Round Up for weekend of Friday, 7th December 2018

Friday, 7th December 2018

Championship

West Bromwich Albion 2-2 Aston Villa

Glenn Whelan was booked for the first time this season, almost a year to the date of his last booking on Saturday, 9th December 2017

Saturday, 8th December 2018

Championship

Birmingham City 0-1 Bristol City

Callum O'Dowda was booked for the first time this season - this was the midfielder's first yellow card since April 2016!

Middlesbrough 1-1 Blackburn

Derrick Williams' was booked for the first time in two months

Millwall 2-2 Hull City

Aiden O'Brien's goal was his first strike since August

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Preston North End

Daryl Murphy's appearance off the bench was the striker's first appearance in two months

Sheffield Wednesday 2-2 Rotherham

Richie Towell scored in consecutive games for the first time since December 2016

League 1

Bristol Rovers 0-4 Doncaster Rovers

Ian Lawlor made his 50th appearance in League One

Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 Barnsley

After signing on an emergency loan midweek, Stephen Henderson made his first start for Wycombe Wanderers. This was the goalkeeper's first appearance since February

League 2

Cheltenham 2-1 Grimsby

James McKeown was booked for the first time since August

Crewe Alexandra 0-2 Oldham

Corey Whelan made his 25th career start

Swindon Town 2-1 Newport Co.

In his 25th appearance of the season, Padraig Amond scored his 25th goal for Newport County

Scottish Premier League

Aberdeen 0-2 St Johnstone

Joe Shaughnessy's first goal in a month was also his fifth goal in the SPL and the tenth goal of the defender's career

Celtic 5-1 Kilmarnock

Alan Power was booked for the fifth time this season

Hearts 1-0 Motherwell

Charles Dunne's start was the defender's first appearance since Saturday, 20th October

Polish Ekstraklasa

Wisła Kraków 2-2 Jagiellonia Białystok

Cillian Sheridan scored his fifth goal of the season

Sunday, 9th December 2018

Premier League

Newcastle Utd 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Ciaran Clark was booked for the first time this season

Scottish Premier League

Dundee 1-1 Rangers

Andy Boyle's start was his first appearance in a month

MLS

Atlanta United 2-0 Portland Timbers

Congratulations to Chris McCann on winning the MLS Cup with Atlanta United

Monday, 10th December 2018

Premier League

Everton 2-2 Watford

Seamus Coleman's own goal was his first OG since August 2014

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 3rd February 2018

Saturday, 3rd February 2018

Premier League

Burnley 1-1 Manchester City

Kevin Long was booked for the first time since September

West Bromwich Albion 2-3 Southampton

James McClean's 25th appearance of the season was also the winger's 150th appearance in the Premier League

Championship

Fulham 2-0 Nottingham Forest

After siging for Fulham on transfer deadline day, Cyrus Christie made his first appearance in a match day squad for the Cottagers as an unused substitute

Leeds United 1-4 Cardiff

Anthony Pilkington's yellow card was his first booking since December 2016

Preston North End 2-1 Hull City

Greg Cunningham's opener for Preston was the defender's first goal since April 2016, while Alan Browne's penalty was his fifth Championship goal

QPR 1-0 Barnsley

Ryan Manning came off the bench only to be shown the first red card of his career five minutes later

League 1

Fleetwood 2-3 Scunthorpe

Kevin O'Connor was booked for the first time this season

Northampton 0-1 Rochdale

Ryan Delaney made his first appearance in League One

Oldham 2-1 Bradford City

Colin Doyle's start for Bradford (his first appearance since November) was also his 100th appearance in League One

Peterborough 0-1 Southend United

Stephen McLaughlin was booked for the fifth time this season in what was his 100th appearance for Southend United

Portsmouth 2-2 Doncaster Rovers

Stephen Henderson started his first game on loan at Portsmouth, this was the goalkeeper's first start since September, while fellow loanee Andy Boyle made his first start for Doncaster Rovers - his first start since November

Wigan 2-0 Gillingham

Bradley Garmston was booked for the first time this season, almost a year after his last booking on Saturday, 18th February 2017

League 2

Accrington Stanley 3-2 Stevenage

After two appearances off the bench. Jimmy Dunne was named in the starting XI for the first time for Accrington Stanley

Chesterfield 1-2 Crawley

Mark Connolly made his 200th career appearance

Colchester 2-0 Newport Co.

