 2016

Football League Trophy

Bolton 1-0 Blackpool
Eddie Nolan returned to the Blackpool starting XI for his first appearance since Tuesday, 30 August

Cambridge United 2-1 Middlesbrough U23
Coincidentally, Sean Long also returned to the Cambridge starting XI for his first appearance since Tuesday, 30 August

Carlisle United 2-0 Blackburn Rovers U23
Anthony Stokes made his first appearance since 27 August 2016

Fleetwood 0-2 Oldham
After coming off the bench against Bradford a week ago, Cian Bolger made his first start since Tuesday, 30 August

Doncaster Rovers 2-2 Derby County U23
Paul Keegan made his first appearance of the season and was booked for the first time in more than a year

Rochdale 2-1 Notts County
Niall Canavan made his 25th start for Rochdale
Graham Burke's start for Notts County was his first appearance since 31 August 2016

Grimsby 0-1 Leicester City U23
James McKeown was sent off for the first time in his career

Sheffield United 1-2 Walsall
Kevin Toner was booked for the first time this season

Bristol Rovers 0-0 Yeovil
Kevin Dawson was sent off for the first time in his career

AFC Wimbledon 2-1 Plymouth
Connor Smith scored his first goal of his career

Southend United 1-0 Leyton Orient
Alan Dunne made his first appearance of the season, before this the defender had not played since Sunday, 15 November 2015

Millwall 2-1 Gillingham
Emmanuel Osadebe made his 25th appearance for Gillingham

Thursday, 6th October 2016

FIFA World Cup European Qualifying

Republic of Ireland 1-0 Georgia
Seamus Coleman scored his first goal in what was his 40th appearance for Ireland
Jeff Hendrick was booked for the fifth time in his 20th start for Ireland
James McCarthy made his 40th appearance for Ireland
Robbie Brady made his 30th appearance for Ireland
Shane Long made his 70th appearance for Ireland
Jonathan Walters made his 30th start for Ireland

Round Up - Weekend of 1st October 2016

Saturday, 1 October 2016

There were 20 yellow cards shown to Irish players today, the most since 22nd November 2014

Championship
Birmingham City 1-0 Blackburn
Stephen Gleeson scored his first goal of the season
Tommie Hoban was shown his first yellow card since March 2015!

Ipswich 0-1 Huddersfield
Jonathan Douglas made his 50th appearance for Ipswich

Leeds United 2-1 Barnsley
Conor Hourihane made his 250th career start, in what was the midfielder's 260th career appearance

Preston North End 2-0 Aston Villa
Greg Cunningham was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Rotherham 0-1 Newcastle Utd
Lee Frecklington marked his 150th appearance for Rotherham with his first booking since April 2015

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Norwich
Robbie Brady scored his first goal for Norwich since March

League 1

Northampton 2-3 Bristol Rovers
Rory Gaffney scored his first goal of the season for Bristol Rovers

Port Vale 0-2 Coventry
Chris McCann scored his first goal of the season

Shrewsbury 1-1 Swindon Town
Gary Deegan was sent off for the third time in his career

League 2
Cheltenham 1-1 Luton
Alan Sheehan made his 25th appearance for Luton

Crawley 1-0 Blackpool
Mark Connolly's winner for Crawley was the Monaghan defender's first goal since December 2015

Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Mansfield Town
Patrick Hoban's first goal for Mansfield was his first goal since November 2015 while the striker's booking in the same game was his first yellow card since February 2015

Grimsby 0-3 Hartlepool
Padraig Amond's brace was the first time the former Sligo Rovers player had scored in a month
Jake Carroll was booked for the first time this season

Plymouth 4-1 Yeovil
Graham Carey scored his fifth goal of the season

Scottish League One

Peterhead 1-2 Livingston
Fiacre Kelleher scored his first senior goal, on loan at Peterhead

Indian Super League

NorthEast United 1-0 Kerala Blasters
Graham Stack made his first appearance for his new side on the opening day of the new Indian Super League season

