Episode 69 - Fein op Woudestein!

Myself and Philip Flanagan of The Bottomless Pit of Football are delighted to be joined by Richard van Zijl of Excelsior Rotterdam fan podcast Fein op Woudestein to discuss the history of the club, how Troy Parrott is performing in the Eredivisie this season, and cult hero, for both Ireland and Excelsior fans, David Connolly!

Subscribe to his podcast for discussions on all things related to Exclesior on Spotify

Teenage (Competitive) Kicks

After starting against in the Euro 2020 qualifier against Switzerland, Aaron Connolly joined an elite group of players who made their full competitive debut before their 20th birthday.

Only 16 players (including Connolly) have done this in the 564 game history of the Republic, starting with Kevin O'Flanagan and Jackie Carey in a qualifier for the 1938 World Cup against Norway.

Before Connolly, the last time a teenage player started a competitive game was in September 1998, when Robbie Keane and Damien Duff, aged 18 and 19 respectively, started against Croatia in a 2-0 win for the Boys in Green. Keane is also the youngest player ever to start a competitive game

Player	Level	Date of birth	Date	Home	Score	Away	Age
Kevin O'Flanagan	World Cup Qualifier	10 June 1919	7 November 1937	Republic of Ireland	3-3	Norway	18 years, 150 days
Jackie Carey	World Cup Qualifier	23 February 1919	7 November 1937	Republic of Ireland	3-3	Norway	18 years, 257 days
Arthur Fitzsimons	World Cup Qualifier	16 December 1929	8 September 1949	Republic of Ireland	3-0	Finland	19 years, 266 days
Liam Munroe	World Cup Qualifier	28 November 1933	28 October 1953	Republic of Ireland	4-0	Luxembourg	19 years, 334 days
Don Givens	World Cup Qualifier	9 August 1949	27 May 1969	Denmark	2-0	Republic of Ireland	19 years, 291 days
Jimmy Holmes	World Cup Qualifier	11 November 1953	15 November 1972	Republic of Ireland	2-1	France	19 years, 4 days
Liam Brady	European Cup Qualifier	13 February 1956	30 October 1974	Republic of Ireland	3-0	Soviet Union	18 years, 259 days
David O'Leary	World Cup Qualifier	2 May 1958	17 November 1976	France	2-0	Republic of Ireland	18 years, 199 days
Pierce O'Leary	European Cup Qualifier	5 November 1959	17 October 1979	Republic of Ireland	3-0	Bulgaria	19 years, 346 days
Steve Staunton	World Cup Qualifier	19 January 1969	16 November 1988	Spain	2-0	Republic of Ireland	19 years, 302 days
Mark Kennedy	European Cup Qualifier	15 May 1976	6 September 1995	Austria	3-1	Republic of Ireland	19 years, 114 days
David Connolly	World Cup Qualifier	6 June 1977	30 April 1997	Romania	1-0	Republic of Ireland	19 years, 328 days
Ian Harte	World Cup Qualifier	31 August 1977	31 August 1996	Liechtenstein	0-5	Republic of Ireland	19 years, 0 days
Damien Duff	European Cup Qualifier	2 March 1979	5 September 1998	Republic of Ireland	2-0	Croatia	19 years, 187 days
Robbie Keane	European Cup Qualifier	8 July 1980	5 September 1998	Republic of Ireland	2-0	Croatia	18 years, 59 days
Aaron Connolly	European Cup Qualifier	28 January 2000	15 October 2019	Switzerland	2-0	Republic of Ireland	19 years, 260 days

Players to score in all four divisions in england

After breaking his Premier League duck against Norwich last weekend, Conor Hourihane reached a rare career milestone - scoring in each of the four divisions in England.

We only have comprehensive appearance data going back to the 2005-06 season, but we still managed to compile this list of players who managed the feat since then

1. David Connolly
Beginning his career at Watford, Connolly had scored for the Hornets in what was then known as Division 1 and Division 2, now the Championship and League One, before securing a move to Feyenoord. Following his return from the Netherlands, he scored for Wimbledon, West Ham, and Leicester in the Championship before a move to Wigan was quickly followed by his first Premier League goal in 2005-06 season. Connolly would go on to complete the quadruple by scoring four goals in League Two in his final season as a professional footballer for Portsmouth

