Episode 37 - 2021: A Year In Football

I'm joined by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick and Philip Flanagan of The Bottomless Pit of Football, in one of our longest episodes to date, to review the highs and lows of Irish international football in 2021, including the worst home result of our lifetimes, the worst moment of Stephen Kenny's reign, and how, in the final seven games of the year, the manager has gotten the team to play the football he wants them to play, and we want to see.

Round up for weekend of Saturday, 18th December 2021

Saturday, 18th December 2021

Championship

Blackburn 4-0 Birmingham City

Darragh Lenihan assisted a goal for the first time since November 2020

Nottingham Forest 2-1 Hull City

Sean McLoughlin was booked for the first time this season, more than a year after his last booking in November 2020

League 1

Oxford United 2-3 Wigan

Anthony Forde made his first assist of the season
James McClean scored his first goal in seven weeks
Will Keane scored his tenth goal of the season

League 2

Rochdale 3-0 Newport County

Liam Kelly scored his first goal in eight weeks

Scottish Premier League

Dundee 0-1 Hearts

Aaron McEneff made his 25th appearance for Hearts

Scottish Championship

Queen of the South 3-0 Ayr

Ruairi Paton assisted a goal for the first time since Saturday, 6 November

Scottish League One

Montrose 1-1 Queen's Park

Sean Dillon's start was his first appearance since coming off the bench on Saturday, 9 October

Sunday, 19 December 2021

Premier League

Newcastle United 0-4 Manchester City

Jeff Hendrick came off the bench for his first appearance since Saturday, 2 October

Scottish League Cup

Hibernian 1-2 Celtic

Jake Doyle-Hayes was booked for the fifth time this season

Episode 36 - 2022-23 UEFA Nations League Group B-1

Following the draw for the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League, I'm joined by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick to discuss the Republic of Ireland's group, and the fixtures next year against Ukraine, Scotland, and Armenia. 

Note: this episode was recorded after the draw was made, but before the fixtures were announced.

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 11th December 2021

Saturday, 11th December 2021

Championship

Bournemouth 0-2 Blackburn

Robbie Brady made his first start for Bournemouth, 10 months after his last start in January 2021

Derby County 1-0 Blackpool

Eiran Cashin came off the bench for his first career appearance
Richard Keogh's introduction was his first appearance in five weeks

Hull City 2-2 Bristol City

Callum O'Dowda was named in the Bristol City starting XI for the 100th time <-- CHECK THIS

Preston North End 2-1 Barnsley

Sean Maguire's start was his 150th appearance for Preston North End
Alan Browne scored his first goal of the season

West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Reading

Callum Robinson scored his first goal in four months, and was shown his first yellow card since February 2020

League 1

Cheltenham 2-2 Lincoln City

Sean Long was booked for the first time in a month

MK Dons 1-2 Oxford United

Troy Parrott assisted a goal for the first time in ten weeks

Portsmouth 2-0 Morecambe

Marcus Harness scored his tenth goal of the season

Sunderland 2-1 Plymouth Argyle

Aiden O'Brien was booked for the first time this season

League 2

Bradford City 2-2 Sutton United

Niall Canavan was sent off for the second time for Bradford City, just over a year after his last red card on Saturday, 21 November 2020

Bristol Rovers 4-2 Rochdale

Trevor Clarke assisted a goal for the first time this season in his first start in two months

Leyton Orient 1-2 Crawley Town

Will Ferry was named in the starting XI for the first time in six weeks

Walsall 3-0 Colchester

Emmanuel Osadebe made his 50th start for Walsall

Scottish Premier League

St Mirren 1-1 Hibernian

Joe Shaughnessy scored his tenth goal in the SPL
Alan Power was booked for the fifth time this season

Scottish Championship

Dunfermline 3-3 Queen of the South

Mark Connolly scored his first goal for Dunfermline, this was his first goal since January 2020, and the 15th goal of his career

Sunday, 12th December 2021

Scottish Premier League

Celtic 1-0 Motherwell

Jake Carroll's first start in 15 weeks was his 50th start for Motherwell

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 7th December 2021

Tuesday, 7th December 2021

League 1

Doncaster Rovers 1-2 Oxford United

Mark Sykes scored his first goal in six weeks

Rotherham 5-1 Gillingham

Chiedozie Ogbene scored his first goal of the season, this was his first goal since January 2020

Sunderland 5-0 Morecambe

Aiden O'Brien assisted a goal for the first time in nine weeks

Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 Burton Albion

Conor Shaughnessy scored his first goal in eight weeks

League 2

Bristol Rovers 1-2 Port Vale

Trevor Clarke's introduction was his first appearance since Tuesday, 19 October

Leyton Orient 4-1 Swindon Town

Aaron Drinan scored his ninth goal in eight games
Shadrach Ogie was booked for the fifth time this season

Mansfield Town 1-0 Carlisle United

Stephen McLaughlin scored his first goal of the season

Walsall 1-1 Crawley Town

Liam Kinsella was booked for the first time this season

Scottish FA Cup

Greenock Morton 1-1 Inverness CT

Daniel Devine scored his first goal of the season

Wednesday, 8th December 2021

League 1

Wigan 2-1 Shrewsbury

James McClean assisted a goal for the first time in eight weeks
Joshua Daniels was named in the starting XI for the first time since Tuesday, 31 August

League 2

Hartlepool 2-1 Rochdale

Aidan White was booked for the first time this season, this was the defender's first booking since October 2019

Thursday, 9th December 2021

Europa League

Celtic 3-2 Real Betis

Liam Scales made his first start for Celtic

2️⃣ Celtic have named two @FAIreland players in the starting XI for the first time since Anthony Stokes and Eoghan O'Connell started for the Bhoys against Dundee United in August 2015#COYBIG https://t.co/DlhOfcfpIN

— Irish Abroad (@irish_abroad) December 9, 2021

Round Up for weekend of Friday, 3rd December 2021

Friday, 3rd December 2021

Championship

Fulham 1-1 Bournemouth

Robbie Brady came off the bench for his first appearance of the season, this was his first appearance since Saturday, 13th March 2021(268 days)
Mark Travers was booked for the first time this season