Saturday, 2 October 2016

Premier League
Burnley 0-1 Arsenal
Congratulations to Jeff Hendrick on reaching 200 league appearances after starting for Burnley this afternoon

.@BurnleyOfficial 's Jeff Hendrick makes his 200th career League app while @Alexis_Sanchez has scored 3 & made 1 assist in 3 apps v Burnley pic.twitter.com/8NhbvzogDl

— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) October 2, 2016

Hendrick's favourite opponents

Jeff Hendrick opened his account for his new club Burnley with a goal last weekend against Watford, but perhaps we should not have been too surprised that he scored against the Hornets.
In the seven games the midfielder has played against them, he's scored four goals, including a brace in April 2014
He'll get another chance to add to this total when the Clarets face Watford at Vicarage Road in February

Opposition	Goals
Watford	4
Bolton	2
Brighton and Hove Albion	2
Bristol City	2
Millwall	2
Nottingham Forest	2
Wolverhampton Wanderers	2

September 2016 Appearance Stats

Irish Abroad players appearance statistics for September 2016: http://irish-abroad.appspot.com/MonthlyStats?month=9

Wins
Sheffield Wednesday's Keiren Westwood was joined by Leeds' Eunan O'Kane and Norwich City duo Robbie Brady and Wes Hoolahan in winning four games in September

Draws
Defender Daniel Devine, and midfielders Jonathan Douglas, Gary Dicker, and Olamide Shodipo all drew two games in the second month of the 2016/17 season

Losses
Derby County's defensive pairing Richard Keogh and Cyrus Christie both started four of Derby's losses in September

Starts/Completed Games
Keogh, Christie and fellow defender Greg Cunningham all started six games, with the Derby pair completing 90 minutes in each game. Cunningham also managed to collect three bookings in these six games

Substitutions/Introductions
Wes Hoolahan was substituted in all four games he started in September, while fellow midfielders Stephen Quinn and Darragh Lenihan were both introduced four times

Stayed On Bench
Goalkeeper Jack Bonham was an unused substitute five times in September, while of the outfield players, John O'Shea, Anthony Forde, Alan McCormack and Jack Byrne were all left on the bench by their respective managers three times

Goals
Robbie Keane(3) and Anthony Pilkington(2) were the only Irish players to score more than once in September

Round Up - Week of 26th September 2016

Tuesday, 27 September 2016

Championship

Brentford 4-1 Reading
Paul McShane made his 50th appearance for Reading
Alan McCormack's returned to the Brentford starting XI for his first appearance since 9th August and was booked for the first time since April

Huddersfield 2-1 Rotherham
Sean Scannell was booked for the first time in almost a year on his return for Huddersfield after a month out of the side

Ipswich 0-0 Brighton and Hove Albion
Leon Best made his first start for Ipswich since signing for the Tractor Boys. Before this, the striker hadn't started since the end of April
Jonathan Douglas was booked for the first time this season

League 1

Bradford City 2-1 Fleetwood
Josh Cullen made his 25th appearance for Bradford City (starting each one of them) and was booked for the first time in the 2016/17 season
Billy Clarke scored his 70th goal of his career, a month after he scored his 69th goal against Oldham

Southend United 2-1 Oxford United
David Mooney made his 50th appearance for Southend
Stephen McLaughlin made his 50th club start since leaving the League of Ireland

Swindon Town 1-3 Northampton
Sean Murray scored his first goal for Swindon. This was the winger's first goal since November 2015

Walsall 1-4 Scunthorpe
Liam Kinsella was booked for the first time this season

League 2

Accrington Stanley 1-1 Mansfield Town
Patrick Hoban made his first start for Mansfield, having not started a game since February

Hartlepool 1-1 Luton
Alan Sheehan scored his first goal of the season

Leyton Orient 0-2 Plymouth
Graham Carey was booked for the first time this season

Wednesday, 28 September 2016

Championship

Newcastle Utd 4-3 Norwich
Ciaran Clark made his 150th career start
Robbie Brady was booked for the first time since March

Round Up - Weekend of 24th September 2016

Saturday, 24 September 2016

Premier League

Liverpool 5-1 Hull City
David Meyler scored his first goal of the season, 11 months to the day since his last goal on 24 October 2015.

