Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 8th September 2018

Saturday, 8th September 2018

League 1

Accrington Stanley 1-1 Burton Albion

Seamus Conneely made his 150th start for Accrington Stanley
Stephen Quinn was booked for the first time since August 2016

Doncaster Rovers 2-1 Luton

James Collins was booked for the first time this season

Southend United 2-3 Peterborough

Stephen McLaughlin's 15th goal in the competition was also the 20th he scored since leaving the League of Ireland

Sunderland 1-1 Fleetwood

Paddy Madden's goal was his 80th strike in League One

League 2

Cambridge United 1-2 Carlisle United

Gary Deegan made his 100th appearance in League Two

Exeter 5-1 Notts County

The first goal of Pierce Sweeney's first brace of his career was his tenth goal in League Two

Lincoln City 0-1 Crawley

Lee Frecklington was sent off for the first time since March 2015

Morecambe 0-1 Swindon Town

Barry Roche started his 450th game for Morecambe

Tuesday, 11th September 2018

International Match

Poland 1-1 Republic of Ireland

The eleven players who started this game had a combined caps total of 129, the lowest total since a 3-2 friendly loss to Uruguay in February 2011 when the caps total was 102.
Starting XI
Darren Randolph made his 30th appearance for Ireland was also his 25th start at international level
Kevin Long made his eighth appearance for Ireland
Richard Keogh's 18th appearance for Ireland was his first appearance for the Republic since Friday, 2 June 2017
John Egan made his third appearance for Ireland was his first start since the same game
Enda Stevens' third cap for Ireland was also his first start
Cyrus Christie made his 19th appearance for Ireland
Jeff Hendrick made his 41st appearance for Ireland
Shaun Williams' third appearance for Ireland was his first start at international level
Callum O'Dowda made his 12th appearance for Ireland
Aiden O'Brien marked his international debut with a goal, the first player to do so since Robbie Brady and Alex Pearce both scored on their first appearances for Ireland against Oman in September 2012
Callum Robinson made his second appearance for Ireland

Substitutes
Alan Judge made his fifth appearance for Ireland
Daryl Horgan made his sixth appearance for Ireland
Conor Hourihane made his seventh appearance for Ireland
David Meyler made his 26th appearance for Ireland
Graham Burke made his third appearance for Ireland
Matt Doherty made his third appearance for Ireland

Football League Trophy

Fleetwood 2-2 Leicester City U21

Cian Bolger was sent off for the first time for Fleetwood. This was the defender's fourth career red card, and his first since December 2014

Swindon Town 1-0 Newport County

Mark O'Brien's first start of the season was also his 50th start for Newport County

Round Up for Tuesday, 6th March 2018

Tuesday, 6th March 2018

Championship

Burton Albion 0-2 Brentford

Damien McCrory first start since September was also the goalkeeper's 200th appearance for Burton Albion

Fulham 3-0 Sheffield United

Enda Stevens was booked for the first time in two months

Norwich 0-0 Nottingham Forest

Wes Hoolahan made his 25th appearance of the season

League 2

Accrington Stanley 1-0 Morecambe

Seamus Conneely made his 25th appearance of the season

Mansfield Town 1-1 Lincoln City

Lee Frecklington was booked for the first time since December

Newport Co. 3-3 Forest Green

Gavin Gunning scored his first goal for Forest Green Rovers since signing for them in January

Football League Trophy

Shrewsbury 1-0 Yeovil

Connor Smith was named in Yeovil's starting XI for the first time since Tuesday, 9th January

Irish Player Transfers, Loans and Contracts - January 2018

Transfers

Wednesday, 3rd January

After five years at Scunthorpe, striker Paddy Madden signed for fellow League One side Fleetwood Town 🔗

Ahead of the 2018 League of Ireland season, former Ireland U19 left full Darragh Leahy signed for Bohemians following his release from Coventry City in December 2017 🔗

Ireland women’s U19 defender Keeva Keenan signed for Celtic FC women ahead of the 2018 season 🔗

After a successful trial, Ireland U19 winger Simon Power signed an 18 month contract with Norwich City 🔗

Thursday, 4th January

Defender Gavin Gunning signed an 18 month contract with Forest Green Rovers 🔗

Waterford’s Aaron Drinan signed a three and a half year contract with Ipswich Town 🔗

