Tuesday, 25 October 2022

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 23rd October 2022

Saturday, 22th October 2022
Championship
Blackpool 4-2 Preston North End
In his first start of the season, CJ Hamilton scored his first goal of the season


Middlesbrough 0-0 Huddersfield Town
Darragh Lenihan was booked for the first time in two months

Reading 2-0 Bristol City
Shane Long assisted a goal for the first time this season, in his first appearance in seven weeks

Rotherham 2-4 Hull City
Cyrus Christie scored his first goal of the season


Sheffield United 2-2 Norwich City
Tony Springett's introduction was his first appearance in two months

Sunderland 2-4 Burnley
Luke McNally's introduction was his first appearance since Friday, 12th August

League 1
Lincoln City 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Sean Roughan's start was his 25th appearance for Lincoln City
Daniel Mandroiu scored his second goal in two games


Oxford United 1-2 Peterborough
Jack Taylor scored his tenth goal in League One

League 2
Carlisle United 2-3 Leyton Orient
Aaron Drinan scored his 15th goal in League Two

Crawley Town 3-2 Mansfield Town
Stephen Quinn was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Grimsby Town 0-0 Bradford City
Tyreik Wright was booked for the first time this season - this was the midfielder's first yellow card since January

Salford City 0-2 Stockport County
Paddy Madden scored his fifth goal of the season

Scottish Championship
Arbroath 1-0 Hamilton Academical
Daniel O'Reilly was sent off for the first time for Hamilton Academical

Dundee 0-0 Greenock Morton
Ian Lawlor's start was his first appearance of the season
Both Ryan Sweeney and Jaze Kabia were booked for the fifth time this season and both players are suspended for the next game

Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1-1 Raith Rovers
Zak Delaney made his first assist of the season

Sunday, 23rd October 2022
Championship
Swansea City 2-0 Cardiff
Michael Obafemi scored his 15th goal for Swansea City
Callum Robinson was sent off for the first time in his career


Watford 4-0 Luton Town
Louie Watson's first appearance since Tuesday, 9 August 2022(76 days)

Monday, 24 thOctober 2022
Premier League
West Ham United 2-0 Bournemouth
Mark Travers' introduction was his first appearance in eight weeks

Friday, 21 October 2022

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 18th October 2022

Tuesday, 18 October 2022
Premier League
Crystal Palace 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Nathan Collins returned from suspension for his first appearance in a month

Championship
Huddersfield Town 0-1 Preston North End
Greg Cunningham scored his first goal of the season, this was the defender's first goal since February 2021!

Stoke City 0-1 Rotherham
Georgie Kelly was named in the Rotherham starting XI for the first time in two months

West Bromwich Albion 0-2 Bristol City
Dara O'Shea was booked for the first time in two months

Football League Trophy
Harrogate Town 2-1 Morecambe
Shane McLoughlin's start was his first appearance in a month

Crewe Alexandra 0-1 Tranmere Rovers
Lee O'Connor was booked for the first time this season

Bolton Wanderers 3-0 Leeds United U21
Cian Coleman's introduction was his first appearance in senior football

Port Vale 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers U21
Jimmy Storer's start for Wolves' U21 side was his first appearance in senior football

Stockport County 1-0 Shrewsbury Town
Aiden O'Brien was named in the Shrewsbury starting XI for the first time this season

Rochdale 2-2 Salford City
Liam Kelly marked his 50th appearance for Rochdale with his second goal in two games

Lincoln City 2-0 Newcastle United U21
Daniel Mandroiu scored his first goal for Lincoln City

Derby County 1-3 Manchester City U21
David McGoldrick scored his first goal since Saturday, 27th August

Walsall 0-2 MK Dons
Warren O'Hora assisted a goal for the first time since December 2020

Wycombe Wanderers 1-1 Peterborough
Daryl Horgan scored his first goal of the season, more than a year after his previous goal, on Saturday, 2nd October 2021

Forest Green Rovers 4-1 Exeter City
Dominic Bernard was named in the Forest Green Rovers starting XI for the 100th time
Corey O'Keeffe scored his first goal for Forest Green Rovers

Leyton Orient 2-3 Chelsea U21
Shadrach Ogie's start was his 50th appearance for Leyton Orient

Cambridge United 1-0 Ipswich Town
Edwin Agbaje's start was his debut in football

Northampton Town 1-3 Arsenal U21
Jack Henry-Francis was booked for the first time this season

Wednesday, 19th October 2022
Championship
Birmingham City 1-1 Burnley
Scott Hogan scored his 30th goal for Birmingham City

QPR 3-0 Cardiff
Sinclair Armstrong was named in the QPR starting XI for the first time

Coppa Italia
Udinese 2-3 Monza
Festy Ebosele started a game for Udinese for the first time

Thursday, 20 October 2022

Why John Egan's 30th Birthday Is A Watershed Moment In Irish Football

John Egan is 30 years old today, and not only is it a landmark day for the player, it is also a watershed moment for Irish football as a whole. For the first time since former international midfield player John Sheridan turned 30 in October 1994, there are no active Irish footballers under the age of 30 with 50, or more, appearances in the Premier League*

According to the database that powers the Irish Abroad website, there are 86 Irish players with 50, or more, appearances in the top division in England in total. Of these, 71 had reached the half century before their 30th birthday.