Championship

Derby County 1-2 Blackburn
Cyrus Christie made his 100th appearance for Derby County.

Norwich 3-1 Burton Albion
Wes Hoolahan was booked for the first time in more than a year. Before this, the palymaker hadn't been shown a yellow card since 12 September 2015.

Rotherham 1-2 Cardiff
Lee Frecklington returned to the Rotherham starting XI for the first time since the 6th August

League 1

Bury 2-1 Chesterfield
Jay O'Shea made his 250th club appearance since moving to England

Millwall 2-3 Rochdale
Aiden O'Brien scored his fifth goal of the season, this was also the striker's 20th goal for Millwall

Northampton 4-0 Southend United
John-Joe O'Toole scored the opener for Northampton in this win. This was the midfielder's 50th goal of his career.

Peterborough 1-1 Walsall
Chris Forrester made his 50th start for Peterborough.

League 2

Morecambe 2-3 Crawley
James Collins scored in the third game in a row for his fifth goal since signing for Crawley

Newport Co. 1-2 Cambridge United
Reece Grego Cox was booked for the first time this season

Scottish Premier League

Partick Thistle 1-1 Motherwell
Adam Barton made his first appearance for Partick since signing for them from Portsmouth

Celtic 6-1 Kilmarnock
Gary Dicker assisted the opener for Kilmarnock in his 25th start for the club

Scottish First Division

Dundee Utd 2-1 Greenock Morton
Sean Dillon scored his first own goal since October 2010. Unfortunately for the defender, all three of his career OGs have come while playing for Dundee United.

Cypriot Premier League

Omonia Nicosia 4-2 Karmiotissa
Cillian Sheridan's opening penalty in Omonia's win was his fifth goal of the season and the 70th goal of the Cavan striker's career

Sunday, 25 September 2016

Scottish Premier League

Aberdeen 2-1 Rangers
Jonathan Hayes scored his first goal since the end of July

MLS

LA Galaxy 2-4 Seattle Sounders FC
Robbie Keane's brace in this game was unfortunately offset by the Galaxy captain's first booking since March

Round Up - Week of 20th September 2016

Tuesday, 20 September 2016

English League Cup 
Leeds United 1-0 Blackburn
Darragh Lenihan was booked for the first time this season, before this the midfielder hadn't been booked April

Bournemouth 2-3 Preston North End
Marc Wilson was booked for the first time January

Brighton and Hove Albion 1-2 Reading
Stephen Quinn scored his first goal of the season

Newcastle Utd 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Daryl Murphy made his first appearance for Newcastle since signing for the toon

Wednesday, 21 September 2016

English League Cup

QPR 1-2 Sunderland
John O'Shea returned to the Sunderland starting XI for the first time in a month

Thursday, 22 September 2016

Scottish League Cup

Aberdeen 1-0 St Johnstone
Adam Rooney scored his fifth goal of the season, this was the Dons' striker's tenth goal in the League Cup, during spells with both Aberdeen and Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Joe Shaughnessy was booked for the first time this season

Round Up - Weekend of 17th September 2016

Saturday, 17 September 2016

Premier League

Leicester City 3-0 Burnley
Jeff Hendrick made his first start for Burnley since signing for them on transfer deadline day

West Bromwich Albion 4-2 West Ham United
James McClean scored his 25th goal since moving to England, this is also the former Derry winger's 10th goal in the Premier League

Everton 3-1 Middlesbrough
Seamus Coleman's first goal since February was also his 15th goal in the Premier League

Championship

Ipswich 0-0 Aston Villa
Leon Best came off the bench to make his first appearance for Ipswich

Newcastle Utd 0-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Joe Mason made his 25th appearance for Wolves

Birmingham City 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Keiren Westwood's yellow card was the goalkeeper's first booking since January 2015

League 1

Bradford City 1-1 Bristol Rovers
Josh Cullen made his 25th career start

Chesterfield 3-1 Northampton
Conor Wilkinson scored his first goal for Chesterfield, the striker's first goal since January. This was also his fifth goal in League One.