Mark O'Brien was booked for the fifth time this season

Luton 1-0 Exeter

James Collins made his 300th career start

Yeovil 2-0 Cambridge United

Jake Carroll made his 150th appearance since leaving the League of Ireland

Australian A-League

Adelaide United 2-1 Perth Glory

Andy Keogh scored his fifth goal of the season

Round Up - Week of Tuesday, 19th September 2017

Tuesday, 19th September 2017

English League Cup

Brentford 1-3 Norwich

Wes Hoolahan was booked for the first time this season

Burnley 2-2 Leeds United

Jeff Hendrick returned from injury for his first appearance since Saturday, 12th August

Bristol City 2-0 Stoke City

Callum O'Dowda made his 50th appearance for Bristol City

Crystal Palace 1-0 Huddersfield

Damien Delaney came off the bench to make his first appearance of the season

Bournemouth 1-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

Des Hutchinson's made his first appearance for Brighton and Hove Albion's senior side

Football League Trophy

Walsall 3-1 West Brom U21

Liam Kinsella made his first appearance since Wednesday, 9th August
Robert McCourt made his first appearance of the season

Wednesday, 20th September 2017

English League Cup

Everton 3-0 Sunderland

Darron Gibson was booked for the first time this season

Chelsea 5-1 Nottingham Forest

Stephen Henderson made his first appearance of the season, this was the goalkeeper's first appearance since February

January 2017 Appearance Stats

Irish Abroad players appearance statistics for January 2017:

Wins
Matt Doherty started four wins for Wolves in January, one more than any other player

Draws
Stephen Gleeson started three draws in the first month of 2017

Losses
Walsall's Anthony Forde started five losses in January, no other player started more than three

Starts/Completed Games
Forde and Doherty are two of seven players to start six games in January - Stephen Henderson, Damien Delaney, Richard Keogh, Liam Kelly, Conor Hourihane, Forde, and Doherty - with Henderson, Keogh, Doherty, and Hourihane completing 90 minutes in each one

Substitutions/Introductions
Forde was also substituted more than any other player, the winger was withdrawn from the action four times, the same number that James McClean and Shane Long were introduced from the bench

Stayed On Bench
Goalkeeper Jack Bonham was an unused substitute six times in January, while of the outfield players, QPR's U21 midfielder Olamide Shodipo was left on the bench in four games

Goals
Daryl Murphy, Shane Long and Anthony Pilkington scored three times in January, with all of both Murphy and Long''s goals coming in home games

Discipline
Aiden McGeady was the only player to be booked three times in January

Round Up - 2nd January 2017

Monday, 2 January 2017

Championship

Blackburn 1-0 Newcastle Utd
Daryl Murphy came off the bench to make his first appearance for Newcastle since November 29th

Bristol City 2-3 Reading
Callum O'Dowda made his first start for Bristol City since October 25th
Liam Kelly scored his first goal for Reading

Burton Albion 0-1 Preston North End
Eoin Doyle lined out for Preston's starting side for the first time since October 25th
Alan Browne made his 100th appearance for Preston

Leeds United 3-0 Rotherham
Anthony Forde made the 150th appearance of his career

Norwich 3-0 Derby County
Wes Hoolahan returned to the Norwich City starting XI for the first time since November 26th
Richard Keogh was booked for the second time this season. more than four months after his first booking on August 20th

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Barnsley
Stephen Henderson's start for Forest was his first appearance since August 27th
Conor Hourihane scored his fifth goal of the season, winning the SkyBet Championship Goal of the Day. This was also the midfielder's 30th goal for Barnsley

88 minutes on the clock; @ConorHourihane takes aim for @bfc_official...