The graph below shows how many of these 71 players had reached 50 appearances on the 30th birthday of each player, starting with Sheridan's 30th birthday in 1994 on the left and ending on Egan's birthday today.

For example, on Kevin Kilbane's 30th birthday, in February 2007, there were 10 Irish players under 30 with 50, or more, Premier League appearances - Ian Harte(29, 213 apps), Andy O'Brien(27, 206), Damien Duff(27, 208), Clinton Morrison(27, 88), Richard Dunne(27, 230), Robbie Keane(26, 227), Gary Doherty(27, 84), Stephen McPhail(27, 78), Steven Reid(25, 81), and John O'Shea(25, 152).

The peak about two thirds across the graph is Daryl Murphy's 30th birthday in March 2013, when there were 17 players under 30 with 50 Premier League appearances. Since then, there has been a constant decline in the number of Irish players who meet the criteria. 

Of the current players, 27 year old Callum Robinson and 22 year old Aaron Connolly are the two Irish players under 30 with the most Premier League appearances, with 48 and 45 appearances respectively, but with Robinson currently in the Championship with Cardiff, and Connolly on loan in Italy with Venezia, both players will have to wait until the 2023/24 season kicks off next August, at the earliest, before they can reach 50 appearances. 

Of the current Irish players in the Premier League, Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Nathan Collins(21) has 27 Premier League appearances, and with 27 games remaining in Wolves' season, he is the player best positioned to be the next Irish player under 30 to reach 50 appearances in the competition.

*Note that there were Irish footballers under the age of 30 with more than 50 combined Premier League and old First Division appearances before Sheridan's 30th birthday, but we do not have appearance data for players before the start of the Premier League in 1992, so we're treating that as the starting point for this research

Thanks to the foot.ie forum member Eirambler for the post that inspired the research behind this article

Tuesday, 18 October 2022

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 15th October 2022

Saturday, 15th October 2022
Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Everton
Seamus Coleman's start was his 400th appearance in English football

Championship
Rotherham 2-1 Huddersfield Town
Georgie Kelly scored his first goal in a month

Bristol City 1-2 Millwall
Dan McNamara was booked for the first time in two months

Cardiff 0-1 Coventry
Callum Robinson's start was his 200th appearance in the Championship

Middlesbrough 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
Darragh Lenihan scored an own goal for the first time since October 2020

Preston North End 0-2 Stoke City
Will Smallbone scored his first goal for Stoke City

League 1
Accrington Stanley 0-3 Derby County
David McGoldrick's introduction was his first appearance in a month

Burton Albion 1-1 Morecambe
Ryan Delaney scored his first goal for Morecambe

MK Dons 1-4 Plymouth Argyle
Finn Azaz scored twice in a game for the first time in his career

Port Vale 2-2 Forest Green Rovers
Mipo Odubeko scored his first goal in six weeks

League 2
Mansfield Town 2-1 Walsall
Stephen Quinn made his first assist of the season

Rochdale 2-1 Barrow
Liam Kelly scored his first goal of the season

Scottish Championship
Cove Rangers 0-1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Aaron Doran was booked for the first time this season

MLS
LA Galaxy 1-0 Nashville SC
Derrick Williams' inroduction was his 50th appearance for LA Galaxy

Australian A-League
Newcastle Jets 2-1 Perth Glory
Aaron McEneff scored his first goal for Perth Glory

Sunday, 16th October 2022
Aberdeen 2-0 Hearts
Liam Scales was booked for the first time in a month

Monday, 17th October 2022
League 1
Charlton 3-0 Portsmouth
Eoghan O'Connell scored his first goal for Charlton

Monday, 17 October 2022

Episode 47 - The Low of a Draw to the High of a Win

I'm joined by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick to review the Republic of Ireland's Women's team's qualification for the 2023 FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand after defeating Scotland in a play off, and also the Men's team's qualifying group for UEFA Euro 2024 to be held in Germany

Tuesday, 11 October 2022

Round Up for the weekend of Satuday, 8th October 2022

Saturday, 8th October 2022
Premier League
Chelsea 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Congratulations to Joe Hodge on making his senior debut for Wolves - the 198th Irish player to appear in the Premier League!

Brighton and Hove Albion 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Matt Doherty's start, his first of the season, was also the defender's 400th career appearance!