Coventry 0-0 Oldham
Paul Green and Charles Dunne were both booked for the first time this season. Before this, Green hadn't been booked since April 2015

Port Vale 2-1 Gillingham
Emmanuel Osadebe was booked for the first time this season

Rochdale 2-1 Fleetwood
Keith Keane made his first start for Rochale since signing for them on loan 

Southend United 3-1 Millwall
Stephen McLaughlin scored his first goal in a month in his 25th start for Southend
David Mooney scored his tenth goal for the Shrimpers

League 2

Exeter 0-2 Plymouth
Graham Carey made his 50th start for Plymouth and marked the occasion with his 15th goal in League Two

Leyton Orient 0-1 Yeovil
Kevin Dawson was booked for the fifth time this season

Scottish Premier League

Kilmarnock 2-2 Partick Thistle
Gary Dicker made his 25th appearance for Kilmarnock

St Johnstone 1-0 Hearts
Graham Cummins marked his 150th appearance in England and Scotland, for four clubs, with his tenth goal for St Johnstone

Scottish First Division

Greenock Morton 2-1 Dunfermline
Gavin Gunning made his first appearance for Greenock after signing a short term deal for the Ton during the week

Cypriot Premier League

Ethnikos Achna 1-2 Omonia Nicosia
The first goal of Cillian Sheridan's brace was the Monaghan striker's 25th goal in the Cypriot Premier League

Sunday, 18 September 2016

Premier League

Southampton 1-0 Swansea
Shane Long marked his 50th start for Southampton with his first booking this season

Scottish Premier League

Dundee 1-3 Aberdeen
Anthony O'Connor booking against Dundee was his first booking since December 2015

Inverness CT 2-2 Celtic
Jake Mulraney came off the bench to make his 25th career appearance

First goalscorer

James McClean's goal against West Ham ended an unwanted streak for Irish players in the Premier League - before the Derry winger found the back of the net from close range, no Irish player had scored in the top division in England in the 2016/17 season.

This was also the first time none of the Boys in Green had found the back of the net in a Premier League game in August since 2010-11, when fans of the Irish team had to wait until the second of October for Jonathan Walters to end the run without a goal when he scored the winner for Stoke against former club Blackburn Rovers.

Season	First Goalscorer	Date
2006-2007	Kevin Doyle	23rd August 2006
2007-2008	Stephen Hunt	18th August 2007
2008-2009	Caleb Folan	16th August 2008
2009-2010	Stephen Ireland	15th August 2009
2010-2011	Jonathan Walters	2nd October 2010
2011-2012	Stephen Ward	13th August 2011
2012-2013	Damien Duff	18th August 2012
2013-2014	Seamus Coleman	17th August 2013
2014-2015	Aiden McGeady	16th August 2014
2015-2016	Damien Delaney	8th August 2015
2016-2017	James McClean	17th September 2016

Round Up - Weekend of 10th September 2016

Saturday, 10 September 2016

Premier League

Burnley 1-1 Hull City
After signing for them on transfer deadline day, Jeff Hendrick made his first appearance in the Premier League for Burnley

Stoke City 0-4 Tottenham
Glenn Whelan was booked for the first time this season

Championship

Norwich 3-2 Cardiff
Anthony Pilkington scored his first brace of the season, he scored twice in the same game on two separate occasions in 2015/16

Preston North End 1-2 Barnsley
Aiden McGeady missed out on the international friendly against Oman to sign on loan for Preston, and he marked his debut for the club (also his first appearance of the season) with his first goal of the season
Aidan White made his 25th start for Barnsley

QPR 1-1 Blackburn
Tommy Hoban's second appearance for Blackburn was his 50th career start

League 1

Bristol Rovers 2-2 Rochdale
Keith Keane made his first appearance for Rochdale
Niall Canavan was sent off for the first time in his career