BOOM! 💥

Here's our #GoalOfTheDay from the first matchday of 2017. pic.twitter.com/s8t4ItO2o9

— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) January 4, 2017

Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
This game was striker Joe Mason's first start since September 20th
Connor Ronan made his first start for the club

League 1

AFC Wimbledon 2-2 Millwall
Aiden O'Brien scored his 11th goal of 2016/17, winning the Sky Bet League One Goal of the Day, in his 25th start of the season

The first #EFL goal of 2017 was a belter, and it won our @SkyBetLeagueOne #GoalOfTheDay! ⚽@MillwallFC's @AidenObrien22, take a bow. 👏 pic.twitter.com/2XCA4IqqeW

— Sky Bet League One (@SkyBetLeagueOne) January 4, 2017

Charlton 4-1 Bristol Rovers
After coming off the bench as a late substitute in his last game, Liam Lawrence made his first start since August 30th

Coventry 2-2 Bolton
After signing for Coventry on loan, Callum Reilly made his first appearance for the club, almost five months after his only appearance of the season on August 10th

Gillingham 0-1 Oxford United
Mark Byrne start for Gillingham was the defender's first start in almost two months

League 2

Accrington Stanley 2-2 Hartlepool
Seamus Conneely made his 100th appearance in England

Barnet 1-0 Plymouth
Connor Smith made his 25th appearance for Plymouth

Crawley 2-0 Yeovil
James Collins scored the 100th goal of his career

Exeter 4-0 Leyton Orient
Liam McAlinden scored his 15th goal of his career

Portsmouth 1-0 Luton
David Forde was booked for the first time this season on his 25th appearance for Portsmouth. Before this the goalkeeper hadn't been booked in almost a year - his last yellow card was on 9th January 2016
Glen Rea made his 50th career appearance

Scottish League One

Brechin 0-1 Peterhead
Fiacre Kelleher made his 25th appearance for Peterhead

Round Up - Weekend of 20th August 2016

Saturday, 20 August 2016
Championship
Fulham 2-2 Cardiff
Anthony Pilkington scored his first goal of the season

Nottingham Forest 4-3 Wigan
Stephen Henderson's booking this afternoon was his first yellow card since December 2015

Reading 2-2 Brighton and Hove Albion
Paul McShane's equaliser for Reading was his first goal since February

Derby County 0-0 Aston Villa
Richard Keogh was booked for the first time this season

League 1
Millwall 2-1 Sheffield United
Shaun Williams' strike for Millwall today was the midfielder's first goal since December 2015

Rochdale 0-1 MK Dons
Conrad Logan marked his second debut for Rochdale with a penalty save

Southend United 1-1 Bristol Rovers
Simon Cox's booking today was his first booking in more than a year. Previous to this, the striker hadn't been booked since 8th August 2015

League2
Plymouth 2-0 Mansfield Town
Connor Smith made his 25th career start
Graham Carey opened his goalscoring account for the season with the first brace of his career

Portsmouth 2-0 Colchester
Adam Barton made his 25th appearance for Portsmouth

Scottish First Division 
Dundee Utd 3-0 Ayr
Willo Flood scored his first goal since 2 April 2014

Sunday, 21 August 2016
Premier League
West Ham United 1-0 Bournemouth
Harry Arter was sent off for the third time in his career, his last red card came Saturday, 5 April 2014

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

Irish Player Transfers, Loans and Contracts - July 2016

Transfers
1st July 2016
After being named Gillingham’s Player of the Season, and named in the League One Team of the Season for 2015/16, John Egan signed for Brentford on a three year deal: http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/brentford-sign-john-egan-on-three-year-deal-3164535.aspx

2nd July 2016
Mark Connolly returned to Crawley Town, where he made 80 appearances before signing for Scottish Premier League side Kilmarnock: http://www.crawleytownfc.com/news/article/2016-17/crawley-town-3165042.aspx

4th July 2016
Defender Paul Rooney left Bohemians to sign for Millwall and will go into their U21 team: http://www.millwallfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/millwall-paul-rooney-lions-fans-the-den-league-one-efl-3167141.aspx

5th July 2016
After his contract with Plymouth Argyle expired, Carl McHugh signed a two year deal with Motherwell: http://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/?p=52391

6th July 2016
Midfielder Chris McCann has signed for new MLS side Atlanta United, and will go on loan until joining them for the 2017 season next year: http://atlutd.com/atlanta-united-signs-irish-midfielder-chris-mccann/

7th July 2016
Former U21 striker Rhys Murphy signed for non league side Forest Green Rovers: http://www.forestgreenroversfc.com/news/first-team-news/2016/rhys-murphy-signs-from-oldham-athletic

11th July 2016
After his contract with Shrewsbury town was cancelled, striker James Collins signed a three year deal with Crawley town: http://www.crawleytownfc.com/news/article/2016-17/crawley-town-james-collins-english-football-league-two-3178052.aspx