Tuesday, 9th January

Following his League of Ireland and FAI Cup double with Cork City, Ryan Delaney signed a two and a half year deal with Rochdale 🔗

Thursday, 11th January

Ireland B international Lee Frecklington returned to Lincoln City after signing a two and a half year deal 🔗

Friday, 12th January

U19 player Warren O’Hora signed a two and half year contract with Brighton and Hove Albion and will play for their under 23 side 🔗

Goalkeeper Tadhg Ryan signed for Galway United following his release from the Huddersfield Academy 🔗

Monday, 15th January

Following a successful loan spell at Oldham earlier in the season, Jack Byrne signed a two and a half year contract with the Latics 🔗

Tuesday, 16th January

Defender Shane Blaney left Finn Harps and signed a two and a half year contract with Donacaster Rovers 🔗

Friday, 19th January

Stephen Gleeson joined former manager Mick McCarthy at Ipswich Town, signing a contract until the end of the season 🔗

Striker Dean Ebbe signed for Welsh Premier League side The New Saints 🔗

Sean St Ledger signed for National League side Guiseley AFC 🔗

Wednesday, 24th January

Former St Patrick’s Athletic and Bohemians defender Paul Rooney signed an 18 month contract with Colchester United 🔗

Ireland U21 defender Danny Kane left Huddersfield to sign for Cork City 🔗

Saturday, 27th January

Following a loan spell with Walsall in the first half of the season, defender Shaun Donnellan has left West Brom to join Yeovil Town on an 18 month contract 🔗

Wednesday, 31 January

Following a short trial at Priestfield Stadium, Rhys Murphy signed for Gillingham until the end of the season 🔗

Ireland U19 defender Barry Cotter signed for Mick McCarthy’s Ipswich Town until 2021 🔗

Cyrus Christie left Middlesbrough to sign a three and a half year deal with Fulham 🔗

Former Liverpool youth player Alex O'Hanlon left St Patrick's Athletic and has signed for Glentoran 🔗

Loans

Wednesday, 3rd January

Highly rated winger Connor Ronan joined Portsmouth on loan until the end of the season, reuniting him with former manager Kenny Jackett 🔗

Friday, 5th January

U21 captain and Liverpool U23 defender Corey Whelan signed for Yeovil Town until the end of the season 🔗

Thursday, 11th January

Oldham Athletic midfielder Paul Green signed for Crewe Alexandra on loan until the end of the season 🔗

Thursday, 18th January

Callum Reilly signed for Gillingham on loan until the end of the season 🔗

Former U21 defender Emmanuel Osadebe signed for Newport County until the end of the season 🔗

Monday, 29th January

Former UCD player Dylan Watts signed for Bohemians on loan from Leicester until July

Wednesday, 31 January

QPR and Ireland U21 winger Olamide Shodipo signed for Colchester on loan until the end of the season 🔗

Eoin Doyle has returned to Oldham Athletic on loan until the end of the season 🔗

Stephen Henderson has returned to Portsmouth on loan until the end of the season 🔗

Contract

Wednesday, 17th January

Liam Kinsella extended his contract at Walsall until the summer of 2019 🔗

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 13th January 2018

Saturday, 13th January 2018

Championship

Cardiff 4-0 Sunderland

Anthony Pilkington came off the bench, and scored his 20th goal for Cardiff - this was the midfielder's  first goal since August

Brentford 2-0 Bolton

After signing for Bolton Wanderers on loan, Harry Charsley made his first start for the Trotters.

Burton Albion 1-3 QPR

Ryan Manning came off the bench for his first appearance in almost two months

Hull City 0-0 Reading

David Meyler stated his first game for Hull in a month

Ipswich 1-0 Leeds United

Eunan O'Kane was sent off for the first time in his career

Millwall 1-1 Preston North End

Aiden O'Brien's opener for Millwall was his fifth goal in the Championship, and also his fifth goal of the season

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Aston Villa

Scott Hogan scored his fifth goal of the season, this was the first time the striker had scored in consecutive games since November 2016

League 1

Blackpool 0-0 Bristol Rovers

Rowan Roche made his first appearance in League One

Doncaster Rovers 1-1 Plymouth

Ian Lawlor made his 50th appearance for Doncaster Rovers

Gillingham 2-1 Rochdale

Bradley Garmston scored his first goal of the season, this was the defender's first goal since November 2015