Millwall 1-1 Coventry
Shaun Williams made his 100th start for Millwall

Oldham 0-0 Chesterfield
Conor Wilkinson made his first start of the season, on loan at Chesterfield, before this the striker hadn't been in a starting XI since March
Connor Dimaio was booked for the first time this season

Peterborough 2-2 Port Vale
Chris Forrester made his 50th appearance for Peterborough

Scunthorpe 4-0 Southend United
Paddy Madden opened his account for the season with his 60th goal in League One

League 2

Luton 1-2 Grimsby
Alan Sheehan picked up a yellow card in his first appearance of the season
Glen Rea scored his first goal of his career

Newport Co. 2-2 Cheltenham
Reece Grego Cox made his first appearance of the season on loan at Newport, this was the striker's first appearance in more than a year having only made one appearance in 2015/16, in August 2015

Notts County 0-2 Accrington Stanley
John O'Sullivan scored his fifth goal for Accrington Stanley, this was the winger's first goal since December 2014

Plymouth 2-1 Cambridge United
Graham Carey scored his 15th goal for Plymouth Argyle

Stevenage 2-1 Crawley
James Collins scored his 90th goal of his career

Scottish Premier League

Celtic 5-1 Rangers
Robert Kiernan was booked for the first time since February in what was the defender's 150th career appearance

Scottish First Division
Raith 0-2 Falkirk
Joel Coustrain made his first appearance in the Scottish First Division

Cypriot Premier League

Omonia Nicosia 1-1 Doxa
Cillian Sheridan scored his 20th goal for Omonia Nicosia

International Round Up

Wednesday, 31st August 2016
International Friendly
Republic of Ireland 4-0 Oman
Ciaran Clark made his 20th appearance for Ireland
On his 146th appearance for Ireland (135 starts), Robbie Keane scored his 68th goal for IrelandThis was the striker's first first start since 7th September 2015, and his first goal in almost a year (362 days)
Keiren Westwood made his 18th cap for Ireland, this was the goalkeeper's first appearance since Sunday, 7 June 2015
Marc Wilson made his 25th appearance for Ireland, his first since 13 November 2015
Wes Hoolahan made his 35th appearance for Ireland
Robbie Brady scored his seventh goal for Ireland, and his third in his last three internationals
Jonathan Walters scored his 11th and 12th goals for Ireland

Monday, 5th September 2016
World Cup 2018 Qualifying
Serbia 2-2 Republic of Ireland
Glenn Whelan made his 75th appearance for Ireland, this was also the midfielder's 70th start
John O'Shea made his 115th appearance, (his 110th start) for Ireland
Richard Keogh made his 15th appearance for Ireland
Darren Randolph made his 15th appearance (10 starts) for Ireland
Daryl Murphy and Jeff Hendrick both scored their first goal for Ireland in what was Murphy's 24th appearance for Ireland
Stephen Ward and Robbie Brady both picked up their fifth yellow cards at international level

Irish Player Transfers, Loans and Contracts - August 2016

Transfers

2nd August 2016

Chris McCann signed a five month loan deal with Coventry City, keeping him at the Ricoh Arena until the new MSL season starts in 2017: http://www.ccfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/signing-loan-chris-mccann-coventry-city-atlanta-3219078.aspx

Having been without a club since his release by York City in January, defender Eddie Nolan signed a one year deal with Blackpool: http://www.blackpoolfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/eddie-nolan-joins-3220294.aspx

3rd August 2016

Having spent his entire career at Aston Villa, academy graduate Ciaran Clark signed a five year deal with Newcastle United: http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20160803/united-complete-clark-capture_2281670_5776745

Graham Stack signed for Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters as a player and coach: http://www.indiansuperleague.com/press-releases/3803-arsenal-invincible-graham-stack-joins-kerala-blasters-for-indian-super-league-2016

4th August 2016

After playing for them on trial during preseason, Noel Hunt signed a one year contract with Portsmouth: http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/pompey-have-signed-former-southend-united-striker-noel-hunt-3224511.aspx