12th July 2016
Bradford City triggered Colin Doyle’s release clause of £1 to sign the goalkeeper on a two year deal: http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/city-complete-doyle-deal-3180658.aspx

13th July 2016
Jimmy Dunne signed for Burnley on a two year deal, and will join their development squad: http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/news/article/2016-17/jimmy-dunne-joins-the-clarets-3183298.aspx

14th July 2016
Winger Callum O’Dowda left his hometown club Oxford to sign a three year contract with Championship side Bristol City: http://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/odowda-wings-in-from-oxford-3186218.aspx

Willo Flood signed a one year contract with Dundee United, the fourth time the winger has signed for the Tangerines: http://dufc.co/news/flood-signs/

15th July 2016
After a short trial at Raith Rovers, Limerick midfielder Joel Coustrain signed a one year contract with the Kircaldy side: http://www.raithrovers.net/25716/further-signing-news.htm

16th July 2016
Striker Simon Cox signed a two year deal with Southend United, after his contract with Reading was cancelled: http://www.southendunited.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/simon-cox-signs-3188812.aspx

22nd July 2016
After spending two seasons at Charlton, goalkeeper Stephen Henderson signed a three year contract with Nottingham Forest: http://www.nottinghamforest.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/nottingham-forest-stephen-henderson-signing-transfer-3200360.aspx

25th July 2016
Wexford Youths defender Ryan Delaney signed for Burton Albion on a two year deal, with an option of another year: http://www.burtonalbionfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/brewers-confirm-three-more-additions-to-nigel-cloughs-squad-3206024.aspx

27th July 2016
After being released by Liverpool, defender Daniel Cleary signed for Birmingham City on a one year deal, with an option of another year:  http://www.bcfc.com/news/article/2016-17/birmingham-city-daniel-cleary-3209393.aspx

28th July 2016
After a brief trial, midfielder Paul Green signed a one year contract with League One side Oldham Athletic: http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/signing-midfielder-green-pens-contract-with-latics-3212161.aspx

Wicklow born defender Pierce Sweeney signed for Exeter City, where his wages will be paid by the 1931 fund: http://www.exetercityfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/exeter-city-new-signing-pierce-sweeney-3212093.aspx

29th July 2016
Following his release from Leeds United, and a trial with Portsmouth, U21 goalkeeper Eric Grimes signed for Cork City: http://www.corkcityfc.ie/home/2016/07/29/eric-grimes-signs-city/

Loans
8th July 2016
U19 defender Shaun Donnellan signed for Stevenage FC on loan until January 2017: http://www.stevenagefc.com/news/article/2016-17/defender-shaun-donnellan-signs-on-loan-from-west-brom-3174517.aspx

Following his successful season at Falkirk in 2015/16, Danny Rogers has returned to the Bairns for another season long loan: http://www.falkirkfc.co.uk/bairns-delight-as-rogers-returns/

25th July 2016
Celtic defender Fiacre Kelleher signed for Peterhead FC on a six month loan: http://www.peterheadfc.com/news/item/1582-peterhead-complete-kelleher-signing

28th July 2016
Reading defender Sean Long signed for Cambridge on a six month loan: http://www.cambridge-united.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/-cambridge-united-sign-full-back-sean-long-on-six-month-loan-3213014.aspx

29th July 2016
Millwall goalkeeper David Forde signed a season long loan with League Two side Portsmouth: http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/pompey-sign-goalkeeper-david-forde-on-loan-from-millwall-3212084.aspx

30th July 2016
Everton’s Ireland U17 midfielder Stephen Kinsella signed for St Patrick’s Athletic on loan until the end of the current League of Ireland season: http://www.stpatsfc.com/news.php?id=7244

Contracts
4th July 2016
Promising striker Jean-Yves Poame signed a two year contract with Sunderland: https://www.safc.com/news/academy-news/2016/july/scholarship-announcement

12th July 2016
Glenn Whelan extended his contract with Stoke City to the summer of 2018: http://www.stokecityfc.com/news/article/2016-17/glenn-whelan-new-contract-3180812.aspx

U19 winger Adam McDonnell signed a new two year contract with Ipswich Town: http://www.itfc.co.uk/news/article/adam-mcdonnell-signs-a-contract-extension-3150363.aspx

14th July 2016
U21 defender Noe Baba signed a one year extension to his deal with Birmingham City: http://www.bcfc.com/news/article/2016-17/noe-baba-birmingham-city-3185967.aspx

