Introducing The Magic Number

On Monday night, Southampton named Shane Long, Michael Obafemi, Will Smallbone, and Will Ferry as substitutes against Manchester United, for the third successive game. All but Ferry were introduced in the second half, with Obafemi going on to score a late equaliser in the game. This was the first time since August 2014 that a manager had brought on three Irish players, and Southampton are only the fourth of the 49 clubs in Premier League history to have done so, following Sunderland, Stoke, and Hull.

Sunderland have actually introduced three Irish players on seven occasions - against Arsenal in March 2002, against Manchester United, Reading, Middlesbrough, and Blackburn all in August 2007, Fulham in October 2007, and finally against Aston Villa in September 2008. Both Daryl Murphy and Anthony Stokes were among the trios in five of these games, while Liam Miller was introduced in three of these games.

No player has appeared in an intrudoced trio for more than one team, but Shane Long was also introduced from the bench for Reading in the game against Sunderland in September 2007 that saw the Black Cats bring on Anthony Stokes, Daryl Murphy, and Liam Miller.

Season	Date	Home	Score	Away	Home Introduced Subs	Away Introduced Subs
2001-02	Saturday, 30th March 2002	Arsenal	3-0	Sunderland		Thomas Butler(45) Kevin Kilbane(76) Niall Quinn(21)
2007-08	Saturday, 1st September 2007	Manchester United	1-0	Sunderland	John O'Shea(84)	Liam Miller(82) Daryl Murphy(69) Anthony Stokes(82)
2007-08	Saturday, 15th September 2007	Sunderland	2-1	Reading	Anthony Stokes(64) Daryl Murphy(83) Liam Miller(81)	Shane Long(67)
2007-08	Saturday, 22nd September 2007	Middlesbrough	2-2	Sunderland		Liam Miller(53) Anthony Stokes(67) Roy O'Donovan(76)
2007-08	Saturday, 29th September 2007	Sunderland	1-2	Blackburn	David Connolly(65) Daryl Murphy(66) Roy O'Donovan(66)
2007-08	Saturday, 27th October 2007	Sunderland	1-1	Fulham	Ian Harte(71) Daryl Murphy(61) Anthony Stokes(61)
2008-09	Sunday, 25th September 2008	Aston Villa	2-1	Sunderland		Andy Reid(59) Daryl Murphy(59) Anthony Stokes(79)
2010-11	Tuesday, 9th November 2010	Stoke City	3-2	Birmingham City	Glenn Whelan(73) Jonathan Walters(89) Marc Wilson(89)	Keith Fahey(61)
2014-15	Saturday, 16th August 2014	QPR	0-1	Hull City		Paul McShane(46) Stephen Quinn(40) David Meyler(82)
2019-20	Monday, 13th July 2020	Manchester United	2-2	Southampton		Shane Long(64) Will Smallbone(69) Michael Obafemi(87)

Round up for week of Tuesday, 4th February 2020

Tuesday, 4th February 2020

League 1

Tranmere 0-3 Doncaster Rovers

Kieran Sadlier completed his first assist in a month, this was his fifth assist of the season

FA Cup

Liverpool 1-0 Shrewsbury

Caoimhin Kelleher's start against Shrewsbury was his first appearance since Tuesday, 17th December

Oxford United 2-3 Newcastle Utd

Liam Kelly came off the bench and scored his first goal since November 2018 - also his booking in this game was his first yellow card since August 2018

Wednesday, 5th February 2020

Scottish Premier League

Motherwell 0-4 Celtic

Jake Carroll's start was his 30th appearance in the SPL

Rangers 2-1 Hibernian

Daryl Horgan came off the bench for his 70th appearance for Hibernian

St Mirren 1-1 Hamilton Academical

Jamie McGrath was named in a St Mirren starting XI for the first time

FA Cup

Tottenham 3-2 Southampton

Shane Long's start was his 20th appearance of the season

Thursday, 6th February 2020

Iranian Super League

Persepolis 2-2 Esteghlal

Anthony Stokes came off the bench for his first appearance for Persepolis

Round up for week of Tuesday, 12th March 2019

Tuesday, 12th March 2019

Championship

Blackburn 3-0 Wigan

Derrick Williams was booked for the first time in three months

Sheffield United 2-0 Brentford

David McGoldrick's goal was his first strike in a month

League 1

Blackpool 1-1 Doncaster Rovers

Kieran Sadlier was named in Doncaster's starting XI for the first time in a month

Coventry 2-1 Fleetwood

David Meyler started a game for Coventry for first time since Saturday, 2nd February

Plymouth 2-1 Shrewsbury

Graham Carey scored his fifth goal of the season

Rochdale 0-0 Oxford United

Jimmy Keohane made his first appearance for Rochdale

Scunthorpe 4-1 Southend United

Stephen McLaughlin made his 150th appearance for Southend United
Simon Cox scored his 15th goal of the season

