Three Premier League Debutants

On the opening day of the 2024/25 Premier League season, Ipswich Town played their first game in the top flight since they were relegated at the end of the 2001/02 season. In the second half, manager Kieran McKenna introduced Marcus Harness, who declared for Ireland in 2019, U21 midfielder Jack Taylor, and newly capped forward Sammie Szmodics from the bench. This was only the fourth time that three, or more, Irish players made their Premier League debut in the same game, and the first in fifteen years.

Wolves 0-2 West Ham, Saturday 15th August 2009
The last time this happened was in August 2009, when Wolves, managed by two-time Ireland manager Mick McCarthy,  started defenders Stephen Ward and Kevin Foley, and striker Andy Keogh as the old gold faced West Ham United in their first game in England's top division for five years.

Wimbledon 3-2 Bolton Wanderers, Saturday 19th August 1995
It had been thirteen years since the feat had occurred, when Bolton lost 3-2 to Wimbledon on the opening day of the 1995/96 season. This was Bolton's first game in the Premier League, and their first top level game in 15 years. Keith Branagan and Jason McAteer lined out for the Trotters in Selhurst Park, with future single capped player Owen Coyle coming on for the last six minutes of the game.

Ipswich Town 1-1 Aston Villa, Saturday, 15th August 1992
On the very first day of the Premier League in August 1992, when technically every player made their PL debut, Aston Villa started Paul McGrath and Steve Staunton in defence, with fellow Irish international Ray Houghton playing on the wing.

Coventry 2-1 Middlesbrough, Saturday, 15th August 1992
There's only one game where more than three Irish players made their Premier League debut. On the same day that Villa started three, Coventry faced Middlesbrough at Highfield Road, with defenders Chris Morris and Alan Kernaghan starting for Boro. They were joined in the second half by Bernie Slaven, who would go on to be the first Irish player to score in the Premier League four days later. Phil Babb lined out for Coventry, making this the only time four Irish players made their Premier League debut in the same game.

Further reading
Hammers ruin Wolves' return
Wimbledon 3-2 Bolton
Coventry City 2-1 Middlesbrough

Round Up - Weekend of 14th January 2017

Saturday, 14 January 2017

Premier League

Hull City 3-1 Bournemouth
Harry Arter made his 200th start for Bournemouth

Sunderland 1-3 Stoke City
Glenn Whelan reached the landmark of 500 career appearances

Championship

Birmingham City 0-0 Nottingham Forest
Stephen Gleeson made his 100th start for Birmingham

Fulham 2-0 Barnsley
Aidan White was booked for the first time this season

Ipswich 3-2 Blackburn
Darragh Lenihan made his 25th appearance of the season

Preston North End 2-0 Brighton and Hove Albion
Daryl Horgan marked his first start for Preston with an assist on the Lilywhites' second goal against Brighton

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Aston Villa
Joe Mason scored his fourth goal of the season, having not scored before this since scoring three goals in his first five games of the season

League 1

Chesterfield 1-0 Coventry
Kevin Foley made his first start for Coventry since signing for the club on January 6th

Fleetwood 3-1 Bristol Rovers
Cian Bolger set a personal best by scoring his third goal of the season, beating his previous record of two goals in 2011-12

Oldham 1-0 Gillingham
Emmanuel Osadebe made his first appearance in two months

Southend United 2-1 Rochdale
Joe Rafferty made his 150th start for the club
Simon Cox scored his ninth goal of the season (his fifth goal in his last five games), reaching the milestone of 100 career goals

To say I'm buzzing is an understatement! To achieve 100 career goals makes every sacrifice worth it. Thanks for the messages #100 #5in5

— Simon Cox (@SCoxy31Real) January 14, 2017

Conrad Logan was booked for the first time this season, this was the goalkeeper's first booking since September 2014
Keith Keane was sent off for the first time since November 2008

Walsall 4-1 Sheffield United
After signing for Walsall on loan, Eoghan O'Connell made his first appearance for the club. This was the defender's first appearance since September 13th

League 2

Barnet 1-3 Doncaster Rovers
After signing for Doncaster Rovers during the week, Ian Lawlor made his debut for the club. This was the goalkeeper's first appearance since  last March

Cambridge United 0-0 Blackpool
Jake Carroll made his first appearance for Cambridge United

Crawley 1-0 Hartlepool
Conor Henderson came off the bench to make his first appearance since December 7th

Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Luton
Alan Sheehan was sent off for the first time since September 2014