5th August 2016

Following spells in Denmark with Copenhagen and Ipswich, Kevin Foley signed a short term deal with Charlton: http://www.cafc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/charlton-athletic-sign-kevin-foley-transfer-league-one-3227789.aspx

AFC Wimbledon defender Ryan Sweeney signed a three year deal with Stoke City: http://www.stokecityfc.com/news/article/2016-17/sweeney-checks-in-3228590.aspx

6th August 2016

After his release from Fulham, winger Dean O’Halloran returned to Ireland to sign for Bohemians: http://bohemianfc.com/?p=10385

9th August 2016

Burnley’s Ireland U19 striker Khius Metz has gone on loan to Altrincham until January 2016: http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/news/article/2016-17/metz-joins-altrincham-3235175.aspx

10th August 2016

Following a brief, but memorable, spell at Hibernian, Conrad Logan has signed a six month deal with Rochdale, where he was on loan in 2014: http://www.rochdaleafc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/conrad-logan-goalkeeper-rochdale-afc-dale-3238326.aspx

12th August 2016

Charles Dunne signed a short term deal with Oldham, following his release from Blackpool: http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/signings-latics-complete-double-signing-3243996.aspx

15th August 2016

Following some bizarre comments on twitter, Marc Wilson left Stoke for Bournemouth, where he previously spent two loan spells, to sign a two year deal: http://www.afcb.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/marc-wilson-afc-bournemouth-stoke-city-3248142.aspx

26th August 2016

After signing a new two year deal with Aston Villa, Kevin Toner has gone on loan to Walsall until January 2017: http://www.saddlers.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/kevin-toner-joins-on-loan-3272483.aspx

Shane Duffy signed for Brighton and Hove Albion on a four year deal: http://www.seagulls.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/shane-duffy-brighton-hove-albion-blackburn-rovers-3273273.aspx

Tommie Hoban and Derrick Williams signed for Blackburn Rovers on a season long loan and a three year contract, respectively: http://www.rovers.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/tommie-hoban-derrick-williams-3273216.aspx

28th August 2016

Ipswich striker Daryl Murphy moved to for Newcastle on a two year deal: http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20160828/united-complete-murphy-signing_2281670_5842951

30th August 2016

Following a sucessful trial at Portman Road, Leon Best signed a one year deal with Ipswich Town: http://www.itfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/leon-best-3279875.aspx

31st August 2016

Having been at Derby County for his career to date, Jeff Hendrick broke Burnley’s transfer record to sign a three year deal: http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/news/article/2016-17/hendrick-signs-for-club-record-fee-3283924.aspx

Adam Barton has moved north of Hadrian’s Wall to sign for Partick Thistle on a three year deal: https://ptfc.co.uk/ptfc-news/adam-barton-signs-three-year-deal/

Eunan O'Kane signed for Leeds on a two year deal: http://www.leedsunited.com/news/article/hlr7k4gvm3841qtqs3gue0dri/title/midfielder-arrives-on-deadline-day

Sean Murray signed for Swindon on a one year deal, with the option of a further 12 months: http://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/murray-is-a-red-3284300.aspx

Loans

2nd August 2016
Nottingham Forest’s 18 year old striker Gerry McDonagh signed for Wrexham on am initial one month loan, that was later extended until January : http://www.wrexhamafc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/bradley-reid-returns-to-wrexham-afc-as-clearance-is-gained-3274441.aspx

5th August 2016
Full back Anto Breslin signed a youth loan deal with Tamworth from Wolves: http://www.thelambs.co.uk/news/breslin-signs-on-loan-2672.htm

8th August 2016
John O'Sullivan signed for Accrington Stanley on a six month loan: http://accringtonstanley.co.uk/2016/08/johno-returns-the-reds/

Josh Cullen has returned to Bradford City, where he spent the latter half of last season, for a five month loan: http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/cullen-returns-3232324.aspx