Walsall 2-3 Portsmouth

Liam Kinsella was booked for the first time since November

Wycombe Wanderers 1-3 Accrington Stanley

Michael Harriman started his first game since New Years Day

League 2

Cambridge United 0-0 Crewe Alexandra

Paul Green was booked for the first time since 26th December

Carlisle United 1-3 Notts County

Jamie Devitt was booked for the fifth time this season

Crawley 0-0 Mansfield Town

Conrad Logan's start was his first appearance since Saturday, 5th January

Scottish FA Cup

Rangers 0-2 Aberdeen

Stephen Gleeson made his first appearance in the Scottish FA Cup

Wednesday, 13th March 2019

Championship

Nottingham Forest 1-3 Aston Villa

Conor Hourihane's first assist in a month was his tenth of the season

QPR 1-2 Rotherham

Anthony Forde completed an assist for the first time since August

Thursday, 14th March 2019

Persian Gulf Pro League

Tractor Sazi 1-0 Padideh Khorasan

Anthony Stokes scored his tenth goal of the season

Round Up for weekend of Friday, 1st March 2019

Friday, 1st March 2019

Persian Gulf Pro League

Tractor Sazi 2-0 Sepahan

Anthony Stokes scored his first goal since Saturday, 20th October

Saturday, 2nd March 2019

Championship

Aston Villa 4-0 Derby County

The first goal of Conor Hourihane's brace was his first strike in two months
Glenn Whelan completed his first assist since Saturday, 29th December

Millwall 1-3 Norwich

Shaun Williams scored his 20th goal for the club, his first goal in three months, this was also his tenth goal in the Championship

Preston North End 1-1 Bristol City

Alan Browne made his 150th start for Preston North End
In the same game, Callum O'Dowda made his 100th appearance for Bristol City

Rotherham 3-2 Blackburn

Richie Towell made his 25th appearance of the season

League 1

Fleetwood 1-1 Gillingham

Paddy Madden made his 50th start for Fleetwood

Luton 2-0 Rochdale

James Collins' 20th goal of the season was also his 40th goal for Luton, and coincidentally, his 40th goal in League One

Portsmouth 5-1 Bradford City

Anthony O'Connor completed his first assist since Tuesday, 11th December

League 2

Crewe Alexandra 0-2 Northampton

John-Joe O'Toole scored his first goal since Saturday, 27th October

Exeter 0-1 Tranmere

Dara O'Shea made his 25th appearance for Exeter

Grimsby 0-2 Cambridge United

Gary Deegan was booked for the first time in two months

Mansfield Town 4-2 Cheltenham

Ryan Sweeney assisted a goal for the first time this season

MK Dons 1-0 Crawley

Reece Grego Cox was named in a starting XI for the first time since New Year's Day

Swindon Town 3-0 Colchester

Canice Carroll scored his first goal for Swindon, this was the defender's first goal since December 2017

Yeovil 3-2 Morecambe

Courtney Duffus completed his first assist of the season

Round up for weekend of Friday, 28th September 2018

Friday, 28th September 2018

Scottish Championship

Dunfermline 1-0 Partick Thistle

Niall Keown was booked for the first time this season

Persian Gulf Pro League

Tractor Sazi 6-0 Esteghlal

Anthony Stokes' four goals in this win (his first strikes in a month) brings his total to seven goals in seven appearances for Sazi

Saturday, 29th September 2018

Premier League

West Ham United 3-1 Manchester United

Declan Rice made his 25th start for West Ham United

Everton 3-0 Fulham

Cyrus Christie was booked for the first time this season

Manchester City 2-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

Shane Duffy was booked for the first time this season

Championship

Blackburn 2-2 Nottingham Forest

Darragh Lenihan made his 100th appearance for Blackburn, coincidentally, this was also his 100th career start

Brentford 2-2 Reading

Alan Judge was booked for the first time this season

Millwall 2-3 Sheffield United

Enda Stevens and John Egan were both booked for the first time this season

Norwich 1-0 Wigan

Darron Gibson was booked for the first time this season, a year after his last booking on Wednesday, 20th September 2017

Rotherham 2-2 Stoke City

Richie Towell scored his first goal of the season, after Ryan Manning's penalty which was the fifth goal of his career

League 1

Burton Albion 0-0 Scunthorpe

Damien McCrory was booked for the first time this season

Luton 2-2 Charlton

James Collins scored his first goal of the season in his 50th start for Luton
Josh Cullen was booked for the first time this season

League 2

Colchester 1-2 Bury

Eoghan O'Connell made his first appearance in a month

Newport Co. 4-2 Cambridge United

Barry Corr made his 50th appearance for Cambridge United

Port Vale 1-1 Exeter

Dara O'Shea made his first appearance in League Two

Scottish Premier League

Hamilton Academical 0-2 Dundee

Andy Boyle scored his first goal of the season, and was booked for the first time this season against Hamilton

Hearts 2-1 St Johnstone

Jimmy Dunne scored his first goal of the season

Scottish Championship

Inverness CT 0-0 Queen of the South

Aaron Doran was booked for the first time this season

Sunday, 30th September 2018

Premier League

Cardiff 1-2 Burnley

Greg Cunningham was booked for the first time this season

Round Up for weekend of Thursday, 2nd August 2018

Thursday, 2nd August 2018

UEFA Cup

Rio Ave 4-4 Jagiellonia Białystok

Cillian Sheridan's opener was his 15th goal for the club, and the 90th goal of his career