15th July 2016
U21 midfielder Harry Charsley signed a one year contract at Everton, keeping him at Goodison Park until the summer of 2017: http://www.evertonfc.com/news/2016/07/15/new-deals-for-charsley-and-robinson

19th July 2016
Rob Kiernan signed a one year extension to his contract at Rangers, keeping him at Ibrox until 2018: http://rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/wes-rob-extend-contracts/

21 July 2016
Shane Long signed a new four year deal with Southampton: http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/20160721-shane-long-new-southampton-contract-announcement-3199534.aspx

31st July 2016
Ahead of their first appearance at the Olympic Stadium, West Ham have confirmed that Darren Randolph has signed a new four year deal with the Hammers: http://www.whufc.com/News/Articles/2016/July/31-July/New-deal-for-Darren

February 2016 Appearance Stats

Irish Abroad players appearance statistics for February 2016

Wins
Stephen Ward, Greg Cunningham and Alan Browne all won four games in February

Draws
Three of Keiren Westwood's games ended all squad

Losses
Stephen Henderson and Alan Judge both started four losses in the second month of 2016

Starts/Completed Games
Keiren Westwood, Ian Lawlor, Richard Keogh, Stephen Ward, Greg Cunningham, Cyrus Christie, Matt Doherty, Darragh Lenihan, Jeff Hendrick all started six games. Of these Lawlor, Keogh, Ward, Cunningham, Christie, Doherty and Lenihan went onto complete 90 minutes in each games

Substitutions/Introductions
Aiden McGeady, Stephen Quinn, Anthony Pilkington, Anthony Stokes were all substituted three times in February, the same amount of times Stephen Ireland was introduced

Stayed on bench
Goalkeepers Jack Bonham and Joe Murphy were both unused substitutes for five games in February, while of the outfield players Sean Kavanagh and Derrick Williams both remained on the bench for four games

Goals
Anthony Pilkington, Andy Keogh and Adam Rooney all scored three goals, with Pilkington recording a 100% win ratio when he scored

Discipline
Midfielder Darragh Lenihan and defender Daniel Devine were both shown a yellow card three times to top the bookings table

Round up - Weekend of 6th February 2016

Saturday, 6 February 2016
Premier League
Stoke City 0-3 Everton
Seamus Coleman's first goal of the season, which he dedicated to his newborn daughter, was also his twentieth goal for Everton. The defender had gone almost a year since his last goal, scored against QPR in March 2015

Championship
Birmingham City 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Aiden McGeady made his first start for the Sheffield Wednesday since signing for them on loan. it was also the winger's first league start of the season

Cardiff 0-0 MK Dons
Samir Carruthers made his one hundredth career appearance in this draw at Cardiff

Charlton 0-1 Bristol City
Stephen Henderson made his fiftieth start for Charlton in this loss

Preston North End 2-1 Huddersfield
Alan Browne's goal this afternoon, his second of the season, was his first goal since 3rd October 2015

League 1
Sheffield United 0-2 Wigan
Conor Sammon made his one hundred fiftieth career start in England and Scotland

League 2
Stevenage 0-1 Crawley
After signing for Stevenage during the January transfer window, Patrick Hoban made his first start for the Boro

Scottish FA Cup
Rangers 0-0 Kilmarnock
After transferring to Kilmarnock in January, Gary Dicker made his first start for the club

Sunday, 7 February 2016
Scottish FA Cup 
Hearts 2-2 Hibernian
Anthony Stokes was booked for the first time this season

December 2015 Appearance Stats

Irish Abroad players appearance statistics for December 2015: http://irish-abroad.appspot.com/MonthlyStats?month=12

Wins

Ipswich's Irish duo Daryl Murphy and Jonathan Douglas won the most games in the final month of 2015, starting four wins for the Tractor Boys

Draws

Charlton's Stephen Henderson started three draws in December, as did Derby's Richard Keogh and Cyrus Christie

Losses

John O'Shea, Paul McShane and Lee Frecklington all had identical loss records in December, each player lost one game at home and three away

Starts/Completed Games

Henderson, Keogh, Christie, Douglas, Frecklington, and Murphy also started the most games in December, along with Seamus Coleman, Greg Cunningham, Anthony Pilkington, and Alan Judge. Each player started six games. Of these Henderson, Keogh, Coleman, Cunningham, Christie, and Judge completed 90 minutes in each game

