Friday, 30 October 2020

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 27th October 2020

Tuesday, 27th October 2020
Championship
Barnsley 3-0 QPR
Conor Masterson came off the bench for his first appearance in eight weeks

Swansea 2-0 Stoke City
Ryan Manning made his first appearance for new club Swansea, this was his first appearance in eight weeks

League 1
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Blackpool
Callum Reilly's goal was the 15th strike of his career, and his tenth in League One

Charlton 2-0 Oxford United
Olamide Shodipo made his first start for loan club Oxford United

Ipswich 1-0 Gillingham
Mark McGuinness' start was his league debut, and his first appearance for loan club Ipswich
Stephen Ward assisted a goal for the first time since October 2017

Portsmouth 4-0 Northampton
Ronan Curtis scored his 30th goal for Portsmouth
After signing an appearance based contract with Northampton, Alan Sheehan made his debut for the Cobblers

Rochdale 2-2 Sunderland
Eoghan O'Connell's start was his 70th appearance in League One

League 2
Bolton 1-0 Bradford City
Paudie O'Connor started a game for the 50th time in his career, and was also his 60th career appearance

Mansfield Town 2-4 Barrow
Aaron O'Driscoll was sent off for the first time in his career

Wednesday, 28th October 2020
Championship
Preston North End 0-2 Millwall
Alan Browne's start was his 200th appearance in the Championship

Bournemouth 1-0 Bristol City
Callum O'Dowda was named in the starting XI for the first time this season

Luton 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Glen Rea scored his first goal since October 2018

Thursday, 29 October 2020
MLS
Orlando City 4-1 Atlanta United
Jake Mulraney came off the bench for his 150th career appearance

Thursday, 29 October 2020

Landmark Goals

Recently, Diego Jota scored the 10,000th goal in Liverpool's history. John Aldridge tweeted the list of players who have scored landmark goals for the club, which included the former Ireland striker - who scored the Reds' 7,000th goal in a victory against Spurs.



This inspired us to look up the landmark goals scored by Ireland players.

The first goal scored by an Irish player was Bob Fullam's consolation strike in a 2-1 loss to Italy in April 1927 - the second international played by the team.

It would take 27 years before the 100th goal was scored by the Republic of Ireland national side, when Reg Ryan scored the third goal in a 4-0 win over Luxembourg in October 1953 from the penalty spot in a qualifier for the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland.

18 years later, in the final group game of the Brazil Independence Cup, held in 1972 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Brazilian Declaration of Independence, Shamrock Rovers' Mick Leech scored the 200th Irish goal in international football - the last goal of a 2-1 loss to Portugal in Ireland's final group game in the tournament. All three goals were scored in quick succession, with Portugal opening the scoring in the 35th minute, before doubling their advantage in the 37th minute, with Leech scoring in the 38th minute.

It would take almost 13 years for the 300th goal to be scored for the Republic in international football, when, on his 45th cap, Frank Stapleton opened the scoring in a 3-0 win against Switzerland in June 1985 in a qualifier for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. This was only the second goal scored by the Republic in the qualifying series, in the team's fifth group game, after being held scoreless since the group opener against the Soviet Union in September 1984.

Eight years later, John Aldridge scored Republic's 400th goal, the opener in a 2-0 win against Latvia in June 1993 in a qualifier for the 1994 World Cup in the United States. This was Aldridge's fourth goal against Latvia in two games against the Balkan state, half the total he would finish on against the Latvians - which is still a record for an Irish player against a single side.

Seven years after Aldridge's strike, Kevin Kilbane scored the 500th international goal for the Boys In Green, when he scored the first of his eight international goals in a 3-0 friendly win against Finland in November 2000.

Another seven years would pass before the 600th goal was scored. Record international goalscorer Robbie Keane scored the first of the Republic's goals in a 4-0 friendly victory against Denmark in August 2007.

Just over six years later, the shortest time between landmark goals, Shane Long scored the national side's 700th international goal, and his tenth international goal, and when he found the back of the net for the final goal in Martin O'Neill's first game in charge - a 3-0 friendly win against Latvia in November 2013.

Since that game, seven years and 68 games ago, 79 goals have been scored - a rate of 1.16 goals per game. If that rate continues, it will take 18 games before the 800th goal will be scored. Given the team plays an average of ten games a year, it could be September of 2022 before that happens, which would be the longest time between landmark goals since the 13 years between the 200th and 300th goals.

But it'll probably be against Latvia in June.