Grimsby 0-3 Exeter
After signing for Grimsby earlier in the January transfer window, Gavin Gunning made his first appearance for the club

Sunday, 15 January 2017

Australian A-League

Newcastle Jets 2-2 Perth Glory
Andy Keogh's first goal since December 2nd was the striker's 30th goal in the A-League

Round Up - Week of 13th December 2016

Tuesday, 13 December 2016

Championship

Blackburn 2-3 Brighton and Hove Albion
Shane Duffy scored his first goal for Brighton, this was also the defender's tenth goal of his career

Cardiff 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Anthony Pilkington scored his fourth goal of the season, just over three months since his brace on September 10th
Matt Doherty's goal was the first time the defender had scored in consecutive games since December 2012

English FA Cup
Oxford United 3-0 Macclesfield
Congratulations to Canice Carroll on making his senior career debut!

MK Dons 3-1 Charlton
Kevin Foley was booked for the first time this season, the full back's last yellow card was in February

Football League Trophy

Walsall 1-3 Oldham
Liam Kinsella's first appearance in more than a month was his 25th appearance for Walsall

Wednesday, 14 December 2016

Premier League

West Ham United 1-0 Burnley
Darren Randolph made his 25th appearance for West Ham, all of which are starts

Stoke City 0-0 Southampton
Glenn Whelan returned to the Stoke City starting XI for his first start since November 5th

Round Up - Weekend of 12th February 2016

Saturday, 13 February 2016 
Premier League
Three Irish players scored in the same day in the Premier League - Shane Long, Wes Hoolahan and Robbie Brady - for the second time this season, that's the first time that's happened since the 2011/12 season

Norwich 2-2 West Ham United
Robbie Brady marked his one hundred fiftieth career appearance with his first goal since September 26th, and with his "weaker" right foot!

Championship
Bristol City 2-1 Ipswich
Kevin Foley made his first appearance for Ipswich since signing for them on a short term deal, and was booked. It was the defender's first minutes of football since coming off the bench for Copenhagen in June

Derby County 0-1 MK Dons
Samir Carruthers picked up his tenth booking of the season

League 1
Gillingham 2-1 Barnsley
Emmanuel Osadebe returned to Gillingham's starting XI for the first start since November 24

Peterborough 0-4 Bradford City
After signing for Bradford City on an emergency loan midweek, Josh Cullen made his first career league start with the Bantams

Port Vale 0-0 Fleetwood
Sam Foley picked up his fifth booking of the season

Rochdale 0-1 Millwall
Shaun Williams was booked for the tenth time this season

Scunthorpe 1-0 Southend United
Cian Bolger was booked for the fifth time this season

League 2
AFC Wimbledon 4-1 Luton
Ryan Sweeney marked his first appearance of the season with the first goal of his career - congratulations Ryan!

Accrington Stanley 4-1 Crawley
Seamus Conneely's goal this afternoon was his fifth goal for Accrington Stanley

Leyton Orient 0-4 Northampton
James Collins scored his tenth and eleventh goals of the season

Plymouth 3-0 Mansfield Town
Graham Carey returned to the starting XI for Plymouth, and was booked for the fifth time in 2015/16

Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 Exeter
Michael Harriman made his fiftieth start for Wycombe

Further Reading
The sliding history of the League of Ireland - These Football Times
How Tottenham cracked the defensive code - The Telegraph
Soccer still battling for recognition in schools across the country - The Irish Times

January 2016 Transfer Window - Permanent Deals

Permanent Deals
Tuesday, 5th January 2016
After negotiating a release from his contract at Tottenham Hotspur, U21 winger Kenny McEvoy signed for York City until the end of the season: http://www.yorkcityfootballclub.co.uk/news/article/kenny-mcevoy-inks-permanent-york-city-contract-2885894.aspx

Wednesday, 6th January 2016
Following a succesful loan, former QPR midfielder Michael Harriman signed for Wycombe Wanderers on a three and a half year deal: http://www.wycombewanderers.co.uk/news/article/michael-harriman-signs-permanent-deal-2887055.aspx

Thursday, 7th January 2016
Darren O'Dea has returned to the Scottish Premier League after a nomadic career including Canada, Ukraine and India and has signed for Dundee FC until the end of the season: http://www.dundeefc.co.uk/news/odea-is-a-dee
In a similar situation to James Collins, Liam Lawrence signed for Bristol Rovers until the end of the season: http://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/news/article/liam-lawrence-signs-for-the-club-2888454.aspx
Mark Yeates signed for Blackpool on a 18 month deal: http://www.blackpoolfc.co.uk/news/article/yeates-agrees-blackpool-deal-2889176.aspx