Eerste Divisie

Dordrecht 2-5 Roda JC

Liam Bossin was booked for the first time in eight weeks

Saturday, 4th December 2021

Premier League

Newcastle United 1-0 Burnley

Nathan Collins was booked for the first time since Wednesday, 25th August 2021

Southampton 1-1 Brighton and Hove Albion

Aaron Connolly came off the bench for his first appearance since Wednesday, 27th October 2021
Shane Duffy was booked for the first time in five weeks, unfortunatel this was the defender's fifth booking this season and is suspended for the next game

Championship

Coventry 1-2 West Bromwich Albion

Callum Robinson assisted a goal for the first time in a month

Blackburn 1-0 Preston North End

Darragh Lenihan was booked for the fifth time this season

Bristol City 1-0 Derby County

Jason Knight was booked for the first time this season

Cardiff 2-3 Sheffield United

James Collins was booked for the first time in two months
On his 100th start for Sheffield United, David McGoldrick scored his 30th goal the Blades

Millwall 3-1 Birmingham City

Dan McNamara assisted a goal for the first time in 10 months
Scott Hogan made his first assist of the season - this was his first assist since February 2020

League 1

Accrington Stanley 5-1 Fleetwood

John O'Sullivan's introduction was his 50th appearance for Accrington Stanley, across three spells with the club
Cian Hayes was booked for the first time this season in his first appearance in League One

Scottish Championship

Queen of the South 0-0 Partick Thistle

Ruairi Paton was booked for the fifth time this season

FA Cup

Burton Albion 1-2 Port Vale

Conor Shaughnessy 'was booked for the first time in three months

Lincoln City 0-1 Hartlepool

Gavan Holohan was booked for the first time in five weeks

Leyton Orient 4-0 Tranmere

Aaron Drinan scored his seventh goal in his previous seven games

Cambridge United 2-1 Exeter

Wes Hoolahan assisted a goal for Cambridgee for the 15th time

Walsall 1-2 Swindon Town

Emmanuel Osadebe scored his first goal since Tuesday, 19th October

Carlisle United 1-2 Shrewsbury

Corey Whelan was booked for the first time since Saturday, 7th August
Joshua Daniels' introduction was his first appearance in six weeks

Portsmouth 1-2 Harrogate Town

Coincidentally, both Gavin Bazunu and Shaun Williams were named in the Portsmouth starting XI for the 20th time

Australian A-League

Brisbane Roar 0-0 Adelaide United

Jay O'Shea was booked for the first time this season

Sunday, 5th December 2021

Premier League

Tottenham 3-0 Norwich

Adam Idah started a game for the first time in eleven weeks

Scottish Premier League

Dundee Utd 0-3 Celtic

Liam Scales scored his first goal for Celtic in his league debut for the Bhoys

Dark Matters: A Deep Dive Into Debuts Under Giovanni Trapattoni

On Episode 2187 of the Second Captains podcast, released on Monday, 15th November, while reviewing the 3-0 win against Luxembourg, Ken Early claimed that Giovanni Trapattoni never played anyone under the age of 27.

When Trapattoni was the manager, he barely used a guy under the age of 27, he barely brought in a new player in the entire five years that he was there. Who did he actually introduce to the team? James McCarthy, eventually, after he was begged for two or three years, please play this guy. Seamus Coleman eventually became established in the team in 2013, the year that he turned 25, right, after he was left out of the Euros the previous season because he was only 24, maybe 23, I'm not sure what point his birthday is in the year, Seamus Coleman, but he was an established Premier League fullback, and still didn't go to the Euros because Trap was like "well, is he experienced enough?". That's the attitude that we were dealing with. That's the era when a lot of the damage was done.

Before those claims are examined, one minor point. Seamus Coleman was born on Tuesday, 11th October 1988, making him 23 years old when Euro 2012 kicked off, and turned 24 the following October.

Giovanni Trapattoni barely used a guy under the age of 27

In the 64 games he was in charge of, from Thursday, 1st May 2008 until Wednesday, 11th September 2013, Trappatoni awarded caps to 61 players. Of these, 42 played at least once for him before their 27th birthday, whereas 31 players were capped after turning 27. Breaking it down even further, the manager awarded 929 caps in total, 431(46.4%) of these were earned by players under the age of 27, with the remaining 498(53.6%) earned by players after their 27th birthday.

Rating: False - almost half of the caps awarded by the manager were to players under 27

He (Giovanni Trapattoni) barely brought in a new player in the entire five years that he was there

During the Italian's time in charge, 37 players made their international debut , including current squad members James McClean, Jeff Hendrick, and national team captain Seamus Coleman, as well as Robbie Brady and James McCarthy. From the list of former full time managers of the national side, only Mick McCarthy, who managed 16 more games than Trapattoni, awarded more new caps to Irish players. Eight of those 37 players(21.86%) have gone on to earn 50, or more, caps for their country, a higher percentage than all previous managers, except Jack Charlton(9/34 - 26.47%).

Rating: False - Trapattoni debuted more players than all but one previous manager, and of those a higher percentage have earned 50, or more, caps for the Republic of Ireland than all but one previous manager