Wednesday, 28 October 2020

Round Up for weekend of Friday, 23rd October 2020

Friday, 23rd October 2020
Championship
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Derby County
Both Cyrus Christie and Harry Arter were booked for the first time this season

Scottish Championship
Arbroath 0-1 Hearts
Aidan White made his 20th appearance for Hearts

Polish Ekstraklasa
Piast Gliwice 2-2 Wisła Płock
Cillian Sheridan assisted a goal for the first time this season

Saturday, 24th October 2020
Premier League
Liverpool 2-1 Sheffield United
Enda Stevens was booked for the first time this season

Championship
Huddersfield 1-2 Preston North End
Alan Browne's brace was his first goal since Saturday, 22nd February

Millwall 1-1 Barnsley
Shaun Williams' start was his first appearance in a month

Norwich 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers
Adam Idah was sent off for the first time in his career

Stoke City 3-2 Brentford
James McClean's first goal of the season was his 20th goal in the Championship

League 1
Gillingham 0-2 Fleetwood
Paddy Madden's goal was his 110th goal in League One

Blackpool 1-0 MK Dons
Richard Keogh was booked for the first time this season - his first yellow card since Friday, 13th September 2019

Northampton 0-2 Charlton
Michael Harriman was booked for the first time this season

Shrewsbury 1-2 Rochdale
Jimmy Keohane made his first assist of the season

Sunderland 1-3 Portsmouth
Marcus Harness' goal was his 15th strike for Portsmouth

League 2
Exeter 3-1 Scunthorpe
Mason O'Malley assisted a goal for the first time in Scunthorpe colours

Bradford City 0-3 Newport Co.
Padraig Amond scored his first goal in a month

Cheltenham 0-0 Mansfield Town
Harry Charsley's start was his 30th career appearance

Oldham 1-2 Port Vale
Ian Lawlor made his 120th career appearance - starting each one

Stevenage 0-2 Leyton Orient
Conor Wilkinson's fifth goal of the season was also his tenth goal for Leyton Orient

Scottish Premier League
Kilmarnock 0-1 Hibernian
Alan Power was booked for the fifth time this season

St Johnstone 0-0 Dundee Utd
Mark Connolly made his 50th appearance for Dundee Utd

Scottish Championship
Dundee 1-0 Greenock Morton
Jonathan Afolabi marked his first appearance for loan club Dundee with a goal
Sean McGinty was booked for the first time this season

Inverness CT 1-1 Ayr
In his first start of the season, Daniel Devine was booked for the first time in 2020/21

MLS
Atlanta United 1-2 D.C. United
Jon Gallagher scored his fifth goal of his career

Sunday, 25th October 2020
Scottish Premier League
Aberdeen 3-3 Celtic
Tommie Hoban's start was his 15th appearance in the SPL

Monday, 26th October 2020
Premier League
Burnley 0-1 Tottenham
Kevin Long was unfortunately booked for the first time this season in what was his 80th appearance for Burnley

Saturday, 24 October 2020

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 20th October 2020

Tuesday, 20 October 2020
Championship
Coventry 1-1 Swansea
Jordan Shipley scored his first goal of the season - also his first goal in the Championship

Millwall 2-0 Luton
Glen Rea made his 20th appearance in the Championship

Norwich 1-0 Birmingham City
Adam Idah made his first assist of the season - also his first assist for Norwich

League 1
Gillingham 0-2 Portsmouth
Jack Bonham's start was made his 50th appearance for Gillingham
Thomas O'Connor made his 30th appearance in League One
Marcus Harness completed his first assist of the season

Accrington Stanley 1-0 Fleetwood
Paddy Madden was named in the starting XI for his 120th appearance for Fleetwood

Doncaster Rovers 4-1 Ipswich
Alan Judge started his 50th game for Ipswich

Hull City 1-0 AFC Wimbledon
Shane McLoughlin made his 40th appearance in League One

Oxford United 3-2 MK Dons
Olamide Shodipo marked his first appearance for Oxford United with the first goal of his career

Burton Albion 0-1 Rochdale
Jimmy Ryan made his 40th appearance for Rochdale

Northampton 2-1 Swindon Town
Michael Harriman made his 40th appearance for Northampton

League 2
Morecambe 1-1 Mansfield Town
John O'Sullivan made his 50th appearance for Morecambe
Harry Charsley scored his first goal for Mansfield Town - his first goal since November 2016
Stephen McLaughlin was booked for the first time this season

Bradford City 1-1 Walsall
Billy Clarke scored his 80th goal of his career
Liam Kinsella completed his first assist since Saturday, 10 November 2018