Friday, 3rd August 2018

Championship

Reading 1-2 Derby County

On the opening day of the Championship season, Paul McShane made his first start since Saturday, 13th January
After transferring from Hull during the summer, David Meyler was booked on his first appearance for Reading

Persian Gulf Pro League

Tractor Sazi 1-1 Nassaji Mazandaran

In his first appearance for Tractor Sazi, Anthony Stokes scored his first goal since Saturday, 23rd December 2017

Saturday, 4th August 2018

Championship

Bristol City 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Daryl Murphy marked his 300th appearance in the Championship with his 90th goal in the competition - this was the striker's first goal since Tuesday, 21st November 2017

Millwall 2-2 Middlesbrough

Similarly, Aiden O'Brien marked his 50th Championship appearance with his first goal since Saturday, 20th January

Wigan 3-2 Sheffield Wednesday

After signing a short term contract with Wigan on Friday, Darron Gibson made his first start for the Latics. This was the midfielder's first appearance in senior football since Monday, 1st January

Sheffield United 1-2 Swansea

David McGoldrick's debut for new club Sheffield United was the striker's first appearance since Sunday, 18th February 2018

League 1

Accrington Stanley 0-2 Gillingham

Seamus Conneely's start was his 150th appearance for Accrington Stanley

Barnsley 4-0 Oxford United

Samir Carruthers made his first start for loan club Oxford United. Before this, the midfielder had not appeared since Friday, 16th February 2018

Portsmouth 1-0 Luton

Ronan Curtis was booked on his first appearance for new club Portsmouth

Shrewsbury 0-1 Bradford City

Sean Scannell's first appearance for Bradford City was the winger's first appearance since Tuesday, 6th February

Wycombe Wanderers 0-0 Blackpool

Michael Harriman was sent off for the first time in his career

League 2

Bury 1-0 Yeovil

Eoghan O'Connell's start against Yeovil was his 50th career appearance

Cheltenham 0-1 Crawley

Liam McAlinden made his first appearance for Cheltenham
Reece Grego Cox made his first appearance for Crawley

Mansfield Town 3-0 Newport Co.

Conrad Logan made his 50th appearance for Mansfield Town - all of which were starts for the goalkeeper

Stevenage 2-2 Tranmere

Michael Timlin made his first appearance for Stevenage

Swindon Town 3-2 Macclesfield

Fiacre Kelleher made his first appearance for Macclesfield

Scottish Premier League

Kilmarnock 2-0 St Johnstone

Alan Power made his 25th appearance in the SPL

Celtic 3-1 Livingston

After recovering from a serious injury, Jonathan Hayes made his first appearance since Tuesday, 26th December 2017

Sunday, 5 August 2018

Championship

Leeds United 3-1 Stoke City

James McClean made his first appearance for Stoke City

Scottish Premier League

Aberdeen 1-1 Rangers

Stephen Gleeson made his first start for Aberdeen
Chris Forrester made his first appearance for Aberdeen

December 2017 Appearance Stats

Irish Abroad players appearance statistics for December 2017

Wins
In the final month of 2017, nobody started more wins than Derby's Richard Keogh's five victories

Draws
Glenn Whelan, Jeff Hendrick, and Anthony Stokes all started three draws in December 2017

Losses
Daniel Devine, Niall Keown, Charles Dunne, and Adam Barton all started five losses

Starts/Completed Games
Keown and Barton both started eight games in the 31 days of December, with Keown completing 90 minutes in each

Substitutions/Introductions
No player was substituted more than the five times Millwall's Aiden O'Brien was withdrawn from the action. In contrast Shaun Williams, James McClean, Samir Carruthers, and Conor Sammon were all introduced to the action four times during the month

Stayed On Bench
Goalkeepers Brian Murphy and Aaron McCarey were both unused substitutes in six games in December, while of the outfield players Andy Boyle and Conor Shaughnessy were both unused in five games

Goals
Anthony Stokes, Adam Rooney and Conor Sammon were the only players to score more than once - each player scored twice. No Irish player scored a penalty in December

Discipline
Gary Dicker was booked more than any player in December, the Kilmarnock player was shown three yellow cards

Round up for weekend of Friday, 15th December 2017

Friday, 15th December 2017

League 2

Swindon Town 2-3 Colchester

Donal McDermott's first appearance since Wednesday, 8 November was also his first start for Swindon the previous Sunday

Saturday, 16th December 2017

Premier League

Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle Utd

Robert Elliot's start was his 50th Premier League appearance

Brighton and Hove Albion 0-0 Burnley

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

Championship

Bolton 0-1 Burton Albion

Sean Scannell made his 300th appearance in the Championship

Derby County 2-0 Aston Villa

Scott Hogan came off the bench for his first appearance since Saturday, 4th November

Ipswich 2-0 Reading

Paul McShane was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Preston North End 1-0 Sheffield United

This was the first time since March 2016 that four Irish players (Kevin O'Connor, Andy Boyle, Daryl Horgan and Alan Browne) started on the subs bench for a single team.
Samir Carruthers's first start since August was his 25th appearance for Sheffield United

Cardiff 1-0 Hull City

In his first appearance for Cardiff since August, Anthony Pilkington assisted the winner against Hull