Seamus Coleman should have been included in the Euro 2012 squad

"Seamus Coleman should have gone to the Euros" is an opinion that has come up from time to time, usually in negative pieces about Trapattoni's time in charge. As Early says, Coleman was an established Premier League full back at the time. and actually reached 50 appearances in the competiton during the 2011/12 season. However, the landmark was reached in less than half of the 114 games Everton played in the previous three seasons. The defender played 24 games that season, but only completed 90 minutes in six of the 17 games where he was named in the Toffee's starting XI that season, the last of which came against Arsenal on Saturday, 11th December 2011. From New Year's Day in 2012 until the end of the season in May 2012, Coleman only started four games (two in the PL, two in the FA Cup), and failed to complete 90 minutes in all four. At the time of the squad announcement in early May 2012, he had four international caps, the last of which had come eleven months earlier, against Italy in June 2011.
Compare that with the recognised full backs in the squad - John O'Shea, Stephen Kelly, Paul McShane (who Trapattoni claimed was included because he could cover both centre half and full back positions), and Kevin Foley, who was controversially removed from the squad on the eve of the tournament
75-times capped John O'Shea had played 34 times that season for Sunderland, after transferring from Manchester United, starting all and completing 90 minutes in all but four games.
Stephen Kelly had also played 34 games in 2011/12 for Fulham, including seven games in their Europa League campaign, and strangely completed 90 minutes in each of the 30 games he started
Finding his chances of getting first team football at Hull City restricted, only playing twice in the first half of the season, Paul McShane moved to Crystal Palace on loan in January 2012 and went on to make 12 apperances for the Eagles, completing 90 minutes in seven of these. When Trapattoni announced the squad, McShane had played 26 times for his country, and would go on to play in a friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovinia before Euro 2012 started.
Kevin Foley's appearances in the first half of the 2011/12 season were restricted by an ankle problem that ruled him out from September 2011 until the following December, and after recovering went on to make 18 appearances for Wolves, completing seven of those - all of which came between January and May 2012. At the time, he had made eight appearances for his country, but would not add to this total before retiring in 2018.
Should Coleman have been included in the squad? It's an interesting question, and there's no simple answer. He had not been a regular in the Everton team that season, and had not played for his country in eleven months at the time of the squad announcement, so even if he had gone, he almost certainly would not have started. Arguably, he would have been third choice right full behind O'Shea and Kelly.

Rating: Neither true nor false - Coleman had not done enough in the 2011/12 season to justify a starting position in the national side ahead of the established players, but with more appearances under Trapattoni in the previous two years could have been a squad player

Player	Caps Under 27y	Caps Over 27y
Shay Given	0	39
Kevin Kilbane	0	23
Damien Duff	0	33
Robbie Keane	0	50
Dean Kiely	0	3
Steven Finnan	0	3
Richard Dunne	0	39
John O'Shea	0	48
Steven Reid	0	3
Joe Murphy	0	1
Liam Miller	0	5
Martin Rowlands	0	2
Aiden McGeady	40	3
Kevin Doyle	21	16
Joey O'Brien	2	0
Stephen Kelly	8	17
Liam Lawrence	0	15
Kevin Foley	8	0
Daryl Murphy	3	0
Paul McShane	19	3
Shane Long	33	0
Darron Gibson	17	0
Stephen Hunt	1	28
Anthony Stokes	1	0
Andy Keogh	22	3
Alex Bruce	1	0
Darren O'Dea	20	0
Glenn Whelan	25	26
Damien Delaney	2	5
Keiren Westwood	8	8
Wes Hoolahan	1	6
Leon Best	7	0
Caleb Folan	7	0
Keith Andrews	0	35
Noel Hunt	3	0
Eddie Nolan	3	0
David Forde	0	12
Ciaran Clark	8	0
Marc Wilson	10	0
Seamus Coleman	17	0
James McCarthy	18	0
James McClean	16	0
Conor Sammon	9	0
Jonathan Walters	0	22
Darren Randolph	2	0
Paul Green	0	18
Sean St Ledger	24	12
Jeff Hendrick	4	0
Robbie Brady	6	0
Simon Cox	27	0
Greg Cunningham	4	0
Keith Fahey	0	15
Cillian Sheridan	3	0
Keith Treacy	6	0
Stephen Ward	15	3
David Meyler	4	0
Alex Pearce	1	0
Richard Keogh	2	0
Stephen Quinn	0	2
Paddy Madden	1	0
Anthony Pilkington	2	0
Total	431	498
Count	42	31

Player	Caps
Glenn Whelan	91
James McClean	88
Jeff Hendrick	68
Seamus Coleman	63
Robbie Brady	57
Jonathan Walters	54
Darren Randolph	50
Stephen Ward	50
Wes Hoolahan	43
James McCarthy	43
Sean St Ledger	37
Ciaran Clark	36
Keith Andrews	35
Simon Cox	30
David Meyler	26
Richard Keogh	26
Marc Wilson	25
David Forde	24
Paul Green	22
Keiren Westwood	21
Darren O'Dea	20
Stephen Quinn	18
Liam Lawrence	15
Keith Fahey	15
Damien Delaney	9
Conor Sammon	9
Alex Pearce	9
Anthony Pilkington	9
Kevin Foley	8
Leon Best	7
Caleb Folan	7
Keith Treacy	6
Greg Cunningham	4
Noel Hunt	3
Eddie Nolan	3
Cillian Sheridan	3
Paddy Madden	1

Manager	Debuts	Ave. Age(y d)	>50 Caps(%)
Mick McCarthy	50	22y 197d	10(20.00%)
Giovanni Trapattoni	37	24y 138d	8(21.62%)
Jack Charlton	34	23y 263d	9(26.47%)
Johnny Giles	33	22y 224d	4(12.12%)
Martin O'Neill	28	24y 321d	1(3.57%)
Eoin Hand	24	23y 351d	5(20.83%)
Steve Staunton	23	21y 315d	2(8.70%)
Brian Kerr	15	23y 129d	1(6.67%)
Stephen Kenny	12	22y 43d	0(0.00%)
Mick Meagan	10	22y 87d	0(0.00%)
Liam Tuohy	9	23y 142d	1(11.11%)
Alan Kelly Snr	2	21y 28d	1(50.00%)
Don Givens	1	24y 336d	0(0.00%)
Sean Thomas	1	22y 320d	0(0.00%)

Round Up for week of Thursday, 30th November 2021

Tuesday, 30th November 2021

Premier League

Newcastle United 1-1 Norwich

Ciaran Clark was sent off for the first time for Newcastle United. This was the third sending off of his career, and his first since being sent off in January 2015

FA Cup

Exeter 2-1 Bradford City

Paudie O'Connor was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game - this was his first yellow card in eight weeks

Football League Trophy

Bolton 1-0 Fleetwood

Eoin Doyle assisted a goal for the first time since August
Cian Hayes started a game in senior football for the first time in his career

Rotherham 1-1 Port Vale

JJ Kayode started a game for the first time in five weeks
Kieran Sadlier assisted a goal for the first time since Tuesday, 26th October