Oldham 1-1 Rotherham

Richie Towell made his 25th appearance for Rotherham

Portsmouth 1-1 Scunthorpe

Connor Ronan made his first appearance in League One

Southend United 1-2 Fleetwood

Michael Timlin made his 25th start of the season
Cian Bolger made his 100th appearance in League One
Paddy Madden marked his first appearance for new club Fleetwood (his first appearance in a month) with a goal, this was fifth goal of the season

Wigan 0-0 Peterborough

Chris Forrester made his 100th start for Peterborough

League 2

Cambridge United 0-0 Mansfield Town

After proving his fitness, Barry Corr rejoined Cambridge on a short term contract and made his first appearance of the season for the U's

Carlisle United 1-0 Crewe Alexandra

Paul Green made his first appearance for Crewe Alexandra after signing for them on loan until the end of the season, this was the midfielder's first appearance in League Two

Exeter 1-0 Coventry

Josh Barrett made his first appearance for loan club Coventry, this was his first senior appearance in two months

Lincoln City 2-2 Notts County

Lee Frecklington scored on his return to Lincoln City, this was the former B International's fifth goal of the season

Port Vale 1-1 Yeovil

Following his senior debut in the FA Cup last week, Corey Whelan came off the bench to make his league debut against Port Vale

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 26th December 2017

Tuesday, 26th December 2017

Premier League

Chelsea 2-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

Shane Duffy made his 50th appearance for Brighton and Hove Albion, all of which have been starts

Manchester United 2-2 Burnley

Jeff Hendrick made his 50th start for Burnley
Jonathan Walters came off the bench for his first appearance since August

Championship

Millwall 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Shaun Williams started his first game for Millwall in three months, and was shown his first yellow card since Tuesday, 12th September

Barnsley 0-0 Preston North End

Daryl Horgan was named in Preston's starting XI for the first time since early August

Brentford 2-1 Aston Villa

Glenn Whelan start for Villa was the midfielder's 100th appearance in the Championship
Lining out beside Whelan, Scott Hogan had his first start since Saturday, 4th November

League 1

Gillingham 1-1 Oxford United

Conor Wilkinson's strike for Gillingham was his tenth goal in League One

Blackburn 2-0 Rochdale

Keith Keane returned for Rochdale, making his first appearance in four months
Derrick Williams was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Blackpool 2-3 Scunthorpe

Jimmy Ryan was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Bury 0-3 Rotherham

Stephen Dawson was booked for the first time this season in his first start for Bury since Thursday, 10th August
Lee Frecklington's strike was his 15th goal in League One
On his 25th appearance of the season, Anthony Forde was shown his first yellow card since Tuesday, 17th October

Oldham 1-2 Fleetwood

Courtney Duffus came off the bench for Oldham for his first appearance since Tuesday, 21th November

Walsall 0-0 Bristol Rovers

Rory Gaffney made his 100th appearance in English football

League 2

Grimsby 1-1 Mansfield Town

Conrad Logan made his 100th appearance in the League Two

Carlisle United 3-1 Accrington Stanley

Jamie Devitt's opener for Carlisle was his 25th goal in League Two

Cheltenham 0-2 Yeovil

Connor Smith was booked for the first time since Saturday, 23rd September

Swindon Town 0-5 Luton

James Collins scored his 120th goal of his career

Scottish Premier League

Dundee 0-2 Celtic

Darren O'Dea came off the bench for his first appearance in a month

Report Card for Tuesday, 12 September 2017

Tuesday, 12 September 2017

Championship

Aston Villa 0-0 Middlesbrough

Conor Hourihane's start was his 300th career appearance
Darren Randolph made his 100th appearance in the Championship
Cyrus Christie was booked for the first time this season

Preston North End 3-0 Cardiff

Alan Browne scored his first goal of the season, this was the midfielder's first goal since April 2016

QPR 2-2 Millwall

Shaun Williams was booked for the first time this season

Bolton 0-1 Sheffield United

Josh Cullen was booked for the first time this season

League 1

AFC Wimbledon 1-1 Gillingham

Conor Wilkinson made his 50th appearance in League One

Bristol Rovers 2-3 Oldham

This was the first time that four Irish players scored in one game since October 2008 when Noel Hunt, Stephen Hunt, Shane Long and Chris McCann all scored as Reading beat Burnley 3-1
Rory Gaffney scored his 20th goal for Bristol
Ryan Sweeney scored his first goal for Oldham, the defender's first goal since February 2016