League 1

Blackburn 2-0 Charlton

Derrick Williams made his 200th career appearance
Leon Best unfortunately scored his first own goal since May 2007

Doncaster Rovers 1-1 Oldham

Eoin Doyle scored his 15th goal of the season

Gillingham 4-1 Bristol Rovers

Bradley Garmston made his first appearance since Saturday, 28th October

Northampton 2-1 Walsall

Brendan Moloney made his 100th appearance for Northampton

Rotherham 1-1 Plymouth

Graham Carey made his 300th career appearance in British football

Southend United 1-2 Bradford City

Stephen McLaughlin scored his 15th goal for Southend

League 2

Carlisle United 1-2 Port Vale

John O'Sullivan's first start of the season was also his 25th appearance for Carlisle United

Exeter 2-1 Stevenage

Pierce Sweeney scored his fifth goal of the season in his 25th start of the season
Liam McAlinden was booked for the first time this season

Forest Green 0-2 Luton

Alan Sheehan made his 100th appearance in League Two
Glen Rea made his 25th appearance of the season
Alan Sheehan's scored his first goal since September

Lincoln City 2-0 Accrington Stanley

Seamus Conneely returned for his first appearance in a month

Scottish Premier League

Aberdeen 4-1 Hibernian

Adam Rooney made his 200th appearance in the SPL
Anthony Stokes' late consolation for Hibernian was his tenth goal of the season, and his 100th goal in the top level of Scottish football

Rangers 1-3 St Johnstone

Graham Cummins' first goal of the season was also his 15th goal for St. Johnstone

Scottish Championship

Inverness CT 1-0 Dumbarton

Jake Mulraney's start against Dumbarton was his 50th appearance for Inverness Caledonian Thistle

Sunday, 17th December 2017

League 1

Fleetwood 2-3 Peterborough

Cian Bolger scored his third goal in two games (the first time the defender has scored in consecutive games) in his 25th start of the season

Indian Super League

Mumbai City 0-1 Atlético de Kolkata

Robbie Keane made his first start for Atlético de Kolkata, this was his first time being named in a starting XI since October 2016, and was voted as Fans Player of the Match

You voted for @WorldATK's Robbie Keane as the Fans' Player of the Match and he has a message of gratitude. #LetsFootball #MUMKOL pic.twitter.com/JtFlogGOWw

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) December 17, 2017

Round Up for weekend of Friday, 3rd November 2017

Friday, 3rd November 2017

English FA Cup

Port Vale 2-0 Oxford United

Gavin Gunning marked his first appearance in the FA Cup with his first goal since March 2014

Saturday, 4th November 2017

Premier League

The nine Irish players to appear in the Premier League games today equals the season high for players in one day

Huddersfield 1-0 West Bromwich Albion

James McClean was booked for the first time in a month

Newcastle Utd 0-1 Bournemouth

Ciaran Clark's introduction from the bench was his first appearance since Sunday, 1st October

Championship

Bristol City 2-1 Cardiff

After scoring his first goal for Bristol City recently, Callum O'Dowda's opener against Cardiff was his first goal in the Championship

Aston Villa 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday

Scott Hogan returned to the Aston Villa starting XI for the first time since Tuesday, 19th September

Derby County 2-4 Reading

Alex Pearce's introduction from the bench (his first appearance since Tuesday, 12th September) was his 50th appearance for Derby County

Ipswich 3-0 Preston North End

After coming off the bench in Derby's previous game, Kevin O'Connor started first game since Tuesday, 8th August
David McGoldrick scored his first goal since Tuesday, 26th September

Scottish Premier League

Hibernian 2-1 Dundee

Anthony Stokes was booked for the first time since August

English FA Cup

Bradford City 2-0 Chesterfield

Connor Dimaio's first start in two months was also his 50th career appearance

Peterborough 1-1 Tranmere

Conor O'Malley made his first start for Peterborough in a month

Shrewsbury 5-0 Aldershot

After extending his loan deal at Aldershot by another month, Ipswich Town's Adam McDonnell made his first appearance in the FA Cup

Hereford 1-0 AFC Telford

Dara O'Shea made his first appearance in the FA Cup while on loan at Hereford from West Brom

Gravesend 2-6 Doncaster Rovers

Ian Lawlor was shown his first yellow card of 2017/18

Carlisle United 3-2 Oldham

Paul Green started his first game in almost three months, his last start came on  Wednesday, 9th August 2017

Cheltenham 2-4 Maidstone United

Kevin Dawson scored his fifth goal of the season, also his first goal in the FA Cup, then was sent off for the third time in his career. The midfielder's last red card came almost exactly a year ago on Saturday, 5th November 2016

Newport Co. 2-1 Walsall

Liam Kinsella made his 25th start for Walsall

Australian A-League

Newcastle Jets 3-0 Wellington Phoenix

The first goal of Roy O'Donovan's brace was his 25th goal in the A-League

Perth Glory 1-0 Adelaide United

Andy Keogh was booked for the first time this season

Sunday, 5 November 2017

Championship

Middlesbrough 1-0 Sunderland

The six Irish players to start this game was a season high for the Championship
Cyrus Christie was booked for the fifth time this season and will be suspended for Middlesbrough's next game