Championship
Blackburn Rovers 3-0 Rotherham
Sammie Szmodics scored his first goal in two months

Coventry 0-1 Burnley
Josh Cullen assisted a goal for the first time April 2021

Millwall 2-0 Middlesbrough
Darragh Lenihan was named in the Middlesbrough starting XI for the first in six weeks

Norwich City 2-3 Preston North End
Troy Parrott's introduction was the striker's 100th career appearance, and also scored his first goal in two months

Wigan 1-3 Cardiff
Will Keane made his 100th appearance for Wigan

League 1
Derby County 1-2 Port Vale
James Collins was sent off for the first time for Derby County - this was the striker's first red card since April 2019

Lincoln City 0-0 Charlton
Daniel Mandroiu was named in the Lincoln City starting XI for the first time

Plymouth Argyle 3-0 Accrington Stanley
Seamus Conneely was sent off for the third time for Accrington Stanley, this was his first red card since March 2021

Shrewsbury Town 2-1 MK Dons
Dawson Devoy was sent off for the first time for MK Dons

League 2
Barrow 0-1 Mansfield Town
John-Joe O'Toole was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Colchester United 2-1 Harrogate Town
Danny Grant assisted a goal for the first time this season

Grimsby Town 3-0 Crawley Town
Gavan Holohan scored his first goal for Grimsby Town

Newport County 0-1 Rochdale
Jimmy Keohane was booked for the first time this season

Scottish Premiership
Dundee United 4-0 Aberdeen
Jamie McGrath scored his first goal for Dundee United - this was his first goal since November 2021

Sunday, 9th October 2022
Premier League
West Ham United 3-1 Fulham
Shane Duffy came off the bench for his first appearance in seven weeks)

Australian A-League
Western Sydney Wanderers 1-0 Perth Glory
On the opening weekend of the A-League season, Aaron McEneff made his first appearance for new club Perth Glory

Swedish Allsvenskan
AIK 2-0 Helsingborg
Zachary Elbouzedi scored his first goal of the 2022 Allsvenskan season - this was his first goal since scoring in the Svenska Cupen in February

Monday, 10th October 2022
Indian Super League
ATK Mohun Bagan 1-2 Chennaiyin FC
Carl McHugh made an appearance as a second half substitute on the opening weekend of the 2022/23 Indian Super League season



Carl McHugh

Monday, 10 October 2022

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 4th October 2022

Tuesday, 4th October 2022
Championship
Sheffield United 0-1 QPR
Jimmy Dunne was booked for the first time in seven weeks in was was his 50th start for QPR

Cardiff 1-0 Blackburn Rovers
Sammie Szmodics was booked for the first time this season in his first start in six weeks

Reading 1-1 Norwich City
Jeff Hendrick scored his first goal for Reading, the was also his first goal in more than a year, and the 40th goal of his career

League 1
Cheltenham 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
Will Ferry's start was his 50th career appearance

Scottish Premiership
Ross County 0-5 Motherwell
Ross Tierney made his 25th appearance for Motherwell

Football League Trophy
Harrogate Town 1-1 Everton U21
In his first start for Harrogate, Danny Grant scored his first goal for the Sulphurites

Tranmere Rovers 3-5 Leeds United U21
Neil Byrne scored his first goal for Tranmere Rovers
Lee O'Connor assisted a goal for the first time this season

Bristol Rovers 2-0 Crystal Palace U21
Trevor Clarke scored his first goal for Bristol Rovers
Glenn Whelan was sent off for the second time for Bristol Rovers, eleven months after his last red card in November 2021

Portsmouth 5-0 Aston Villa U21
Ronan Curtis scored his fifth goal of the season

Wednesday, 5th October 2022
Championship
Hull City 2-1 Wigan
Cyrus Christie started a game for the first time in five weeks
Will Keane scored his fifth goal of the season

Middlesbrough 1-0 Birmingham City
Darragh Lenihan's introduction was his first appearance since Tuesday, 30th August

Rotherham 1-1 Millwall
Dan McNamara was named in the Millwall starting XI for the first time since Tuesday, 30th August

Watford 1-2 Swansea City
Michael Obafemi started a game for the first time in six weeks

Preston North End 1-0 West Bromwich Albion
Sean Maguire started a game for the first time this season

Champions League
RB Leipzig 3-1 Celtic
James McCarthy's introduction was his first appearance in the Champions League, the 27th Irish player to appear in the competition.

Thursday, 6 October 2022

Episode 46 - Performance or Result?

I'm joined again by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick and Philip Flanagan of The Bottomless Pit of Football to discuss the final two games of Republic of Ireland's 2022/23 UEFA Nations League campaign against Scotland and Armenia - is a good performance in a loss better than a bad performance in a win? Also, we look back at the U21's two legged play off against Israel for the 2023 UEFA U21 Championship, and the U19s topped their 2023 UEFA Under 19 Championship Qualifying Round group with a 100% record, without conceding