Northampton 3-1 Portsmouth

Damien McCrory made his 300th career start

Plymouth 1-3 Blackpool

Jimmy Ryan scored his first goal for Blackpool, this was also the 40th goal of his career, and his first goal since December 2015

Rotherham 5-1 Walsall

Richie Towell made his first start for Rotherham
The first goal of Lee Frecklington's hat trick (the first of his career) was his 30th goal for Rotherham

Round Up - Weekend of Saturday, 6th May 2017

Saturday, 6th May 2017

Burnley 2-2 West Bromwich Albion

Kevin Long's first start in 2017 was also his first start in the Premier League and his 25th start for Burnley
Marc Wilson made his first appearance for West Bromwich Albion since signing for them on loan in January and was booked for the first time since September

5️⃣The five @FAIreland players starting @BurnleyOfficial v @WBA is a season high in the @premierleague and the most since March 2015. #penta

— Irish Abroad (@irish_abroad) May 6, 2017

League 2

Crawley 2-2 Mansfield Town

James Collins made his 50th start for Crawley
Mark Connolly was booked for the first time since the end of February

Grimsby 1-1 Plymouth

Graham Carey made his 100th appearance for Plymouth

Newport Co. 2-1 Notts County

Mark O'Brien' first goal of the season, also his first goal for the club, kept Newport in the Football League

Stevenage 0-3 Accrington Stanley

Seamus Conneely scored his first goal of the season, more than a year after his last goal on Tuesday, 19 April 2016

Sunday, 7th May 2017

Championship

Bristol City 0-1 Birmingham City

Stephen Gleeson was booked for the first time since February

Burton Albion 2-4 Reading

Liam Kelly made his 25th start for Reading

Huddersfield 0-3 Cardiff

On his 34th birthday, Brian Murphy made his first start since January

Norwich 4-0 QPR

Reece Grego Cox made his first appearance in the Championship, more than six months after his last appearance for QPR in October

Rotherham 1-1 Derby County

Lee Frecklington scored his first goal of the season, a year to the day after his last goal on Saturday, 7 May 2016

League 1

Scunthorpe 2-3 Millwall

Stephen Dawson scored his first goal since January

Scottish Premier League

Hearts 1-2 Aberdeen

Adam Rooney scored his 20th goal of the season, becoming the first Aberdeen player to register 20 goals in three consecutive seasons since the 1970's

Adam Rooney! 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/EIE6Ygod06

— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) May 8, 2017

Anthony O'Connor's striker was his first goal since December

Round Up - Weekend of 31st March 2017

Friday, 31 March 2017

Scottish Premier League

Dundee 0-7 Aberdeen

Darren O'Dea made his 50th appearance for Dundee
Anthony O'Connor made his 25th appearance in the SPL
Adam Rooney scored his first goal in a month

Saturday, 1 April 2017

Championship

Ipswich 1-1 Birmingham City

This was Jonathan Douglas's first appearance since February 14th, and his first start since a month earlier on January 17th

Newcastle Utd 2-1 Wigan

Jack Byrne was included in a Wigan matchday squad for the first time, but did not come off the bench

Rotherham 0-1 Fulham

Lee Frecklington made his 150th start for Rotherham

Reading 1-0 Leeds United

Liam Kelly made his 25th appearance for Reading

League 1

Bolton 0-0 Chesterfield

Connor Dimaio was booked for the fifth time this season

Bradford City 1-0 Walsall

Billy Clarke scored his 25th goal for Bradford, almost five months after his last goal in November

Bristol Rovers 2-0 Shrewsbury

Rory Gaffney made his 50th start for Bristol Rovers
Ryan Sweeney made his 25th career appearance

Millwall 3-1 Scunthorpe

Paddy Madden made his 150th start for Scunthorpe
Shaun Williams penalty today (his first goal since November 26th) was his scored his 25th goal in League One and his fifth goal of the season

Southend United 3-0 Oldham

Simon Cox was booked for the tenth time this season
Paul Green was shown his first yellow card in 2017

League 2

Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Cambridge United

Barry Corr made his first start of the season, 14 months after his last start in January 2016

Hartlepool 0-2 Portsmouth

Padraig Amond made his 200th appearance in League Two
Enda Stevens made his 150th start in England