Leyton Orient 0-0 MK Dons

Troy Parrott was sent off for the first time in his career

Cambridge United 2-0 Walsall

Liam Kinsella was named in the starting XI for the first time since Saturday, 18th September

Swindon Town 1-2 Colchester

Alan Judge was booked for the first time this season

Wednesday, 1st December 2021

Premier League

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-0 Burnley

Nathan Collins' start was his first appearance since Wednesday, 27th October

Scottish Premier League

Aberdeen 2-0 Livingston

Jonathan Hayes assisted a goal for the first time this season

Hibernian 0-1 Rangers

Jake Doyle-Hayes was booked for the first time in two months

St Mirren 0-0 Ross County

Both Charles Dunne and Connor Ronan were booked for the first time this season. Dunne's yellow card was his first booking since December 2018

Sunderland 0-1 Oldham

In his first start in six weeks, Harry Vaughan scored his first goal in nine weeks

Thursday, 2nd December 2021

Scottish Premier League

Celtic 1-0 Hearts

Aaron McEneff started a game for Hearts for the first time since Saturday, 10th July

Bulgarian Parva Liga

CSKA Sofia 2-0 Lokomotiv Sofia 1929

Graham Carey was booked for the first time since Thursday, 22 July

Round up for weekend of Friday, 26th November 2021

Friday, 26th November 2021

Championship

West Bromwich Albion 0-0 Nottingham Forest

Jayson Molumby was sent off for the first time in senior football

League 2

Colchester 1-1 Newport County

In his first appearance since Friday, 8 October, Alan Judge made his first assist of the season - this was his first assist in 13 months

Saturday, 27th November 2021

Championship

Hull City 2-1 Millwall

Dan McNamara was booked for the first time since Wednesday, 29th September

Luton 1-2 Cardiff

Glen Rea was booked for the first time in eight weeks
James Collins was named in the Cardiff starting XI for the first time in five weeks

Peterborough 0-0 Barnsley

Conor Coventry was booked for the first time this season - this was his first booking since January 2020

Swansea 2-3 Reading

Ryan Manning scored his first goal for Swansea - this was his first goal since September 2020

League 1

Bolton 2-2 Cheltenham

Dan Crowley assisted a goal for the first time this season

Burton Albion 2-0 Doncaster Rovers

Thomas O'Connor scored his fifth goal of the season

Morecambe 0-4 MK Dons

Shane McLoughlin was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Plymouth Argyle 1-2 Wigan

Will Keane scored his 20th goal for Wigan

Sheffield Wednesday 2-2 Wycombe Wanderers

Olamide Shodipo scored his first goal of the season

Scottish Premier League

Dundee 3-0 Motherwell

Ryan Sweeney's first goal since Saturday, 2 October 2021(57 days)

Hearts 2-0 St Mirren

Joe Shaughnessy was sent off for the fourth time in his career, a year after his last red card in November 2020

Scottish FA Cup

Cove Rangers 2-2 Queen of the South

Ruairi Paton's first goal since Sunday, 5 September 2021(84 days)

Sunday, 28th November 2021

Championship

Sheffield United 2-0 Bristol City

Callum O'Dowda's start was his 150th appearance in the Championship

Scottish Premier League

Celtic 2-1 Aberdeen

James McCarthy completed 90 minutes for the first time since January 2021
Jonathan Hayes started a game for the first time in a month

Norwegian Eliteserien

Kristiansund 2-3 Viking

Sean McDermott was booked for the first time this seaso

Episode 35 - The Proverbial Cup Final

Before Stephen Kenny's Ireland team face Portugal and Luxembourg in their final qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, myself and Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick run the rule over the 26 man squad selected by the manager, we take a look at the first two games for the U21 team at a capacity Tallaght Stadium, discuss the announcement by Ruud Dokter that he's leaving the association, and give our thoughts on the new away kit

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 6th November 2021

Saturday, 6th November 2021

Premier League

Brentford 1-2 Norwich

Andrew Omobamidele was booked for the first time this season

Brighton and Hove Albion 1-1 Newcastle United

Ciaran Clark made his first assist of the season - this was the defender's first assist since January 2018

Championship

Millwall 1-1 Derby County

Festy Ebosele scored his first goal in senior football

Great work from Sam Baldock and Tom Lawrence to put it on a plate for Festy Ebosele...

And 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 a moment for the youngster! 🤩#DCFC pic.twitter.com/VfSBwOroia

— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) November 7, 2021

Birmingham City 1-2 Reading

Scott Hogan scored his 20th goal for Birmingham City - all of which have come in the league

Scottish Premier League

Aberdeen 0-2 Motherwell

Jake Carroll's introduction was his 250th appearance in British football

Hearts 5-2 Dundee Utd

In his first appearance since Sunday, 22 August, Aaron McEneff scored his first goal in the SPL

St Johnstone 0-0 St Mirren

Conor McCarthy was booked for the first time this season

Scottish Championship

Ayr 2-2 Inverness CT

Jonathan Afolabi assisted a goal for the first time this season

Dunfermline 1-3 Greenock Morton

Oisin McEntee started a game for the tenth time in his career

Queen of the South 1-1 Raith

Ruairi Paton assisted a goal for the first time in two months
Ethon Varian completed an assist for the first time since Saturday, 2nd October

FA Cup

Sunderland 0-1 Mansfield Town

Harry Charsley assisted a goal for the first time since Tuesday, 5th January 2021