Substitutions/Introductions

Anthony Pilkington was substituted from the action more than any other Irish player in December - four times - while Jonathan Walters was introduced from the bench more than anyone else - also four times

Stayed on bench

Goalkeepers Aaron McCarey and Jack Bonham were both unused substitutes six times in December. Of the outfield players, Stephen Ward, Darron Gibson, Marc Wilson, and Simon Cox were left on the bench five times

Goals

Alan Judge and Adam Rooney topped the scoring charts in December with four goals each. Neither of their clubs lost a game when either player scored.

Discipline

Richard Keogh, Greg Cunningham, Shane Duffy, Harry Arter, Jonathan Douglas and Robbie Brady were all booked twice in December

Report Card - Weekend of 4th December 2015

4th December 2015
FA Cup
Salford City 1-1 Hartlepool United
Former Ireland international defender Stephen O'Halloran scored his first goal for Salford City

5th December 2015
Premier League
Stoke City 2-0 Manchester City
Former Manchester City player Glenn Whelan captained his current side Stoke City to victory over his former side in his 200th league start for the Potters

Watford 2-0 Norwich City
Robbie Brady was shown his first yellow card in almost a year. The winger's last booking came on 26th December 2014

West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
James McClean scored his first goal for West Brom since signing for them in the summer. McClean's hadn't scored since netting against Blackpool for Wigan on February 28th

Championship
Bolton Wanderers 2-3 Cardiff City
Anthony Pilkington goal was his first in almost two months, having not found the back of the net since September 12th

Brentford 2-0 Milton Keynes Dons
Alan Judge's scored his seventh goal of the season, and his first in just over a month

Brighton and Hove Albion 3-2 Charlton Athletic
Stephen Henderson had gone more than a year since his last booking, which came on 18 October 2014

Victims XI?

A recent article on joe.ie asserted that Birmingham City midfielder Stephen Gleeson is the real victim of Martin O'Neill's approach to squad selection. The former Wolves trainee is currently sitting in sixth in the Championship, ahead of senior international squad members Anthony Pilkington(ninth with Cardiff City) and Paul Green(24th with Rotherham) among others, but has yet to be called up by the manager. With this in mind, we analysed the appearance data for this season of players in England, Scotland and the USA to see if a starting XI of players who have not been capped by the manager since his appointment can be produced.

Goalkeeper 

While we're informally sticking to players who have at least ten appearances so far in 2015/16, we're bending the rules to include Charlton's Stephen Henderson between the sticks. Falkirk's on loan keeper Danny Rogers has made 16 appearances to Henderson's two starts since returning from shoulder surgery, but with Rogers currently in the U21 squad, Stephen lines out to continue the family legacy of his grandfather Paddy and uncle Wayne with international caps for Ireland.

Defence

Bristol City's Derrick Williams starts at left full for our side, the Championship defender is a graduate of Aston Villa's academy and has started all but three of the Robins' games so far.
Matt Doherty fills the right back slot in the team. The Wolverhampton Wanderers defender has appeared in 11 of their 17 games this season.
The Scottish Premier League provides both centre halves. Daniel Devine*, of Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and St Johnstone's Joe Shaughnessy are partners in central defence. Both players have European experience this season, playing against AFC Astra of Romania, and Alashkert FC of Armenia in the early rounds of the UEFA Cup.

Midfield

At left wing, Huddersfield's Sean Scannell provides both a goal threat and a creative spark. The winger only has one assist this season and has yet to find the back of the net, but finished 2014/15 with seven assists and four goals.
On the opposite wing, Aberdeen's Willo Flood fulfills the promise shown after breaking through at Manchester City and joins Glenn Whelan and Stephen Elliott as former Blues trainees with senior Republic of Ireland caps.
We agree with with joe.ie that Stephen Gleeson should start in midfield, and have paired him with Alan McCormack. The Brentford midfielder plays a little deeper than Gleeson, but still has a pair of assists this season.

Strikers

Up front, Cardiff City's Joe Mason and St Johnstone's Graham Cummins are the only uncapped strikers available to Martin O'Neill. Mason has scored five times for the Bluebirds this season, while Cummins has six goals in Scotland, and also provided four assists.