Leyton Orient 0-2 Wycombe Wanderers

Michael Collins made his 25th appearance for Leyton Orient

Yeovil 0-2 Carlisle United

John O'Sullivan scored his first goal for Carlisle, this was the winger's first goal since December 4th

Scottish Premier League

Partick Thistle 2-1 Ross County

Adam Barton made his 25th start for Partick Thistle

Inverness CT 1-1 Kilmarnock

Conor Sammon made his 300th appearance since leaving the League of Ireland

Hamilton Academical 1-0 St Johnstone

Graham Cummins was booked for the first time in 2017

Scottish League One

Peterhead 1-1 Airdrie Utd

Joe Gorman made his first start since December

MLS

Seattle Sounders FC 0-0 Atlanta United

Chris McCann started his first game for Atlanta United

Sunday, 2 April 2017

Polish Ekstraklasa

Jagiellonia Białystok 1-0 Nieciecza

Cillian Sheridan's penalty today (his first goal since January 28th) was his tenth goal this season and his first goal for his new club

Round Up - Week of 7th March 2017

Tuesday, 7 March 2017

Championship

Blackburn 1-1 Cardiff

Derrick Williams' late equaliser was the defender's first goal for Blackburn, almost 17 months after his last goal in October 2015

Derby County 1-1 Preston North End

Aiden McGeady made his 25th appearance for Preston North End
Andy Boyle made his first appearance for Preston North End, 88 days after his last appearance for Dundalk in December

Rotherham 0-2 Brighton and Hove Albion

Lee Frecklington first start since 2nd January was also his 150th appearance in the Championship
Richie Towell came off the bench to make his first appearance for Brighton since the end of January

League 2

Crawley 0-2 Portsmouth

Rhys Murphy was named in Crawley's starting XI for the first time since he returned to the Reds
Noel Hunt first booking since the beginning of January was the striker's fifth yellow card of the season

Wednesday, 8 March 2017

Premier League

Manchester City 0-0 Stoke City

After being named on the bench at the weekend, Jonathan Walters returned to the Stoke City starting XI for his first appearance since January 3rd and was booked for the first time in almost a year - the striker's last yellow card was on March 19th, 2016

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

October 2016 Appearance Stats

Irish Abroad players appearance statistics for October 2016: http://irish-abroad.appspot.com/MonthlyStats?month=10

Wins
Ciaran Clark won five games in October, just ahead of fellow Championship defender Shane Duffy on four. No other player started more than three wins.

Draws
Quite a few players started two draws in the run up to Halloween with Daniel Devine, Richard Keogh, Alex Pearce, Cyrus Christie, John Egan, Matt Doherty, Adam Barton, Harry Arter, James McClean, and Robbie Brady all starting a pair of games that finished level

Losses
Rotherham midfielder Lee Frecklington started each of the Millers' four games in October, and unfortunately lost each one

Starts/Completed Games
Devine, Keogh, Pearce, Christie, Egan, Doherty and Clark also started five games in October, along with Shane Duffy, Joe Shaughnessy, Anthony O'Connor, Stephen Gleeson, Eunan O'Kane, Jonathan Hayes, Wes Hoolahan, and Gary Dicker. Of these Keogh, Pearce, Clark, Duffy, Shaughnessy, Christie, Devine, Egan, O'Connor, Gleeson, Dicker, and O'Kane all completed 90 minutes in each game.

Substitutions/Introductions
Wes Hoolahan was substituted in four of the five games he started for Norwich, no other player was substituted more than twice. Jonathan Walters, David Meyler and Jake Mulraney were all introduced from the bench three times in October, with all of Meyler's introductions coming away from home.

Stayed On Bench
Goalkeepers Aaron McCarey and Jack Bonham both remained on the bench for five games in October. From the outfield players Liam Kelly, Anthony Forde, and Eoin Doyle were all unused substitutes for four games.

Goals
Both Andy Keogh and Adam Rooney scored three goals in October. The strikers were the only players to scored more than once, with Keogh's goals all coming in one game.

Discipline
James McClean was shown four yellow cards in October, no other player was booked more than twice.