Rotherham 3-0 Bromley

Chiedozie Ogbene made his first assist of the season

Portsmouth 1-0 Harrow Borough

Shaun Williams' start was his 450th appearance in English football

Northampton 2-2 Cambridge United

Conor Masterson scored his first goal for Cambridge United

Harrogate Town 2-1 Wrexham

Simon Power scored his first goal of the season

Hartlepool 2-2 Wycombe Wanderers

Daryl Horgan was booked for the first time this season

Crawley Town 0-1 Tranmere

Lee O'Connor started a game for the first time in eight weeks

Lincoln City 1-0 Bowers and Pitsea

Sean Roughan's start was his first appearance of the season

Sunday, 7th November 2021

Premier League

Everton 0-0 Tottenham

Matt Doherty's second half introduction was his first appearance in six weeks

Rochdale 1-1 Notts County

Corey O'Keeffe scored his first goal in two months

Bolton 2-2 Stockport County

Eoin Doyle scored his 25th goal for Bolton

Belgian Super League

Royal Antwerp 2-0 Anderlecht

Josh Cullen's start was his 200th career appearance

Swedish Allsvenskan

AIK 3-0 Östersunds FK

Zachary Elbouzedi scored his first goal in the Allsvenskan

Monday, 8 November 2021

MLS

LA Galaxy 3-3 Minessota United

Derrick Williams made his 20th start for LA Galaxy

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 2nd November 2021

Tuesday, 2nd November 2021

Championship

Birmingham City 3-0 Bristol City

Scott Hogan scored his fifth goal of the season

Millwall 1-0 Reading

Dan McNamara's introduction was his 25th appearance for Millwall

League 1

Fleetwood 2-3 Wigan

James McClean made his 100th appearance for Wigan
Will Keane scored his 20th goal in League Two

Portsmouth 1-1 Cheltenham

Shaun Williams was booked for the first time in seven weeks
Dan Crowley was booked for the first time this season

Football League Trophy

Rochdale 0-3 Bolton

Eoin Doyle scored his fifth goal of the season, eight weeks after his last goal

Northampton 1-2 Brighton and Hove Albion U21

Andrew Moran made his first start in senior football
Evan Ferguson scored his first senior goal of his career

Salford City 5-3 Leeds United U21

Tyreik Wright was named in the Salford starting XI for the first time since Saturday, 18th September

Wednesday, 3rd November 2021

Championship

Bournemouth 1-2 Preston North End

Mark Travers made his 25th appearance for Bournemouth - starting in each one

West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Hull City

Callum Robinson assisted a goal for the fifth time in the 2021/22 season

Thursday, 4th November 2021

Europa League

Ferencvaros 2-3 Celtic

James McCarthy came off the bench for his first appearance in five weeks

MLS

Austin FC 3-1 Sporting Kansas City

In his first start in five weeks, Jon Gallagher was shown his first yellow card of the season

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 30th October 2021

Saturday, 30th October 2021

Championship

Fulham 3-0 West Bromwich Albion

Callum Robinson's introduction was his 250th appearance in senior football

Derby County 1-2 Blackburn

Darragh Lenihan was booked for the first time in seven weeks

Middlesbrough 0-2 Birmingham City

Scott Hogan scored his first goal since Friday, 10th September

Swansea 3-0 Peterborough

Ryan Manning was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

League 1

Fleetwood 3-3 Wycombe Wanderers

Anthony Pilkington started a game for the first time in two months

Oxford United 3-1 Morecambe

Anthony O'Connor made his 400th career appearance

Rotherham 5-1 Sunderland

Joshua Kayode made his first assist of the season
Aiden McGeady was send off for the first time since January 2015

League 2

Leyton Orient 5-0 Hartlepool

After not scoring for six weeks, Aaron Drinan scored the third hat trick of the season for an Irish player
Gavan Holohan was booked for the first time this season

Mansfield Town 2-0 Tranmere

After signing a short term deal with Mansfield Town, John-Joe O'Toole made his first appearance for the Stags

Barrow 1-2 Rochdale

Eoghan O'Connell made his first assist of the season, exactly a year to the day since his previous assist

Scottish Premier League

St Mirren 0-1 Dundee

Iin his first start for Dundee since Sunday, 8th August, Cillian Sheridan unfortunately ruptured his achilles and will be out injured for some time

Thanks for all the messages folks, ruptured my Achilles tendon (turns out isn’t a great thing to do). On a positive note though, once I come back I’m told it will be renamed the Acillians Tendon ™ pic.twitter.com/vVzTqV9NTY

— Cillian Sheridan (@CillianSheridan) November 1, 2021

Sunday, 31th October 2021

Premier League

Norwich 1-2 Leeds United

In his first start in six weeks, Andrew Omobamidele scored the first goal of his career

Monday, 1st November 2021

Premier League

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Everton

Seamus Coleman was booked for the first time since Saturday, 21 August

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 26th October 2021

Tuesday, 26th October 2021

Scottish Championship

Dunfermline 1-1 Raith

Mark Connolly was booked for the first time this season - the first time the player had been booked since February

Inverness CT 0-1 Arbroath

Aaron Doran was named in the starting XI for the first time in six weeks

English League Cup

Chelsea 1-1 Southampton

Shane Long's introduction was his first appearance in a month

Football League Trophy

Rotherham 5-0 Manchester City U21

Joshua Kayode was booked for the first time in ten month in his first start since Saturday, 21st August
Kieran Sadlier is the third Irish player to score a hat trick in English football this season, following Aiden O'Brien and Anthony Scully

MK Dons 2-4 Aston Villa U21

Troy Parrott scored his first goal since Saturday, 25 September 2021(34 days)

Oxford United 3-2 Tottenham U21

Luke McNally was sent off for the second time this season - two months after his first red card

Wednesday, 27th October 2021

Scottish Premier League

Motherwell 2-2 St Mirren

Jake Carroll's introduction was his first appearance in a month
Connor Ronan assisted a goal for the first time in six weeks

English League Cup

Leicester City 2-2 Brighton and Hove Albion

Aaron Connolly's first start in five weeks was his 50th appearance for Brighton and Hove Albion's senior team

Preston North End 0-2 Liverpool

Joe Rafferty's start was his first appearance in five weeks

KNVB Cup

Fortuna Sittard 3-0 Oss

Ryan Johansson was named in the starting XI of a senior club game for the first time in his career

Swedish Allsvenskan

Malmö FF 1-0 AIK

Zachary Elbouzedi was booked for the first time this season

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 23rd October 2021

Saturday, 23rd October 2021

Premier League

Chelsea 7-0 Norwich

Andrew Omobamidele's introduction was his first appearance in five weeks

Southampton 2-2 Burnley

Nathan Collins made his 40th career start

Championship

Birmingham City 2-1 Swansea

Ryan Manning's start was his 150th appearance in English football
In his first appearance since Saturday, 18th September, Michael Obafemi scored his first goal for Swansea - this was his first goal since Monday, 13th July 2020

