In the friendly win over Bulgaria, Alan Browne, Kevin Long, and James Collins all scored their first goal for Ireland. This was only the fourth time in the 562 game history of the Republic of Ireland where three players all scored their first international goal in the same fixture.
In the third international played by the Republic, a 4-2 win over Belgium in 1928, Jimmy White, Billy Lacey, and Jack Sullivan scored their first goals for the international side, with White notching a brace. This was the first win for the team.
It would take 48 years for the feat to be repeated, when, in a friendly game against Norway in March 1976, Liam Brady, a Jimmy Holmes penalty, and Mickey Walsh(on his debut) all scored their first goals in a 3-0 win. The game was also notable for being Tony Grealish's debut.
Fans would only have to wait 11 years for three players to open their international account in the same game, when David Kelly, John Byrne, and Niall Quinn all scored in a 5-0 win over Israel in November 1987. Kelly actually notched a hat trick in what was his first cap - the only Irish player ever to mark his debut with three goals.
Showing posts with label Jack Sullivan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jack Sullivan. Show all posts
Friday, 13 September 2019
Monday, 25 September 2017
Goals Per Game
After posting Stephen Ireland's international record on his 31st birthday in August, one of our facebook followers asked if he had the best goals per game ratio, and if not then which Irish player has that record?
Looking at players with five (or more) caps, Ringsend striker Jimmy Dunne scored 13 goals in his 15 appearances, finishing his international career on 0.87 goals per game.
The only goal of David O'Leary's career, a strike against Turkey in 1990 (his penalty against Romania is not counted), means he has the worst goals/game ratio of all players who have scored at least one goal for Ireland, scoring only 0.014 goals in each of his 68 caps.
Shay Given's 134 caps is (unsurprisingly) the highest caps total without a single goal and Kenny Cunningham's 72 caps is the highest total of the outfield players to retire without scoring
Former Bohemians striker Jimmy White scored twice in his single appearance for the Republic of Ireland, which is the best ratio of any player ever to pull on the green jersey. There are four players who scored on their only appearance for the Boys in Green - Jack Sullivan, Johnny Squires, Paddy Bermingham, and Jimmy McCann - giving them a perfect record of one goal per game. Tom Davis and Matty Geoghegan both finished their international careers with a ratio of one goal per game after matching their appearance total of four and two caps, respectively, with the number of goals scored in each.Happy birthday Stephen Ireland(6 caps, 4 goals), 31 today! 🎂 #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/IYFVUYDSoj— Irish Abroad (@irish_abroad) August 22, 2017
Looking at players with five (or more) caps, Ringsend striker Jimmy Dunne scored 13 goals in his 15 appearances, finishing his international career on 0.87 goals per game.
| Player | Goals | Caps | Goals/Games Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Dunne | 13 | 15 | 0.87 |
| John Joe Flood | 4 | 5 | 0.80 |
| Paddy Bradshaw | 4 | 5 | 0.80 |
| Paddy Moore | 7 | 9 | 0.78 |
| Stephen Ireland | 4 | 6 | 0.67 |
The only goal of David O'Leary's career, a strike against Turkey in 1990 (his penalty against Romania is not counted), means he has the worst goals/game ratio of all players who have scored at least one goal for Ireland, scoring only 0.014 goals in each of his 68 caps.
Shay Given's 134 caps is (unsurprisingly) the highest caps total without a single goal and Kenny Cunningham's 72 caps is the highest total of the outfield players to retire without scoring
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)