English FA Cup

Coventry 2-0 Maidenhead

Michael Doyle made his 50th appearance in the FA Cup

Solihull Moors 0-2 Wycombe Wanderers

After signing a short term deal with Solihull Moors, Sean St Ledger made his first appearance in more than two years

Exeter 3-1 Heybridge Swifts

Liam McAlinden scored his first goal in the FA Cup was also his tenth goal for Exeter

October 2017 Appearance Stats

Irish Abroad players appearance statistics for October 2017

Wins
With the play off for the World Cup in Russia looming on the horizon, Richard Keogh won the most games in October, finishing on the winning side four times

Draws
Sunderland teammates John O'Shea and Aiden McGeady started the most drawn games, finishing all square on three occasions

Losses
Leeds midfielder Eunan O'Kane lost four games in October, more than any other player

Starts/Completed Games
O'Kane also started the most games in October, being named in the Leeds starting XI on five occasions, and completing 90 minutes in each one

Substitutions/Introductions
Jeff Hendrick and new international squad member Aiden O'Brien were both substituted three times. Four players were introduced twice - Wes Hoolahan, James McClean, Scott Hogan and Graham Cummins

Stayed On Bench
Five players were left on the bench four times - goalkeepers Brian Murphy and Stephen Henderson, along with Alex Pearce, Kevin Long, and Samir Carruthers

Goals
Only six players scored in October, and only Hendrick and Sean Maguire scored more than once. Anthony Stokes was the only player to score a penalty

Discipline
Darren O'Dea was shown three yellow cards in October

September 2017 Appearance Stats

Irish Abroad players appearance statistics for September 2017
Wins
Aston Villa teammates Glenn Whelan and Conor Hourihane both started four wins in September, along with Callum O'Dowda and Matt Doherty

Draws
Quite a few players drew three games in September - Darren Randolph, Daniel Devine, Richard Keogh, Cyrus Christie, Adam Barton, Sean Maguire, and Anthony Stokes all started three games that finished all square

Losses
Sunderland's Marc Wilson started four losses in the ninth month of 2017, no other player started more than three

Starts/Completed Games
Randolph, Christie, Doherty, Hourihane, and Maguire all started six games, with only Maguire failing to complete 90 minutes in each game

Substitutions/Introductions
Sean Scannell and David McGoldrick were substituted in all but one of the five games they started, while new call up Scott Hogan was introduced from the bench in six of the seven games Aston Villa played in September.

Stayed On Bench
Goalkeepers Brian Murphy and Stephen Henderson were unused substitutes more than any other player in September, both players were left on the bench six times. Of the outfield players, Alex Pearce, Ryan Manning, and Darron Gibson were unused substitutes in five games.

Goals
Four players scored three goals in September: McGoldrick, Murphy, Stokes and Adam Rooney, with Rooney's all coming in one game, the eighth hat trick of his career. Two of Stokes' goals were from the penalty spot, David Meyler, Liam Kelly and Adam Rooney were the only other players to score from 12 yards with a single penalty each.

Discipline
Cyrus Christie was booked four times in the six games he started in September

Report Card for weekend of Friday, 15th September 2017

Saturday, 16 September 2017

Premier League

Crystal Palace 0-1 Southampton

Shane Long was booked for the first time since December 2016 in what was the striker's first start of the season

Newcastle Utd 2-1 Stoke City

Ciaran Clark's start against Stoke City was the defender's 200th career appearance and was booked for the first time since March

Championship

Brentford 1-1 Reading

Liam Kelly first goal in a month was the his fifth goal for the club
Both John Egan and Paul McShane were booked for the first time this season

Hull City 1-1 Sunderland

David Meyler scored his second goal of the season, a month after his last goal on August 15th

Ipswich 2-0 Bolton

David McGoldrick scored his fourth goal of the season

Millwall 1-0 Leeds United

Aiden O'Brien scored his first goal in a month on his 25th appearance in the Championship
Eunan O'Kane was shown his first yellow card since March 2017
Conor Shaughnessy was booked for the first time this season

Barnsley 0-3 Aston Villa

Conor Hourihane was booked for the first time in a month on his 25th appearance for Aston Villa

League 1

Bradford City 1-0 Rotherham

Colin Doyle was booked for the first time since September 2013

Bury 0-0 Plymouth

Joe Murphy made his 25th appearance for Bury

Oldham 1-2 Shrewsbury

Eoin Doyle's red card was the third time the striker has been sent off in his career

Portsmouth 4-1 Fleetwood

Cian Bolger was shown his third yellow card of the season on his 50th appearance for Fleetwood

Southend United 2-2 Northampton

Brendan Moloney was booked for the first time this season

Wigan 3-0 Bristol Rovers

Ryan Sweeney was sent off for the second time in his career

League 2

Cambridge United 2-1 Coventry

Michael Doyle made his 100th appearance in League Two

Cheltenham 3-1 Colchester

The first goal of Kevin Dawson's brace was his fifth goal in League Two and was booked for the first time this season

Chesterfield 1-2 Accrington Stanley

Seamus Conneely was booked for the first time this season

Scottish Premier League

Celtic 4-0 Ross County

Jonathan Hayes returned to the Celtic starting XI for the first time since Friday, 11th August