Scottish Premier League
Aberdeen 4-2 Hamilton Academical
Tommie Hoban scored his fifth goal of his career on his 20th appearance for Aberdeen

Wednesday, 21 October 2020
Championship
QPR 0-2 Preston North End
Sean Maguire made his 100th appearance in the Championship

Stoke City 2-2 Barnsley
Nathan Collins made his 25th appearance for Stoke City

Tuesday, 20 October 2020

Round Up for weekend of Friday, 16th October 2010

Friday, 16th October 2020
Championship
Derby County 0-1 Watford
48 hours after making his international debut, Jason Knight made his 30th start for Derby County

Scottish Championship
Hearts 6-2 Dundee
Jonathan Afolabi made his first appearance for loan club Dundee

Saturday, 17th October 2020
Championship
Barnsley 2-2 Bristol City
Callum O'Dowda came off the bench for his first appearance of the season

Birmingham City 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Dan Crowley was named in the Birmingham starting XI for the first time in since Saturday, 5 September

Luton 0-2 Stoke City
Nathan Collins made his first assist for Stoke City

Rotherham 1-2 Norwich
Adam Idah was named in the Norwich starting XI for the first time this season

League 1
MK Dons 2-0 Gillingham
Jack Bonham started a game for the 150th time in his career

Bristol Rovers 1-1 Burton Albion
Kieran O'Hara made his 90th career start
John-Joe O'Toole was booked for the first time this season

Fleetwood 0-0 Lincoln City
Paddy Madden's start was his 400th appearance in English football

Ipswich 2-0 Accrington Stanley
Alan Judge made his 60th appearance for Ipswich

Peterborough 2-0 Oxford United
Jack Taylor made his first assist of the season

Rochdale 0-3 Hull City
Eoghan O'Connell's was his 130th career appearance

League 2
Carlisle United 3-2 Colchester
Joshua Kayode made his tenth appearance for Carlisle United

Mansfield Town 1-3 Bradford City
Ryan Sweeney's start was his 150th career appearance 
Corey O'Keeffe made his first assist for Mansfield Town - his first since October 2019

Port Vale 1-0 Salford City
Darron Gibson made his tenth appearance for Salford City

Scottish Premier League
Dundee Utd 0-0 Aberdeen
Jonathan Hayes was booked for the first time this season - more than a year after his last yellow card in September 2019

Sunday, 18th October 2020
Premier League
Sheffield United 1-1 Fulham
John Egan made his 40th appearance in the Premier League
Enda Stevens made his 50th appearance in the competition

Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton and Hove Albion
Aaron Connolly completed his first assist of the season

Polish Ekstraklasa
Wisła Płock 1-0 Śląsk Wrocław
Cillian Sheridan started a game for Wisla for the first time in a month

Monday, 19th October 2020
Premier League
West Bromwich Albion 0-0 Burnley
Callum Robinson came off the bench for his 25th appearance in the competition

MLS
FC Toronto 1-0 Atlanta United
Jake Mulraney started his tenth start for Atlanta United

Saturday, 17 October 2020

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 13th October 2020

Tuesday, 13th October 2020
League 2
Walsall 2-1 Leyton Orient
Emmanuel Osadebe was booked for the first time in a month

Scottish League Cup
Inverness CT 0-0 Cowdenbeath
Daniel Devine made his first appearance of the season
Cian Kavanagh was booked for the first time this season

Falkirk 2-1 Clyde
Aidan Keena scored his first goal for Falkirk

Kilmarnock 0-3 Dunfermline
Colin Doyle made his first appearance for Kilmarnock

Greenock Morton 1-0 Queen's Park
Sean McGinty made his first appearance of the season

Football League Trophy
Crawley 1-2 Arsenal U21
Jordan McEneff's goal was his first in senior competition

Thursday, 15 October 2020
MLS
Inter Miami 1-1 Atlanta United
Jake Mulraney scored his first goal for Atlanta United - his first goal since November 2019

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 10th October 2020

Saturday, 10 October 2020
League 1
Gillingham 3-1 Oxford United
Liam Kelly made his 110th career appearance

Accrington Stanley 2-1 Rochdale
Ryan Cassidy made his fifth appearance in the competition

Plymouth 2-0 Burton Albion
Stephen Quinn made his 90th start for Burton Albion

League 2
Barrow 1-1 Leyton Orient
Conor Wilkinson was booked for the first time this season

Cambridge United 2-1 Newport Co.
Wes Hoolahan assisted two goals - his first assist since Wednesday, 21 August 2019