Round Up - Weekend of 7th May 2015

Saturday, 7 May 2016
Premier League
Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle Utd
Ciaran Clark was booked for the seventh time this season, this was the Villa defender's first booking since 1st March

Crystal Palace 2-1 Stoke City
Stephen Ireland came off the bench for his first appearance since 2nd April, and was booked for the second time in 2015/16 - his first yellow card since 2nd February
Glenn Whelan was booked for the eighth time this season, but only his second time in 2016

Bournemouth 1-1 West Bromwich Albion
Harry Arter was booked for the seventh time this season, his first booking since 13th February

Championship
Blackburn 3-1 Reading
Josh Barrett made the first start of his career for Reading in this loss

Cardiff 1-1 Birmingham City
Anthony Pilkington scored his tenth goal for Cardiff, more than two months after his last goal at the end of February

Derby County 0-1 Ipswich
Adam McDonnell's first league start for Ipswich (he started a League Cup game in August) was marred slightly by his first booking of his career!
David McGoldrick scored his fifth goal of the season, and his second in two games

Huddersfield 1-5 Brentford
Sean Scannell returned to the Huddersfield starting XI for his first start in two months

Hull City 5-1 Rotherham
Lee Frecklington's fifth goal of the season (his first in a month) was the only consolation for Rotherham in this heavy loss to Hull

League 2
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Newport Co.
Ryan Sweeney's started this afternoon for AFC Wimbledon was his first appearance for the Dons since the end of March

Bristol Rovers 2-1 Dagenham and Redbridge
Jack Connors came off the bench at half time for his first appearance since 9th January

Morecambe 1-1 York City
After scoring last week, Kenneth McEvoy made his first start for York City since 5th March
Jamie Devitt scored his seventh goal of the season, almost two months after his last goal on 12th March

Oxford United 3-0 Wycombe Wanderers
In his fiftieth appearance of the season, Callum O'Dowda scored his tenth goal of the season

Portsmouth 1-2 Northampton
Brian Murphy made his twenty-fifth appearance for Porthsmouth
After signing for Pompey on loan in March, Conor Wilkinson made his first appearance for them, this was also his 25th appearance of the season that's included loan spells at Barnsley and Newport County
James Collins came off the bench late on to score the winner - his 15th goal of the season that includes eight for parent club Shrewsbury

Sunday, 8 May 2016
Premier League
Tottenham 1-2 Southampton
Shane Long was booked for the third time this season, having not been booked before this game since 9th January

League 1
Bury 3-2 Southend United
David Mooney scored his eighth of the season, his first goal since mid February, and also received his first booking this year - his last booking came on 28 December

Gillingham 1-2 Millwall
Aiden O'Brien scored his 15th goal for Millwall (his 10th in the league this season) in his 50th start for the club
John Egan scored his tenth goal in League One

Port Vale 0-5 Walsall
Sam Foley made his fiftieth appearance of the season, all for Port Vale. The second goal of Anthony Forde's brace (the first of his career) was his fifth goal of the season

Sheffield United 0-2 Scunthorpe
Paddy Madden scored his 70th goal since moving to England in his 51st appearance this season!

Wigan 1-4 Barnsley
Conor Hourihane scored his 25th goal for Barnsley in his 50th appearance of the season
Chris McCann was sent off for the second time in his career (both for Wigan), two and a half years after his last red card in December 2013

Scottish Premier League
Celtic 3-2 Aberdeen
Willo Flood made his 100th appearance for Aberdeen

MLS
LA Galaxy 4-2 New England Revolution
Robbie Keane marked his return to the LA Galaxy side with his fourth goal in his last six games for the Galaxy

Further Reading
Roy Keane interview - ESPN Radio
'It's not a decision I can make, I just have to keep scoring' - the42.ie
AFC Bournemouth: Harry Arter promises to be 'more professional' with injuries after rushing March comeback - Bournemouth Daily Echo

April 2016 Appearance Stats

Irish Abroad players appearance statistics for April 2016

Wins
Bradford City midfielder Alan McCormack started five wins for the Bees, as they moved from 18th (on April 1st) to tenth in the table.