Dundee 3-2 St Johnstone

Darren O'Dea was sent off for the first time for Dundee (his first red card since April 2012) in his first appearance since Saturday, 12 August

Hibernian 2-2 Motherwell

Anthony Stokes scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season

August 2017 Appearance Stats

Irish Abroad players appearance statistics for August 2017
 
Wins
Aberdeen full back Anthony O'Connor started five wins in the opening month of the 2017/18 season, two more than any other player

Draws
Sheffield Wednesday's Kieren Westwood started three draws for the Owls in August

Losses
Partick Thistle teammates Niall Keown and Adam Barton both started all four of the Jags' losses

Starts/Completed Games
O'Connor, Liam Kelly and Aiden McGeady all started six games in August. Of these, only the Dons player went on to complete 90 minutes in all six games

Substitutions/Introductions
McGeady, Samir Carruthers, Aiden O'Brien and Sean Maguire were all substituted three times. Bristol City's Callum O'Dowda was introduced from the bench five times

Stayed On Bench
Goalkeepers Brian Murphy and Aaron McCarey were joined by Brian Lenihan and Alex Pearce in being unused in five games

Goals
Conor Hourihane and Anthony Stokes both scored four goals in August, while David Meyler and Daryl Murphy were the only players to score a penalty.

Discipline
Enda Stevens, Anthony O'Connor, Harry Arter, David Meyler, and Anthony Stokes were all booked twice

August 2017 Transfers, Loans and Contracts

Transfers

Thursday, 3rd August

Rob Kiernan returned to Southend, having spent a brief loan spell at Roots Hall in 2013, signing a three year deal: 🔗

After impressing on trial in preseason, Noel Hunt signed a one year deal with Wigan Athletic: 🔗

Following his release from Blackburn Rovers, Anthony Stokes has returned to Hibernian for his third spell at Easter Road: 🔗

Tuesday, 15th August

Patrick Cregg returned to Scotland from St Patrick’s Athletic to sign a one year deal with Forfar Athletic: 🔗

Wednesday, 23rd August

Padraig Amond returned to League Two to sign for Newport County: 🔗

Thursday, 31st August

Marc Wilson left Bournemouth to sign a contract with Sunderland until the end of the season: 🔗

Loans

Tuesday, 1st August

Ahead of the new Championship season, Josh Cullen signed a six month loan deal with Bolton Wanderers: 🔗
 

Wednesday, 2nd August

Blackpool winger Rowan Roche signed for non league Southport until January: 🔗

Friday, 18th August

Bournemouth striker Joe Quigley signed on loan with Newport County until January: 🔗

Wednesday, 23rd August

Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Joe Mason signed for fellow Championship side Burton Albion on loan until January: 🔗

Thursday, 24th August

Aston Villa defender Kevin Toner signed a one year loan deal with Stevenage FC: 🔗

Tuesday, 29th August

Jack Byrne signed for fellow Irish midfielder John Sheridan on loan at Oldham until January: 🔗

Wednesday, 30th August

Ipswich midfielder Adam McDonnell signed for Aldershot Town on a one month’s loan: 🔗

Bostik League side Worthing Town took Brighton defender Rian O’Sullivan on a six month loan: 🔗

Thursday, 31st August

Preston striker Eoin Doyle joined John Sheridan’s Oldham on loan until January: 🔗

Burton full back Damien McCrory signed a loan deal with Portsmouth until January: 🔗

Rotherham United signed a late loan deal with Richie Towell until the end of the season: 🔗
 

Contracts

Friday, 11th August

Eunan O’Kane signed a new four year deal at Leeds United, extending his stay at Elland Road until the 2020/21 season: 🔗

Monday, 14th August

Following his stunning opening day goal for Burnley, Stephen Ward signed a new contract with the Clarets until June 2019: 🔗

Thursday, 17th August

Defender Shane Duffy was one of three players to sign new deals with Brighton and Hove Albion, the defender signed a new four year deal with the Seagulls: 🔗

Wednesday, 30th August

Reading captain Paul McShane signed a one year extension to his contract, keeping him with the Royals until 2019: 🔗

Round Up - Weekend of Saturday, 5th August 2017

Saturday, 5 August 2017
Championship
Preston North End 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Greg Cunningham returned from a broken leg, just over 100 days since his injury
Having completed his transfer from Cork City, Sean Maguire made his first start for Preston North End

Sheffield United 1-0 Brentford
Enda Stevens made his first appearance for Sheffield United
John Egan's appearance in the starting XI today was his 150th career start

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Middlesbrough
Matt Doherty's start today was his 200th career appearance
Darren Randolph's start for Middlesbrough was his first appearance since Saturday, 15 April
This was also Cyrus Christie's first appearance since Saturday, 29 April
The last time two Irish players lined out for Middlesbrough was in December 2009, when Sean St Ledger and Mark Yeates started against Cardiff City

Aston Villa 1-1 Hull City
Glenn Whelan marked his first appearance for Aston Villa with a booking
David Meyler came of the bench to make his first appearance since Saturday, 11 March

League 1
Bradford City 2-1 Blackpool
Jimmy Ryan's first appearance for Blackpool was the midfielder's 400th career appearance