Blackpool 2-0 Preston North End

Sean Maguire was booked for the first time this season
Alan Browne's red card was the fourth time the player has been sent off for Preston North End

Peterborough 2-1 QPR

Conor Coventry made his 25th career appearance

League 1

AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Wigan

James McClean's fifth goal of the season was also his 15th goal for Wigan

Accrington Stanley 2-2 Portsmouth

Marcus Harness scored his fifth goal of the season
Ronan Curtis scored his first goal in a month

Ipswich 2-1 Fleetwood

Anthony Pilkington's introduction was his first appearance in eight weeks

Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Lincoln City

Olamide Shodipo's introduction was his 100th career appearance

Shrewsbury 4-1 Cambridge United

Wes Hoolahan was booked for the first time in two months

League 2

Exeter 2-1 Mansfield Town

Padraig Amond assisted a goal for the first time since Saturday, 12th December 2020
Stephen Quinn completed and assist for the first time since Tuesday, 17 August

Hartlepool 3-2 Harrogate Town

Neil Byrne was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Rochdale 3-2 Sutton United

Liam Kelly made his first assist of the season

Swindon Town 1-3 Bradford City

Niall Canavan's start was his first appearance since Saturday, 4 September

Scottish Premier League

Hearts 1-1 Dundee

Ryan Sweeney was booked for the first time this season

Scottish Championship

Arbroath 1-1 Ayr

Jonathan Afolabi scored his first goal of the season

Sunday, 24th October 2021

Scottish League One

Queen's Park 3-4 Alloa

Luca Connell scored his first goal in a month

Australian FFA Cup

Queensland Lions 0-4 Brisbane Roar

Jay O'Shea assisted a goal in his first appearance in the Australian 2021/22 season,

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 19th October 2021

Tuesday, 19th October 2021

Championship

Derby County 2-2 Luton

Jason Knight's first goal of the season, his first since Tuesday, 29th December 2020, was his tenth goal for Derby

Sheffield United 1-2 Millwall

David McGoldrick was named in the starting XI for the first time in two months
Conor Hourihane started a game for the first time in a month

Stoke City 0-1 Bournemouth

Gavin Kilkenny was booked for the first time in two months

League 1

Cheltenham 3-1 Morecambe

Anthony O'Connor was booked for the first time in ten weeks

Fleetwood 0-1 Burton Albion

Thomas O'Connor scored his third goal in two games, this was also the fifth goal of his career

Wigan 1-2 MK Dons

Will Keane made his fifth assist of the season
Warren O'Hora started a game for MK Dons for the 50th time
Troy Parrott made his 50th career appearance

League 2

Bradford City 1-3 Hartlepool

Paudie O'Connor scored his first goal in two months
Gavan Holohan started a game for the first time in seven weeks

Colchester 1-1 Bristol Rovers

Trevor Clarke was sent off for the first time for Bristol Rovers

Mansfield Town 1-1 Port Vale

Harry Charsley started a game for Mansfield Town for the 50th time

Oldham 1-3 Walsall

Alan Sheehan's start was his first appearance in a month
Conor Wilkinson started a game for the first time in in eight weeks
Emmanuel Osadebe scored his fifth goal for Walsall
Conor Wilkinson assisted a goal for the first time this season

Wednesday, 20th October 2021

Championship

Fulham 2-0 Cardiff

Joel Bagan was booked first time since Saturday, 14th August

Hull City 1-2 Peterborough

Jack Taylor scored his first goal of the season

Preston North End 2-1 Coventry

Alan Browne assisted a goal for the first time this season in what was his 300th appearance for Preston North End

Swansea 2-1 West Bromwich Albion

Jayson Molumby was booked for the first time this season (in club football, he's been booked twice while playing for Ireland) in his first start for West Bromwich Albion - this was his first start since Tuesday, 2 March 2021

Episode 34 - There's only one CR7!

I'm joined again by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick and Philip Flanagan to review the wins over Azerbaijan and Qatar, and take a brief look at the qualifyig results for the U21 and U17 sides

Round Up for weekend of Friday, 15th October 2021

Friday, 15th October 2021

League 1

Burton Albion 3-2 Morecambe

Anthony O'Connor made his first assist of the season
Thomas O'Connor scored twice in a game for the first time in his career. After only scoring once in senior football before this season, the former Southampton player has scored three in the 2021/22 season

Saturday, 16th October 2021

Premier League

Norwich 0-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

Shane Duffy was booked for the first time in a month

Championship

Fulham 4-1 QPR

Jimmy Dunne was booked for the first time this season

Bristol City 0-2 Bournemouth

Callum O'Dowda was named in a starting XI for the 150th time in his career
Gavin Kilkenny's start, his first appearance in eight weeks, was his tenth career start

Middlesbrough 2-0 Peterborough

Sammie Szmodics was booked for the first time since Saturday, 7th August 2021
Jack Taylor was booked for the first time this season

Preston North End 0-0 Derby County

Alan Browne returned to the Preston starting XI with his first start in nine weeks
Festy Ebosele was named in the Derby starting XI for the first time since Saturday, 14 August

Sheffield United 2-1 Stoke City

David McGoldrick scored his first goal of the season, assisted by Enda Stevens' first assist of the season

League 1

Bolton 0-4 Wigan

Will Keane marked his 50th appearance for Wigan, across two spells with the Latics, with his second goal in two games
James McClean's brace was the first time the winger scored in two months

Cambridge United 2-2 Ipswich

Wes Hoolahan started a game for the first time in a month

Cheltenham 1-0 Accrington Stanley

Seamus Conneely's start was his 100th appearance in League One

Gillingham 1-2 Sunderland

Aiden O'Brien scored his fifth goal of the season

Lincoln City 2-1 Charlton

Harry Arter was booked for the first time this season - this was the first time the midfielder was shown a yellow card since Wednesday, 2nd December 2020