Draws
Championship players Matt Doherty, Stephen Kelly, Jonathan Douglas, and Lee Frecklington, as well as Scottish Championship striker Anthony Stokes all started four draws in April 201

Losses
Midfielders Darren Potter and Stephen Quinn both started five losses

Starts/Completed Games
Quinn also started the most games in April, lining out for Reading eight times, the same as Hibs on loan striker Anthony Stokes. However, neither player completed 90 minutes in every game - Quinn completed seven and Stokes six

Substitutions/Introductions
Winger Stephen McLaughlin was substituted four times, while fellow midfield player Sean Scannell came off the bench six times

Stayed On Bench
Goalkeeper Jack Bonham was an unused substitute in each of Brentford's eight games in April, while, of the outfield players, defender Kevin Long was an unused substitute in six of MK Dons' games - two more than any other outfield player

Goals
Only two players scored more than two goal in April - Anthony Stokes notched three on loan at Hibs, while Southampton's Shane Long scored twice in his six starts - with both clubs going on to win every game in which they scored. Rotherham striker Leon Best was the only player to score a penalty

Discipline
Blackburn midfielder Darragh Lenihan was booked three times in his seven games in April - he's now been booked 11 times in 2015/16 with each one coming in 2016!

Round Up - Midweek games 8th March 2016

Tuesday, 8 March 2016
Championship
Huddersfield 3-1 Reading
Sean Scannell came off the bench to make his first appearance for Huddersfield since suffering a knee injury in early January
U17 midfielder Josh Barrett came off the bench to make his professional debut - congratulations Josh!

Rotherham 1-0 Middlesbrough
Lee Frecklington scored his third goal of the season, this was the midfielder's first goal since 19th December

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Bristol City
Matt Doherty scored his second of the season, this is the first time the defender scored more than once since the 2012/13 season!

League 1
Bradford City 2-0 Burton Albion
Damien McCrory was booked for the fifth time this season

League 2
Accrington Stanley 1-3 Portsmouth
Michael Doyle scored his first goal for Portsmouth, more than a year since his last goal in February 2015

The performances of Frecklington, Doherty and Doyle led to their inclusion in the Football League's midweek team selection

TEAM OF MIDWEEK: Here's a selection of the stand-out performers from the midweek action >> https://t.co/fJHoTzRspM. pic.twitter.com/ihW4TnWFNV

— The Football League (@football_league) March 9, 2016

Further Reading
Stand In The Place Where You Love - liverpooletc.com
McPhail fears for next generation of Irish players - Irish Independent
Evan’s Burning ambition to Galvin-ise Cobh Ramblers towards top flight of Irish football - leagueofireland.ie
McGregor's defeat puts UFC on brink of mainstream - Philip O'Connor

Report Card - Weekend of 18th December 2015

18 December 2015
League 1
Southend United 4-1 Bury
Noel Hunt marked his first appearance since September 29th with his first goal since September 5th and his first brace of the season.
David Mooney scored his fifth goal for Southend, on his twenty-fifth appearance for the Shrimpers

19 December 2015
Premier League
Everton 2-3 Leicester City
Seamus Coleman made his 200th appearance for Everton!

West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Bournemouth
James McClean was sent off for the first time for West Brom. This was the third red card for the former Derry City winger since moving to England. His last early bath came on 25th April, against Wolves

Chelsea 3-1 Sunderland
John O'Shea was shown his first yellow card of the season. Coincidentally, his last booking was on April 25, the same date as McClean's last red!

Championship
Brentford 4-2 Huddersfield
Alan Judge has never scored more than eight in a season before, his brace this afternoon (his third of the season) puts him at ten for 2015/16, and the second goal was his twentieth goal for Brentford!

Rotherham 2-0 Hull City
David Meyler made his one hundredth start for Hull City in this game, while former Ireland B international Lee Frecklington scored his twenty-fifth goal for Rotherham.

League 1
Burton Albion 3-3 Doncaster Rovers
Paul Keegan scored his first goal in more than three years, the former League of Ireland player's last goal came on Saturday, 27th October 2012!

Millwall 0-3 Gillingham
David Forde made his return to the Millwall team as a first half substitute following goalkeeper Jordan Archer's red card. This was the Galwayman's first appearance since November seventh, and he was shown his first yellow card since last February

Rochdale 3-1 Colchester
Donal McDermott's goal this afternoon was his first in three months. The former Manchester City trainee last scored on the 15th August

Shrewsbury 0-1 Swindon Town
Anton Rodgers was shown the yellow card for the first time this season

League 2
Dagenham and Redbridge 0-3 Bristol Rovers
Rory Gaffney scored his first goal for Bristol Rovers since signing on loan for the Pirates

Hartlepool 1-2 Plymouth
Carl McHugh's goal this afternoon was the tenth goal of his career, not bad for a defender!