Bury 1-0 Walsall
Jay O'Shea and Callum Reilly made their first appearances for Bury
Liam Kinsella made his first appearance since Tuesday, 13 December 2016

Charlton 1-0 Bristol Rovers
Billy Clarke made his first appearance for Charlton

Doncaster Rovers 0-0 Gillingham
Conor Wilkinson made his first appearance for Gillingham

Oldham 0-2 Oxford United
Courtney Duffus came off the bench to make his first appearance for Oldham

Portsmouth 2-0 Rochdale
Keith Keane's red card was the fourth time in his career he's been sent off

League 2
Carlisle United 1-2 Swindon Town
Jack Bonham made his first appearance for Carlisle United

Chesterfield 1-3 Grimsby
Sam Kelly made his first appearance for Grimsby

Crawley 1-3 Port Vale
Gavin Gunning made his first appearance for Port Vale, and also picked up his first booking of 2017/18

Crewe Alexandra 2-2 Mansfield Town
Eddie Nolan made his first appearance for Crewe Alexandra
Conrad Logan made his first appearance for Mansfield Town

Exeter 1-0 Cambridge United
David Forde and Gary Deegan both made their first debuts for Cambridge United

Luton 8-2 Yeovil
Alan McCormack made his first appearance for Luton, this was the midfielder's first start since October 2016, and his first goal since September 2014
James Collins marked his first appearance for Luton with a hat trick
Connor Smith made his first appearance for Yeovil

Morecambe 2-1 Cheltenham
Barry Roche made his 400th appearance for Morecambe

Wycombe Wanderers 2-2 Lincoln
Sean Long made his first start for Lincoln in his first appearance since January

Scottish Premier League
Hibernian 3-1 Partick Thistle
Anthony Stokes made his first appearance of the season
Anthony Stokes first appearance in his third spell at Hibs was his first appearance since mid April

Kilmarnock 1-2 St Johnstone
Alan Power made his first appearance in the Scottish Premier League

Scottish Championship
Inverness CT 0-1 Dundee Utd
Willo Flood made his 200th appearance for Dundee Utd

Sunday, 6th August 2017
Championship
Bolton 2-3 Leeds United
Josh Cullen made his first appearance for Bolton
Conor Shaughnessy made his career debut as a second half substitute

Scottish Premier League
Motherwell 1-2 Rangers
Charles Dunne made his first appearance in the competition
Charles Dunne was booked for the first time this season in his SPL debit

Aberdeen 2-0 Hamilton Academical
Anthony O'Connor scored his first goal of the season, 90 days after his last goal on Sunday, 7th May

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 - 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 - 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 - Week of 9th August 2016

Tuesday, 9 August 2016
English League Cup
Accrington Stanley 0-0 Bradford City
John O'Sullivans first appearance of the season was his 50th career appearance

Barnsley 1-2 Northampton
John-Joe O'Toole scored his 15th goal for Northampton

Blackpool 4-2 Bolton
Mark Yeates made his first start since February
Eddie Nolan made his first start for Blackpool since signing for them in the summer

Brighton and Hove Albion 4-0 Colchester
Louis Dunne came off the bench to make his first appearance since April

Derby County 1-0 Grimsby
Richard Keogh scored his first goal of the season in his 200th appearance for the club, this was the defender's first goal October 2015

Doncaster Rovers 1-2 Nottingham Forest
After coming off the bench to make his first appearance for Nottingham Forest at the weekend, Stephen Henderson made his first start for the club

Leyton Orient 2-3 Fulham
Sean Kavanagh made his twenty-fifth appearance for Fulham, this was the defender's first appearance since March

Mansfield Town 1-3 Blackburn
After coming off the bench to make their first appearance for Blackburn at the weekend, Anthony Stokes and Jack Byrne made their first starts for the club and Stokes marked the occasion with a brace
Shane Duffy scored his first goal in the League Cup

Preston North End 1-0 Hartlepool
Jake Carroll made his fiftieth appearance for Hartlepool - all of which he started
Eoin Doyle scored his first goal since March

Rotherham 4-5 Morecambe
Anthony Forde's first goal for Rotherham was also his first goal in the League Cup

Southend United 1-3 Gillingham
Emmanuel Osadebe made his first appearance in the League Cup
Stephen McLaughlin's fifth goal for Southend was his first goal in the League Cup

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Crawley
Joe Mason scored his first goal since 30th April
Mark Connolly was booked for the first time since December 2015. Connolly's subsequent sending off was the second red card of his career - the first once came on 26th February 2013

Wycombe Wanderers 0-1 Bristol City
Michael Harriman made his 150th career appearance
Derrick Williams was booked for the first time in almost 20 months, his last yellow card was on 20th December 2014

Barnet 0-4 Millwall
Aiden O'Brien scored his first goal in the competition, and his second goal in two games

Reading 2-0 Plymouth
Connor Smith came off the bench in the second half to make his debut for Plymouth

Scottish League Cup
Alloa 1-0 Inverness CT
After three games as an unused substitute, Aaron Doran came off the bench to make his first appearance for Inverness Caledonian Thistle in more than a year. The winger's last appearance came since 23rd July 2015

Dundee Utd 3-1 Partick Thistle
Willo Flood was booked for the second time this season, just over a month since his first booking on the 7th July