Mansfield Town 0-0 Stevenage
Corey O'Keeffe made his 40th career start
Ryan Sweeney made his 90th start for Mansfield Town

Oldham 2-3 Morecambe
John O'Sullivan made his first assist of the season - his fifth for Morecambe

Salford City 2-2 Tranmere
Richie Towell scored his fifth goal in the competition

Walsall 1-1 Colchester
Liam Kinsella's first booking since Tuesday, 8 September 2020(34 days)

Scottish League Cup
Annan 1-1 Stranraer
Ruairi Paton scored his first goal for Stranraer

Queen of the South 2-2 St Mirren
Jamie McGrath scored his first goal for St Mirren
Sunday, 11 October 2020
MLS
Atlanta United 0-1 New York Red Bulls
Jon Gallagher made his tenth appearance for Atlanta United

Tuesday, 6 October 2020

Come On You Girls In Green

I'm delighted to be joined by ESPN journalist Kathleen McNamee to discuss the recent FAI women's team's loss to Germany, look ahead to the qualifier against Ukraine on Thursday, 22nd October, discuss the rise of the Women's Super League in England, what it means for the Women's League here in Ireland, and why so many Irish women are playing across the continent

Round Up for weekend of Friday, 2nd October 2020

Friday, 2nd October 2020
Scottish Premier League
Aberdeen 2-1 St Mirren
Tommie Hoban started his fifteenth game for Aberdeen

Dundee Utd 1-2 Livingston
Mark Connolly was named in the starting XI for the first time since Saturday, 29 August

Polish Ekstraklasa
Raków Częstochowa 3-0 Wisła Płock
Cillian Sheridan was booked for the first time this season

Saturday, 3rd October 2020
Premier League
Everton 4-2 Brighton and Hove Albion
Aaron Connolly's start was his 40th career appearance

Championship
Norwich 0-1 Derby County
Adam Idah came off the bench for his 20th appearance for Norwich
Jason Knight was booked for the first time this season

Blackburn 0-0 Cardiff
Greg Cunningham was booked for the first time since Saturday, 21 September 2019

Luton 2-0 Wycombe Wanderers
James Collins' start was his 50th appearance in the Championship
Daryl Horgan's start was his tenth appearance of the season

Rotherham 1-1 Huddersfield
Kieran Sadlier completed his first assist of the season

Swansea 2-1 Millwall
Alex Pearce made his 50th appearance for Millwall

League 1
AFC Wimbledon 1-2 Accrington Stanley
Ryan Cassidy was booked for the first time this season

Blackpool 2-3 Lincoln City
Sean Roughan's start was his fifth career appearance

Bristol Rovers 2-0 Northampton
Cian Bolger was booked for the first time this season

Burton Albion 2-4 Portsmouth
John-Joe O'Toole made his 40th appearance for Burton Albion
Ronan Curtis made his 100th appearance for Portsmouth

MK Dons 1-1 Ipswich
Richard Keogh was named in the MK Dons starting XI for the first time, this was the defneder's first start since Saturday, 21 September 2019

Peterborough 3-1 Swindon Town
Jack Taylor's start was his 15th appearance in League One

Rochdale 2-1 Fleetwood
Paul McShane's start was his 20th appearance in League One
Paddy Madden started his 90th game for Fleetwood

Shrewsbury 1-1 Gillingham
Jack Bonham's start was his 150th career appearance
Thomas O'Connor's first start of the season was his 40th career appearance

League 2
Harrogate Town 1-2 Bolton
Ryan Delaney made his first appearance in League Two
Eoin Doyle scored his first goal for Bolton, this was also his 40th goal in League Two

Newport Co. 2-1 Mansfield Town
Stephen McLaughlin marked his first start for Mansfield Town with his first goal for the Stags

Swiss Challenge League
Grasshopper 3-0 Wil
Connor Ronan was booked in his first appearance for Grasshopper, as a second half substitute

Bulgarian Second League
Lokomotiv Sofia 1929 3-1 Pirin Blagoevgrad
Conor Henderson scored his first goal of the season

Sunday, 4 October 2020
Premier League
Southampton 2-0 West Bromwich Albion
Dara O'Shea started his 25th game for West Bromwich Albion, this was also his 60th career start

Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield United
David McGoldrick scored his 22nd goal for Sheffield United in his 80th appearance for the Blades

Championship
Brentford 2-4 Preston North End
Sean Maguire scored his 20th goal for Preston North End