Rotherham 4-1 Portsmouth

Marcus Harness scored his 20th goal in the competition

Shrewsbury 1-0 MK Dons

Warren O'Hora's start was his 50th appearance for MK Dons

League 2

Oldham 3-0 Stevenage

Jamie Bowden was booked for the first time in a month, and assisted a goal for the first time since Tuesday, 10th August

Salford City 2-0 Hartlepool

Gavan Holohan's second half introduction was his first appearance in six weeks

Swindon Town 2-2 Rochdale

Liam Kelly scored his first goal in League Two

Scottish Premier League

Dundee 2-1 Aberdeen

Cillian Sheridan was booked for the first time this season

Scottish Championship

Ayr 2-1 Queen of the South

Jonathan Afolabi was named in the Ayr starting XI for the first time

Sunday, 17th October 2021

Premier League

Everton 0-1 West Ham United

Seamus Coleman's start was his first appearance in a month

Championship

Swansea 3-0 Cardiff

Ryan Manning assisted a goal for the first time this season
James Collins' second half introduction was his 100th appearance in the Championship

MLS

Austin FC 0-1 Minessota United

Jon Gallagher came off the bench for his 25th appearance for Austin FC

LA Galaxy 2-1 Portland Timbers

Derrick Williams's start (his first appearance in five weeks) was his 300th appearance in senior football

Episode 33 - The River Valley Ronaldo

Ahead of the Republic of Ireland's qualifier against Azerbaijan in Baku, and friendly against Qatar in Dublin, we're joined by Stockholm-based Reuters journalist Philip O'Connor to discuss the two games, how Zach Elbouzedi's career has progressed in the short time since his move to Sweden to play for AIK, and we remember Jimmy Greaves

Round Up for Weekend of Friday, 1st October 2021

Friday, 1st October 2021

Eerste Divisie

AZ II 2-1 Dordrecht

Liam Bossin was booked for the first time this season

Saturday, 2nd October 2021

Premier League

Burnley 0-0 Norwich

Nathan Collins' start was his first appearance in the Premier League

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Newcastle United

Ciaran Clark was booked for the first time this season
Jeff Hendrick scored his first goal of the season - his first goal since Wednesday, 16 December 2020 - and joined some exalted company in Newcastle history

3 - Jeff Hendrick is only the third Newcastle player to score in the first-half of a Premier League match as substitute, after Gary Speed vs Coventry City in September 1998 and Nolberto Solano vs Wimbledon in November 1998. Haste. pic.twitter.com/hBOBEsw7nB

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 2, 2021

Championship

Cardiff 0-1 Reading

Mark McGuinness was booked for the first time this season

Derby County 0-0 Swansea

Festy Ebosele's second half introduction was his first appearance in seven weeks

Hull City 2-0 Middlesbrough

Sean McLoughlin came off the bench for his first appearance of the season

Luton 0-0 Huddersfield

Glen Rea was booked for the first time in six weeks

Peterborough 2-3 Bristol City

Callum O'Dowda was named in the starting XI for the first time in two months
Sammie Szmodics' brace was his first goals of the season

QPR 3-2 Preston North End

Jimmy Dunne scored his first goal of the season, and his first strike for QPR, more than a year after his last goal, scored in September 2020

League 1

Accrington Stanley 2-1 Ipswich

Seamus Conneely was booked for the first time this season

Gillingham 0-2 Wigan

Will Keane scored his fifth goal of the season
James McClean made his first assist of the season - his first assist since Tuesday, 19th January 2021

Lincoln City 2-2 Plymouth Argyle

Anthony Scully scored his 30th goal for Lincoln, in only his 73rd appearance for the Imps!

Portsmouth 4-0 Sunderland

Ronan Curtis was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game
Both Gavin Bazunu and Shaun Williams were named in the Portsmouth starting XI for the tenth time
Marcus Harness marked his 100th appearance for Portsmouth with his third goal of the season

💯 Blues appearances for @MarcusHarness#Pompey pic.twitter.com/qcbV30VKMJ

— Portsmouth FC (@Pompey) October 2, 2021

Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Oxford United

Anthony Forde was named in the Oxford starting XI for the 50th time

Wycombe Wanderers 4-3 Morecambe

Daryl Horgan scored his first goal of the season - 13 months after his last goal, on Sunday, 6 September 2020

League 2

Colchester 0-2 Salford City

Corrie Ndaba made his 25th career start

Exeter 2-2 Walsall

Pierce Sweeney assisted a goal for the first time this season
Stephen Ward was booked for the first time this season

Mansfield Town 0-1 Barrow

Harry Charsley was booked for the first time this season in his first start in a month

Northampton 0-2 Sutton United

Michael Harriman's first appearance since Tuesday, 31 August 2021(33 days)

Scottish Premier League

St Johnstone 3-1 Dundee

Ryan Sweeney scored his first goal of the season, his first goal for Dundee

Scottish Championship

Greenock Morton 2-2 Arbroath

Oisin McEntee was booked for the first time this season

Sunday, 3rd October 2021

Scottish League One

Queen's Park 1-1 Montrose

Luca Connell was named in the starting XI for the first time in eight weeks

MLS

Montreal Impact 2-1 Atlanta United

Jake Mulraney scored his first goal in almost a year, his last goal came on Thursday, 15th October 2020

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 28th September 2021

Tuesday, 28th September 2021

Championship

Cardiff 0-4 West Bromwich Albion

Mark McGuinness' start was his first appearance in eight weeks
James Collins was booked for the first time this season
Jayson Molumby came off the bench for his first appearance for West Bromwich Albion, also his first appearance of the season

Middlesbrough 2-0 Sheffield United

David McGoldrick's second half introduction was his first appearance in a month
Enda Stevens was booked for the first time this season

Preston North End 1-1 Stoke City

Greg Cunningham was booked for the first time this season in what was his 200th appearance in the Championship

League 1

Burton Albion 2-1 Portsmouth

Thomas O'Connor scored his first goal in two years

MK Dons 3-3 Fleetwood

Troy Parrott completed his first assist in a month

Morecambe 2-0 Lincoln City

Ryan Delaney assisted a goal for the first time since Wednesday, 1 January 2020

Oxford United 5-1 Accrington Stanley

Seamus Conneely was named in the Accrington Stanley starting XI for the 250th time

Rotherham 3-0 AFC Wimbledon

Joshua Kayode's introduction was his first appearance in six weeks

Sunderland 5-0 Cheltenham

Aiden McGeady assisted his 30th and 31st goals for Sunderland

Wednesday, 29th September 2021

Championship

Derby County 1-0 Reading

Jason Knight completed his first assist of the season

Luton 5-0 Coventry

Glen Rea's start (his first in seven weeks) was his 200th appearance for Luton

2⃣0⃣0⃣ 🆙 for Glen Rea!