Rangers 5-0 Peterhead
Robert Kiernan captained Rangers on his fiftieth appearance for the club
Fiacre Kelleher scored the first own goal of his career

Wednesday, 10 August 2016
English League Cup
Burton Albion 3-2 Bury
In his first start of the season (his first since early April), Callum Reilly
scored his first goal since September 2014

Fleetwood 2-2 Leeds United
Cian Bolger made his first appearance for Fleetwood since moving to the Cod Army in the summer

Round Up - Weekend of 6th August 2016

Saturday, 6 August 2016
Championship
Blackburn 1-4 Norwich
On the opening day of the Championship season, Darragh Lenihan made his twenty-fifth start for Blackburn Rovers in the same game that compatriots Anthony Stokes and Jack Byrne made their debuts for the club, Stokes marking the occasion with a goal
For the opposition, Wes Hoolahan scored for Norwich for the first time since February

Bristol City 2-1 Wigan
Having moved to Bristol in the summer, Callum O'Dowda started for them in their first game of the season

Huddersfield 2-1 Brentford
O'Dowda's fellow summer transfer John Egan made his first appearance for his new club Brentford

Ipswich 4-2 Barnsley
Conor Hourihane opened his account in the Championship in his first appearance in the competition

Nottingham Forest 4-3 Burton Albion
Stephen Henderson benefitted from the injury to de Vries in the first half, and came off the bench to made his first appearance for the Forest in their home win on the first day of the season. It was the netminder's first senior appearance since February

Reading 1-0 Preston North End
Alan Browne's booking on the first day of 2016/17 was his first yellow card since February

Rotherham 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Anthony Forde assisted both of Rotherham's goals in his first appearance for the Millers, against his first club in England

League 1
Bradford City 0-0 Port Vale
Colin Doyle made his first appearance for Bradford after sigining for them for just £1

Bury 2-0 Charlton
Kevin Foley made his first appearance for Charlton after signing a short term deal with them last week

Millwall 3-0 Oldham
Shaun Williams made his one hundredth appearance for Milwall
Paul Green made his first appearance for Oldham
Aiden O'Brien scored his first goal of the season

Northampton 1-1 Fleetwood
Jimmy Ryan made his fiftieth appearance for Fleetwood, strangely all of the winger's appearances have been starts!

Rochdale 2-3 Peterborough
Chris Forrester's goal against Rochdale was the former St Patrick's Athletic player's first goal since 3rd October 2015

Scunthorpe 3-1 Bristol Rovers
Stephen Dawson made his twenty-fifth start for Scunthorpe, in the same game that former Limerick FC striker Rory Gaffney made his twenty-fifth appearance for Bristol Rovers

Shrewsbury 0-1 MK Dons
Gary Deegan's start against MK Dons was the midfielder's 150th career appearance

Southend United 1-3 Gillingham
Simon Cox made his first appearance for Southend and assisted Stephen McLaughlin's strike
Mark Byrne made his first appearance for Gillingham after moving in preseason
Emmanuel Osadebe's start for the Gills was his first start since 27th February against Chesterfield, and scored his first goal since the same game
Stephen McLaughlin scored his fifth goal since moving to England, 10 months after his last goal in October 2015

League 2 
Blackpool 2-0 Exeter
After moving to Exeter in the summer, Pierce Sweeney made his senior career debut for the Grecians.
Liam McAlinden came off the bench to make his first appearance for Exeter

Cambridge United 1-1 Barnet
Sean Long made his first appearance for Cambridge, this was the defender's first senior appearance since December 2015

Crawley 1-0 Wycombe Wanderers
James Collins made his first appearance for Crawley
Mark Crawley made his first appearance since December 2015, after returning to Crawley following a two year spell in Scotland

Grimsby 2-0 Morecambe
After moving to Grimsby in June, James Berrett made his first appearance for the club

Hartlepool 1-1 Colchester
Following his remarkable scoring record at Grimsby last season, Padraig Amond made his first appearance for Hartlepool

Newport Co. 2-3 Mansfield Town
Patrick Hoban made his first appearance for Mansfield as a late substitute, this was the striker's first appearance since February

Portsmouth 1-1 Carlisle United
David Forde made his first appearance for Portsmouth since signing for them on loan, the goalkeeper's first start since January
Michael Doyle made his fiftieth start for Portsmouth After signing for Portsmouth on a short term deal, Noel Hunt made his first appearance for the club - the striker's first appearance in League Two
Jamie Devitt unfortunately marked his first appearance for Carlisle with the third sending off of his career, his last red card came in October 2014

Yeovil 2-0 Notts County
Kevin Dawson scored his first goal in two years, having not scored since August 2014

Scottish First Division
Dundee Utd 1-1 Queen of the South
In his fourth spell at Dundee, Willo Flood made his one hundred fiftieth start for the club

Sunday, 7 August 2016
Championship
QPR 3-0 Leeds United
U19 midfielder Olamide Shodipo made his first career appearance for QPR

Scottish Premier League
Hearts 1-2 Celtic
Despite the league season only just starting, Conor Sammon picked up his second booking of the season, having already been booked during Hearts' Europa League campaign