Stoke City 1-1 Birmingham City
Scott Hogan came off the bench for his 20th appearance for Birmingham City

Scottish Premier League
St Johnstone 0-2 Celtic
Dan McNamara's start was his tenth appearance for St Johnstone
Shane Duffy made his first assist for Celtic, this was the defender's first assist since Saturday, 5 January 2019

Bulgarian Championship
ETAR 2-2 CSKA Sofia
Graham Carey made his tenth appearance of the season

MLS
D.C. United 0-4 Atlanta United
Jon Gallagher scored a brace for the first time in his career

Norwegian Eliteserien
Aalesund 1-2 Kristiansund
Sean McDermott made his 90th appearance for Kristiansund - remarkably starting each one

Saturday, 3 October 2020

Stephen Kenny's Second Squad

Stephen Kenny has named his second squad. The Republic of Ireland manager has called up 25 players to face Slovakia in a Euro 2020 play off, followed by two Nations League games against Wales and Finland. I'm joined by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick and Philip Flanagan of The Bottomless Pit Of Football to discuss the players, the omissions, and what we can expect from the Slovakian players in Bratislava

Thursday, 1 October 2020

Transfers, Loans, and Contracts for September 2020

Transfers
Wednesday, 2nd September
Daryl Horgan returned to the Championship, and signed a two year contract with newly promoted Wycombe Wanderers

Sean Scannell joined Grimsby Town, signing a two year deal with the Mariners

Thursday, 3rd September
Following his departure from Macclesfield Town, defender Emmanuel Osadebe signed for Walsall

Wednesday, 9th September
Callum Robinson returned to West Bromwich Albion, where he spent the 2019/20 season on loan, signing a five year contract with the Baggies

Thursday, 10th September
Tyrone Duffus reunited with former boss Peter Beadle at non-league side Barnet

Friday, 11th September
Stephen McLaughlin joined former manager Graham Coughlan at Mansfield Town, signing a short term deal with the Stags

Following his season long loan at Burton Albion last season, goalkeeper Kieran O'Hara signed a two year contract with the Brewers

Saturday, 12th September
Defender Fiacre Kelleher signed a one year contract with Welsh side Wrexham

Wednesday, 16th September
Following his successful loan at St Andrews during the 2019/20 season, Scott Hogan signed a four year contract with Birmingham City

Thursday, 17th September
Alan McCormack returned to Southend United, where he left in 2010 after more than 150 games, signing a contract until January 2021

Friday 18th September
Defender Kevin Toner signed for Spanish fourth division side Club de Futbol la Nucia

Monday, 21st September
Shamrock Rovers' Ireland underage international Edwin Agbaje signed for Ipswich Town

Roland Idowu left Southampton to sign his first professional contract with Cardiff City

Tuesday, 22nd September
After making more than 250 appearances for Bournemouth, Harry Arter has signed for fellow Championship side Nottingham Forest

Sunday, 27th September
U21 striker Michael O'Connor left Waterford to sign for Scottish Premiership side Ross County

Wednesday, 30th September
Deji Sotona has signed for Ligue Un side OGC Nice, and will go straight into their first team squad

Loans
Wednesday, 2nd September
Shane Duffy completed a season long loan to Celtic during the international break

Thursday, 10th September
Denise O'Sullivan signed a loan deal with Brighton and Hove Albion, and will play for the Women's Super League side until the end of 2020

Friday, 18th September
Fulham defender Cyrus Christie signed a season long loan deal with Nottingham Forest

Tuesday, 22nd September
Birmingham City defender Ryan Burke signed for Yeovil Town on loan until January 2021

Ireland U19 and Arsenal defender Mark McGuinnes signed a season long loan deal with Ipswich

Tuesday, 29th September
Celtic striker Jonathan Afolabi signed a season long loan deal with Dundee

Tom O'Connor returned to Gillingham on loan for the remainder of the 2020/21 season

Contracts
Tuesday, 8th September
Conor Masterson extended his contract with QPR until the summer of 2023

Wednesday, 16th September
Connor Ronan signed a four year extension to his contract with Wolves

Friday, 18th September
Bradford defender Reece Staunton signed a new four year contract at Valley Parade

Tuesday, 22nd September
After signing a one year scholar contract in July, Calum Kavanagh signed his first professional contract with Middlesbrough

Tuesday, 29th September
Goalkeeper Max O'Leary signed a three year extension to his contract with Bristol City

Before completing his loan move to Dundee, Jonathan Afolabi signed an extension to his contract with Celtic until the end of the 2022/23 season