31st August 2016
Keith Keane signed for Rochdale on loan until January: http://www.rochdaleafc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/keith-keane-rochdale-cambridge-united-loan-3282872.aspx

QPR striker Reece Grego-Cox signed for Newport County on loan until January: http://www.newport-county.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/county-sign-striker-reece-grego-cox-on-loan-3283379.aspx

Having fallen out of favour at Everton, Aiden McGeady returned to the Championship to sign a season long loan for Preston North End: http://www.pnefc.net/news/article/2016-17/aiden-mcgeady-deadline-day-preston-north-end-pne-3284951.aspx

Bolton striker Conor Wilkinson signed for Chesterfield on loan until 9th January 2017: http://www.chesterfield-fc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/young-striker-joins-spireites-3284869.aspx

Contracts

1st August 2016
Wes Hoolahan signed a new contract with Norwich City, keeping him at Carrow Road until 2018: http://www.canaries.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/wes-hoolahan-norwich-city-contract-3219551.aspx

5th August 2016
Adam Rooney extended his contract at Aberdeen until 2020: http://www.afc.co.uk/news/8255.php

11th August 2016
After making 200 appearances for Derby in the four years since he signed from Coventry, Richard Keogh signed a new three contract with the rams: http://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/richard-keogh-signs-new-three-year-deal-at-derby-county-3241282.aspx

26th August 2016
Before leaving for a five month loan with Walsall, Kevin Toner signed a new two year contract with Aston Villa: https://www.avfc.co.uk/News/2016/08/26/toner-pens-new-deal

Thanks Robbie.

A lot of people have been sharing their memories of Robbie Keane in an Ireland jersey, and one that pops up again and again is the last minute equaliser against Germany in the group stages of the World Cup in Japan in 2002.
Tales range from Leaving Cert papers being sat, to celebrations in pubs across Ireland, to being in the stadium itself to witness the finish.
My own memory of that finish is a little longer than 140 characters. I had finished a graduate diploma in Computer Engineering in UL, and, having graduated with a degree that had no jobs following the dot-com bubble bursting, was working in what was the Limerick Inn hotel on the Ennis Road with my father.
The hotel had been sold recently to the Radisson-SAS group and was being completely renovated. Everything was being torn out, every room renovated, every piece of furniture replaced.
Management were well aware the game was on, and that plans had been discussed between the workers on where to go to watch it, so a bargain was struck. The televisions from the hotel were being kept on site in storage, possibly the only decorations from the original hotel layout that were going to be reused, and a signal was still being received in the building. If we could get a TV set up in one of the bigger rooms, then they would allow us time off to watch the game, and provide soft drinks and finger food.
My dad had the key for storage, and we recruited a Polish worker to help us move the largest TV onto a hastily put together shelf in the corner of the room. Incidentally that shelf was probably the fastest job completed during the renovation!
With the TV working, and Bill and the lads providing the build up, some rolled up carpets were brought into the room so we'd have somewhere to sit, and as promised, the tables lining the edges of the room were piled high with sausages, chicken wings, sandwiches, bottles of coke, 7up, etc.
I don't remember much about the game itself, apart from the two goals. We had conceded early in the first game against Cameroon, and didn't want to repeat the mistake against the Germans, but a miscommunication between Staunton and Harte left Klose with space to plant a header beyond Given. At the time, I had thought it was Staunton's fault, but in the analysis Dunphy pointed out Staunton pointing at Klose to Harte, indicating he was the man for the full back to cover.
I genuinely don't remember anything of the rest of the game, apart from a feeling that we were never out of the tie, but were missing something up front to get a result.
At the 90 minute mark, I was looking into my safety helmet, wondering how I'd have the motivation to go back to work and finish what I had left for the rest of the day.
In my mind's eye, I can still recall looking back up at the screen just in time to see the ball leaving Finnan's boot, being flicked on by Quinn and Keane making half an inch of space for himself, and that's all he needed.
Queue chaos in the room. Food, drink, all being flung around in celebration of the goal. Suddenly I felt I'd be able to go back to work.




Thanks Robbie.