Congratulations on a milestone appearance 👏#COYH pic.twitter.com/uiH0BD7s2k

— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) September 30, 2021

Millwall 1-0 Bristol City

Dan McNamara was booked for the first time this season in his first appearance in six weeks
Callum O'Dowda's introduction was his first appearance since Saturday, 7th August

Scottish Championship

Raith 1-1 Dunfermline

After signing for Dunfermline on loan until January, Mark Connolly made his first appearance for the Pars

Round Up for Weekend of Friday, 24th September 2021

Friday, 24th September 2021

Championship

West Bromwich Albion 2-1 QPR

Six weeks after his last assist for West Brom, Callum Robinson assisted two goals in the same game

Saturday, 25th September 2021

Championship

Birmingham City 0-0 Preston North End

Sean Maguire was named in the Preston North End starting XI for the 100th time

League 1

Burton Albion 1-2 Lincoln City

Conor Shaughnessy scored his first goal of the season
Anthony Scully scored his tenth goal of the season, this was also his 20th goal in League 1, and his 30th goal for Lincoln City

Charlton 2-2 Portsmouth

Marcus Harness scored his first goal since Saturday, 14th August

MK Dons 1-0 Wycombe Wanderers

Troy Parrott scored his fifth goal of his career, all of which have come in League One

Morecambe 3-3 Accrington Stanley

Shane McLoughlin was sent off for the first time in his career
Seamus Conneely assisted a goal in his first appearance of the season
John O'Sullivan's was named in the starting XI for the first time in seven weeks

Rotherham 1-1 Crewe Alexandra

Chiedozie Ogbene's start was his 50th appearance for Rotherham

Sunderland 1-0 Bolton

Eoin Doyle was booked for the first time this season

League 2

Crawley Town 2-1 Bradford City

Will Ferry scored his first goal in senior football

Forest Green 0-0 Tranmere

Dominic Bernard was booked for the first time in six weeks in his 75th appearance for Forest Green

Leyton Orient 0-0 Mansfield Town

Shadrach Ogie was booked for the first time this season
Stephen McLaughlin made his 50th appearance for Mansfield Town
Ryan Burke's introduction was his first appearance in League 2

Rochdale 0-1 Oldham

Liam Kelly made his first appearance in League 2

Sutton United 4-0 Carlisle United

Corey Whelan scored the first own goal of his career

Queen's Park 3-2 Peterhead

Luca Connell scored his first goal of the season, and was booked for the first time this season. Coincidentally he was also booked in the last game he scored

Sunday, 26th September 2021

Premier League

Southampton 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Shane Long's introduction was his first appearance in a month

Scottish Premier League

St Mirren 3-2 Aberdeen

Connor Ronan's brace was his first goal since December 2020
Jamie McGrath assisted a goal for the first time this season
Jonathan Hayes's first start in a month was his 300th appearance in the SPL

Hibernian 1-0 St Johnstone

Jake Doyle-Hayes was booked for the first time since Thursday, 12th August

Bulgarian Parva Liga

CSKA Sofia 2-1 Levski Sofia

Graham Carey's goal, his first in the league this season, was his fifth goal of the season

Round Up for weekend of Tuesday, 21st September 2021

Tuesday, 21st September 2021

League 1

Portsmouth 2-2 Plymouth Argyle

Marcus Harness was booked for the first time this season

English League Cup

Preston North End 4-1 Cheltenham

Joe Rafferty scored his first goal of the season - this was his first goal since August 2019 - and completed his first assist since November 2020
Sean Maguire scored his first goal of the season - his first goal since December 2020
Greg Cunningham made his first assist of the season - the first time the defender assisted a goal since September 2019

Fulham 0-0 Leeds United

Cyrus Christie's start was his first appearance of the season

Watford 1-3 Stoke City

Robert Elliot's start was his first appearance since December 2017

Wigan 0-2 Sunderland

Babajide Adeeko's introduction was his career debut

💙 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀.

Congratulations to Baba Adeeko & Chris Sze on making their debuts for the club last night 👏🏼#wafc 🔵⚪️ #BELIEVE pic.twitter.com/rkJvndHkct

— Wigan Athletic (@LaticsOfficial) September 22, 2021

Norwich 0-3 Liverpool

Adam Idah made his first start of the season - this was his first start since  October 2020
Caoimhin Kelleher's first appearance of the season was also his tenth time being named in the Liverpool starting XI

Burnley 4-1 Rochdale

Corey O'Keeffe was booked for the first time in a month

Sheffield United 2-2 Southampton

Enda Stevens start was his first appearance of the season, and scored his first goal since February 2020

Football League Trophy

Bradford City 0-3 Manchester United U21

Reece Staunton's start was his first appearance since November 2020
Paul McShane was booked in his first appearance of the season

Wednesday, 22nd September 2021

English League Cup

Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0 Swansea

In his first start of the season, Aaron Connolly scored his first goal since Saturday, 2 January 2021

Asian AFC Cup

Nasaf 6-0 ATK Mohun Bagan

Carl McHugh made his 25th appearance for ATK Mohun Bagan - starting each game

Thursday, 23rd September 2021

Scottish League Cup

Celtic 3-0 Raith

Liam Scales made his first appearance for Celtic
James McCarthy made his first assist for Celtic

Belgian Super League

Anderlecht 1-1 Gent

Josh Cullen was booked for the first time in a month