Friday, 8th January 2016
Following a release from his contract at Rotherham, former U21 defender Aidan White has signed for Barnsley until the end of the season: http://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/article/aidy-white-signs-for-the-reds-2889972.aspx
After training with the club, Stephen Hunt signed for Coventry City on a short term contract: http://www.ccfc.co.uk/news/article/signing-stephen-hunt-coventry-city-short-term-2890421.aspx
Midfielder Jimmy Keohane signed for Sligo Rovers following his release by Woking Town: http://www.sligorovers.com/news/16/jan/keohane-latest-agree-terms

Monday, 11th January 2016
After making only one appearance for Peterborough since signing for them in the summer 2015 transfer window, U21 midfielder Kieran Sadlier has signed for Sligo Rovers ahead of the new season in the League of Ireland: http://sligorovers.com/news/16/jan/sadlier-joins-bit-ored

Thursday, 14th January 2016
Following a successful loan spell earlier in the season, in which he scored five times in seven games, Rory Gaffney returned to Bristol Rovers on a permanent deal: http://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/news/article/signing-rory-gaffney-becomes-a-rovers-player-2901352.aspx

Thursday, 16th January 2016
Following international clearance, Joe Gorman signed for Conference South side Maidenhead United: http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/maidenheadunited/news/gorman-cleared-to-join-squad-for-woking-tie-1552785.html

Friday, 15th January 2016
Fury FC’s Cork born defender Colin Falvey signed for NASL rivals Indy Eleven: http://www.indyeleven.com/news/2016/01/15/falvey-transfer

Friday, 22nd January 2016
Kevin Foley signed for Ipswich until the end of the season: http://www.itfc.co.uk/news/article/ipswich-town-sign-kevin-foley-as-a-free-agent-2914921.aspx
After negotiating a release from his contract with Watford, Connor Smith signed for AFC Wimbledon: http://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/news/article/done-deal-connor-signs-2915251.aspx

Thursday, 28th January 2016
James Chambers signed with United Soccer League side Bethlehem Steel: http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/post/2016/01/27/bethlehem-steel-fc-add-eight-roster
Former U21 striker Joe Mason moved from Cariff to Wolverhampton Wanderers on a three and a half year deal: http://www.wolves.co.uk/news/article/read-mason-nets-wolves-move-2926297.aspx

Monday, 1st February 2016
Following a short trial after being released by Sheffield United, midfielder Connor Dimaio signed for Chesterfield FC until the end of the season: http://www.chesterfield-fc.co.uk/news/article/young-midfielder-signs-2932503.aspx
After making his fiftieth appearance for former club Carlisle at the weekend, Gary Dicker signed for Kilmarnock on a permanent deal: http://www.kilmarnockfc.co.uk/Article?id=3404

Talking Points

Lamar Neagle of Seattle Sounders has expressed an interest in playing for the Republic of Ireland, but does he have the ability to replace one of the current squad's wingers - McClean, McGeady, Brady, or Pilkington?
Sean St Ledger is currently on trial at new MLS franchise Orlando City SC, after failing to get a contract at DC United, what would playing in Florida do for his international prospects?
Staying the MLS, with Kevin Doyle linked to Colorado Rapids, will a move to Denver affect his position in the Ireland squad?
Another recent exile is Kevin Foley, after moving to FC Kobenhavn of Denmark. Currently lying second in the Superliga, can playing on the continent get the full back into the senior side?
Kevin Walker scored a superb free kick for his new club Djurgårdens IF of Sweden, should the management team be booking a flight to Stockholm to watch the midfielder?
Following Rob Kiernan's loan move to Birmingham, and ironically moving up the Championship table, can he solidify their backline and make a late push for the play offs?
19 year old former Shelbourne winger Dylan Connolly was named on the bench for Ipswich this weekend, after a protracted transfer was finally completed. With the Tractor Boys challenging for a promotion this season, will we see him in the Premier League next season?
Seamus Coleman was linked with a move to German giants Bayern Munich in the weekend's papers, but can he replace Philip Lahm?
With a change in management at Aston Villa, how will this affect the careers of the Irish contingent at Villa Park?
Stephen Henderson returned in goals for Charlton at the weekend, with the keepers in the squad aging, can he make a case for inclusion?