2. Clinton Morrison
After scoring in his first appearance for Crystal Palace in the Premier League during the 1997-98 season, Morrison went on to score in the then-First Division for the Eagles. Morrison would also score for Birmingham in the Premier League, before returning to the South London side after four seasons. Following a move to Sheffield Wednesday in 2010, Morrison would collect strikes in League One, before finishing his career in 2015-16 with Exeter in League Two, with a single strike in the division

3. Gary Doherty
After scoring 12 times in three seasons in the Second Division with Luton, Doherty was brought to the Premier League by Tottenham Hotspur, where he scored four times across six seasons before moving to Norwich, for whom he scored three goals in the Championship. Following two seasons with Charlton in League One, the Donegal born player retired after two seasons in League Two with Wycombe, scoring twice in the 2012-13 season

4. Noel Hunt
After two seasons in the League of Ireland, and six in Scotland, Hunt scored his first goal in English football in the Championship with Reading in the 2008-09 season. The Waterford-born striker would also score twice in the Premier League for the Royals. Following moves to Leeds, Ipswich and Southend, where he scored four times in League One, he completed the achievement with a single strike for Portsmouth in League Two in the 2016-17 season

5. Stephen Elliott
After only two appearances for Manchester City in the Premier League, Elliott went on to score 22 league goals (20 in the Championship, 2 in the Premier League) for Sunderland in 81 league appearances on Wearside. Two goals in a loan spell at Norwich in League One in 2009-10 were followed in 2014-15 with a single strike in League Two for Carlisle 

6. Liam Lawrence
Lawrence began his career with Mansfield Town, where he scored in both the old Third and Second Division. A move to Sunderland in the 2004-05 season was followed with goals in the Championship and Premier League for the Black Cats

7. Sean Thornton
Thornton performances in the Second Division with Tranmere Rovers during the 2001-02 season, where he scored once, earned him a move the Premier League with Sunderland. He scored his only goal in the top division against Chelsea in April 2003 before scoring four times in the First Division the following season, following Sunderland's relegation. After three seasons in League One with Doncaster and Leyton Orient, Thornton scored for Shrewsbury in League Two during a loan spell at New Meadow

8. Kevin Kilbane
Beginning his career with local side Preston North End, Kilbane scored in both the third and second divisions for the Lilywhites before moving to West Brom, where his 15 goals in the First Division helped him secure a move to Premier League side Sunderland. Kilbane went on to score eight times for the Black Cats in the PL, before a moves to Everton, Wigan, and Hull, for whom he would score four, two, and one goals in the division, respectively

9. Steve Finnan

Finnan started his career in the youth setup at Wimbledon, and signed for non-league Welling on his release. Birmingham City offered him a professional contract, and he went on to score for the Blues in the First Division. After scoring for Notts County in the Second Division while on loan, he made a permanent move to Meadow Lane where he also scored in the Third Division. A move to Fulham meant more goals in the Second and First Divisions, but he didn't score his only goal in the Premier League until a year after his move to Liverpool in the 2003-04 season

10. Keith Andrews

Andrews had already made his Wolves debut before he scored his first senior goal on loan at Oxford in the Second Division. His second league goal was also on loan, this time with Walsall in the First Division. Andrews notched his first goal in League Two with MK Dons after his move in the 2006-07 season. Three years later, his manager with the Dons, Paul Ince, took him to the Premier League where he would go on to five league goals for the Lancashire side, followed by two more for West Brom

Notes
Each player also scored in both the League Cup and FA Cup, apart from Thornton and Andrews, both of whom never scored in the FA Cup, and Finnan who never scored in the League Cup
All players, except for Thornton and Hunt, have also scored at international level, however Hunt also scored in the Scottish Premier League, and in both Scottish Cups

Irish Scorers weekend of 22nd February 2015

21 February 2015 Sky Bet Championship Brentford 3-1 Bournemouth Jonathan Douglas(9) Sky Bet League 1 Bradford City 1-1 Walsall Billy Clarke(51) Fleetwood Town 2-1 Notts County Liam McAlinden(25) Leyton Orient 3-0 Oldham Athletic David Mooney(25, penalty) Sheffield United 2-2 Coventry City Michael Doyle(78) Sky Bet League 2 AFC Wimbledon 3-2 Luton Town David Connolly(90) Dagenham and Redbridge 1-3 Burton Albion Damien McCrory(90) Northampton Town 3-0 York City Brendan Moloney(48) Stevenage 4-2 Southend United Barry Corr(56, penalty) Scottish Premiership Aberdeen 3-0 St Mirren Adam Rooney(21) Adam Rooney(48)