Below is the data used to pick the side, what players would you have picked in favour of the XI assembled here?

Player	Age	Position	Starts	Intro	Apps	Goals
Jonathan Hayes	28	Midfielder	18	0	18	1
Joe Shaughnessy	23	Defender	17	0	17	1
Daniel Devine	23	Defender	17	0	17	1
Stephen Gleeson	27	Midfielder	16	0	16	2
Graham Cummins	27	Striker	12	4	16	6
Danny Rogers	21	Goalkeeper	16	0	16	0
Derrick Williams	22	Defender	12	3	15	1
Jonathan Douglas	33	Midfielder	12	2	14	0
Alan McCormack	31	Midfielder	12	2	14	0
Joe Mason	24	Striker	14	0	14	5
Alan Browne	20	Midfielder	9	5	14	1
Willo Flood	30	Midfielder	8	5	13	0
Samir Carruthers	22	Midfielder	9	4	13	0
Sean Scannell	25	Midfielder	11	0	11	0
Matt Doherty	23	Defender	6	5	11	0
Aidan White	24	Defender	4	6	10	0
Conor Wilkinson	20	Midfielder	3	7	10	1

*Daniel Devine has underage caps for Northern Ireland, and declared for the Republic of Ireland in May 2011

Irish Abroad player statistics for March 2015

Appearance data for March 2015: http://irish-abroad.appspot.com/MonthlyStats?month=3
Charlton's goalkeeper Stephen Henderson won the most games in March, finishing on the winning side four times
With a reduced number of games in March, a number of players all finished two games all square - David Forde, Darren Randolph, Keiren Westwood, Paul McShane, Richard Keogh, Shaun Williams, Matt Doherty, Alex Pearce, Enda Stevens, Jonathan Douglas, Robert Kiernan, Jeff Hendrick, John O'Sullivan, Robbie Keane, Aiden O'Brien and Andy Keogh
Seamus Coleman, Jay Tabb, James McCarthy, and Michael Harriman (on loan at Luton Town) all started six games in March and only Coleman completed all six games. Harriman lost all six games he started
Fulham's Sean Kavanagh started four games and was substituted in each one
Future Colorado Rapids striker Kevin Doyle came off the bench three times in March, along with Cardiff City's Eoin Doyle
Blackburn's Darragh Lenihan remained on the bench in the most games in March, the Dublin born player was an unused substitute six times
Wes Hoolahan scored the most goals in March, finding the back of the net three times
Defender Cyrus Christie received the most bookings, the full back was shown the yellow card three times

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?

Talking points

Darren Randolph's return to the Birmingham City starting XI resulted in them conceding eight goals against AFC Bournemouth. Should Colin Doyle be given a chance in nets for the West Midlands side?
David Forde and Kieren Westwood both performed heroically for their respective club sides at the weekend. With Forde the current number 1, what do Westwood, Randolph, Given, etc have to do to unseat him?
O'Neill reportedly watched Sean Kavanagh and Stephen Henderson on Friday night, with Kavanagh's Fulham side emerging 2-0 winners. Is it still too early for the left sided player after only four senior appearances, or does the fact that there are no specialist left full backs available to O'Neill negate that? Is Henderson ready to follow in the footsteps of his uncle Wayne into goals for the senior international side?
Although Shane Long is still to record his first goal for Southampton, most Saints fans are unconcerned with his form, but how long will this last for the £12m striker?
Robbie Brady's performance against Liverpool in an unfamiliar position was praised by Steve Bruce, will he retain his spot at left wing-back for the Tigers? Is he an option there, or at full back, for Martin O'Neill's team?
James McClean came off the bench to score twice for Wigan, and has impressed in recent games for the senior international side, is he now the starting left winger for O'Neill?
James McArthur and Steven Fletcher are reportedly unavailable for Gordon Strachan's squad for the qualifier in three weeks, how important are they to his side? Who do you expect to replace them?With Germany expected to claim three points at home to Gibraltar, what is the most favourable result in the night's other Group D fixture - Poland away to Georgia?
Following Dundalk's victory in the Airtricity League, Richie Towell is being linked with a move to Cardiff, how will the former Celtic and Hibernian player fare in his second term across the water?
Stephen Hunt referred to David McGoldrick as being one of a three man Irish strikeforce at Ipswich, the others being Conor Sammon and Daryl Murphy, should he be called up?