York City 2-1 Morecambe
James Berrett scored his first goal since the 5th September on his twenty-fifth appearance for York, almost as long since Jamie Devitt's last goal on the 1st September

20 December 2015
Championship
Reading 1-0 Blackburn
Stephen Quinn returned to the Reading starting XI with his first start since September 19

Eredivisie
Excelsior 1-4 SC Cambuur
Jack Byrne's first goal for SC Cambuur, indeed the first of his career*, made him their youngest ever goalscorer in the Eredivisie and the Manchester City loanee completed all but one of his passes in the game (see below)

94.6 - Jack Byrne had a pass completion of 94.6 per cent against Excelsior, highest of the starting 22. Precision. pic.twitter.com/mkLkfBZBWF

— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) December 20, 2015

19y 240d - Jack Byrne (@Jackb_8) is the youngest ever Eredivisie goalscorer for @SCCambuurLwd. Historic.

— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) December 20, 2015

*Byrne did find the back of the net last week from a free kick, but it was officially given as an OG

Report Card - Weekend of 28th November 2015

Premier League
Manchester City 3-1 Southampton
Shane Long scored his fifth goal of the season, his first since 23rd September, on what was his 25th start for Southampton!

Championship
Charlton Athletic 0-3 Ipswich Town
Daryl Murphy scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season, and his third in his last two games. The second of his brace was his eightieth in club football in England and Scotland!

Rotherham United 3-0 Bristol City
Lee Frecklington scored his first goal of the season. Before this, he hadn't scored since 28th April

League One
Barnsley 1-1 Sheffield United
Conor Hourihane scored his twentieth goal for Barnsley, having earlier missed a penalty

Millwall 1-0 Bury
Shaun Williams's winner was his first goal since 26th September

Rochdale 2-1 Port Vale
On loan Blackburn winger John O'Sullivan made his first appearance for Rochdale, which was his first start anywhere since the 11th August. He also picked up a booking, his first yellow card in almost a year, the last one coming on 20th December 2014 while playing for Accrington against Wycombe

League Two
Cambridge United 3-1 Notts County
Barry Corr scored his tenth goal of the season

Exeter City 1-1 Bristol Rovers
Rory Gaffney made his first appearance on loan at Bristol Rovers

Wycombe Wanderers 2-2 Portsmouth
Michael Harriman's scored his first goal since September 29th

York City 1-5 Accrington Stanley
Kenneth McEvoy made his first start of the season, on loan at York City. This is the Spurs winger's first appearance since playing on loan at Stevenage in September, and his first start in over a year

Scottish Premier League
Aberdeen 3-1 Ross County
Adam Rooney scored his tenth goal of the season

Dundee United 1-2 Hamilton Academical
Gavin Gunning's booking against the Accies was his first since 17th May 2014!

Kilmarnock 2-5 Partick Thistle
Mark Connolly scored his first goal of the season. It was his first goal in over a year, his last coming on 3rd October 2014

3x3 Reds

The three red cards shown yesterday to Irish players Jack Grealish, Tommy Hoban and Lee Frecklington was the third time this season that three Irish players have been sent off in England. Previous to the current 2014/15 season, it had only happened at most twice in a single season
On the 28th December 2014, Hull City's Stephen Quinn, Southend United's Cian Bolger and Millwall's Shaun Williams were all shown red cards by the referee, while on two months earlier Willams was again given an early bath, alongside Birmingham City's Darren Randolph and Crystal Palace defender Damien Delaney.

Irish Scorers 26th December 2014

26 December 2014 Sky Bet Championship Bournemouth 2-0 Fulham Harry Arter(90) Brentford 2-4 Ipswich Town Daryl Murphy(1) Daryl Murphy(21) Leeds United 0-2 Wigan Athletic James McClean(83) Rotherham United 2-2 Huddersfield Town Lee Frecklington(90) Sky Bet League 1 Chesterfield 3-2 Peterborough United Eoin Doyle(10) Eoin Doyle(54) Leyton Orient 4-1 Crawley Town David Mooney(88) Scunthorpe United 2-1 Rochdale Paddy Madden(77) Sky Bet League 2 Burton Albion 2-0 Tranmere Rovers Damien McCrory(23, penalty) Cambridge United 0-1 Southend United Barry Corr(57) Newport County AFC 2-0 Plymouth Argyle Mark Byrne(82) Oxford United 0-2 Shrewsbury Town James Collins(13) Portsmouth 0-2 AFC Wimbledon Frankie Sutherland(9)