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

Repeat XIs

 A recent post on twitter asked which game did this Ireland lineup photo come from?

Your Choice #Eire #Tiger 1978-08-26 pic.twitter.com/MyzdtD8LxQ

— Scottish Footy Cards (@ScotsFootyCards) February 13, 2022

It's from a friendly against Denmark in May 1978 that ended 3-3, with the goals coming from Frank Stapleton, Tony Grealish, and Gerry Daly. This was the only time these eleven players would start together. This is not uncommon for the national side, in the 587 games played by the Republic, there have been 453 unique selections for the the starting XI. 

But what of the repeated selections? What collection of starting players has been selected more than any other for the Boys in Green?

On Friday, 2nd September 2011, Giovanni Trapattoni selected Shay Given, John O'Shea, Stephen Ward, Sean St Ledger, Richard Dunne, Glen Whelan, Keith Andrews, Aidan McGeady, Damien Duff, Kevin Doyle, and captain Robbie Keane to face Slovakia at home in a qualifier for Euro 2012 that finished 0-0.

Ireland Team: Given, O'Shea, Dunne, St. Ledger, Ward, Duff, Andrews, Whelan, McGeady, Keane, Doyle #IreSlo

— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) September 2, 2011

The same starting XI would go on to be selected against Hungary the following June in a pre-tournament friendly, then faced Croatia in Euro 2012 six days later, before being named for the fourth, and final, time to face Italy in the final game of the group - the most the same starting XI has played together for Ireland.

The most recent repeat selection came in June 2019, when Mick McCarthy named Darren Randolph, Seamus Coleman, Enda Stevens, Shane Duffy, Conor Hourihane, Richard Keogh, Robert Brady, Jeff Hendrick, Glen Whelan, David McGoldrick, and James McClean in the starting XI to face Denmark, the same team named by the manager to face Georgia the previous March.

Round up for weekend of Friday, 13th August 2021

Friday, 13th August 2021

Bulgarian Parva Liga

Pirin Blagoevgrad 4-1 CSKA 1948 Sofia

Conor Henderson came off the bench for his first appearance of the season, in Pirin's third game of the season

Saturday, 14th August 2021

Premier League

Burnley 1-2 Brighton and Hove Albion

Shane Duffy was named in Brighton's starting XI - this was his first appearance since Sunday, 14th February

Everton 3-1 Southampton

Seamus Coleman's start was his 300th appearance in the Premier League

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Championship

Birmingham City 0-0 Stoke City

Scott Hogan was booked for the first time since Tuesday, 23rd February

West Bromwich Albion 3-2 Luton

Callum Robinson assisted a goal for the first time since Wednesday, 22nd July 2020

Swansea 0-0 Sheffield United

John Egan was named in the starting XI of a club side for the 300th time

League 1

AFC Wimbledon 3-3 Bolton

Eoin Doyle's first goal of the season was his 20th goal for Bolton, and also completed his fifth assist for the Trotters

Accrington Stanley 2-1 Cambridge United

In his second appearance of the season, Wes Hoolahan completed his first assist of the season

Lincoln City 2-1 Fleetwood

The first goal of Anthony Scully's brace (his first goals of the season) was his fifteenth goal in League One

MK Dons 1-2 Sunderland

Troy Parrott scored his first goal for MK Dons

Portsmouth 2-0 Crewe Alexandra

Gavin Bazunu made his first appearance for loan club Portsmouth

League 2

Leyton Orient 3-0 Exeter

Padraig Amond made his first appearance for Exeter

Walsall 1-3 Forest Green

Stephen Ward's start was his 450th appearance in English football, and assisted a goal for the first time since Saturday, 5 December 2020

Scottish League Cup

Livingston 1-1 St Mirren

Conor McCarthy scored his first goal of the season

Sunday, 15th August 2021

Scottish League Cup

Raith 2-1 Aberdeen

In his first start in senior football, Ethon Varian scored the first goal of his career

Celtic 3-2 Hearts

James McCarthy made his first appearance for Celtic
Aaron McEneff scored his first goal of the season

Transfers, contracts, and managerial appointments for July 2021

Transfers

Thursday, 1st July

After spending some time in Scotland with Aberdeen, Tommie Hoban signed a 12 month contract with Crewe Alexandra, with the option of a further year: 🔗

Friday, 2nd July

Full back Ryan Burke signed a one year contract with Mansfield: 🔗

Former Crystal Palace U23 Player of the Year Kian Flanagan signed a two year contact with National League side Barnet FC: 🔗

Monday, 5th July

Claire Walsh signed a two year contact with SWPL side Glasgow City: 🔗

Keeva Keenan returned to Dublin from Celtic to sign for Shelbourne: 🔗

Cian Bolger signed for Danske Bank Premiership side Larne FC: 🔗

Thursday, 8th July

After cancelling the contract he signed with Swindon Town in June 2021, Pierce Sweeney returned to Exeter City, signing a two year contract with the Grecians: 🔗

Former U15 FAI Player of the Year Glory Nzingo signed for Stade de Reims, and will initially play for their U18 side: 🔗

Friday, 9th July

Following a successful trial with Coventry City, winger Ricardo Dinanga signed a two year contract with the Blues: 🔗

After a loan spell with Glasgow City in 2020/21, Tyler Toland has returned to the Scottish Women's Premier League to sign with Celtic Women: 🔗

Trevor Clarke signed a one year contract with Bristol Rovers: 🔗

Veteran defender Stephen Ward has signed a one year deal with Walsall: 🔗

Liam McAlinden signed a two year contract with National League side Wrexham FC: 🔗

Tuesday, 13th July

Jimmy Dunne left Burnley to sign a three year deal with QPR: 🔗

Darragh O'Connor signed a one year contract with Motherwell: 🔗

24 year old midfielder Shane McLoughlin moved to Morecambe after leaving AFC Wimbledon: 🔗

Wednesday, 14th July

After leaving Brighton and Hove Albion, Rianna Jarrett signed for FA Women's Championship side London City Lionesses: 🔗

Thursday, 15th July

Zack Elbozedi signed for Swedish club AIK, moving to the Friends Arena until December 2024: 🔗

Friday, 16th July

After a spell playing in India, Anthony Pilkington returned to England to sign a one year deal with Fleetwood Town: 🔗

Bosun Lawal will play in the Lowland League this season after signing a three year contract with Celtic B: 🔗

Neil Byrne returned to the Football League, signing for National League Play Off winners Hartlepool United: 🔗

Saturday, 17th July

Richard Keogh signed a 12 month contract with Blackpool: 🔗

Monday, 19th July

Goalkeeper Ian Lawlor signed a two year contract with Dundee FC: 🔗

Cillian Sheridan was the second Irish player to sign for Dundee FC on the same day, also signing a two year contract with The Dee: 🔗

Thursday, 22 July

Midfielder Sam Foley left Motherwell to sign a one year contract with Tranmere Rovers: 🔗

Friday, 23rd July

Following a year in Italy, Louise Quinn returned to the Women's Super League to sign a two year deal with Birmingham City: 🔗

Monday, 26th July

Free agent Courtney Brosnan signed a one year contract with Everton: 🔗

Tuesday, 27th July

As part of the deal that took Jamie McDonagh to Cliftonville, Aaron McCarey signed a three year contract with Glentoran: 🔗

Wednesday, 28th July

Daire O'Connor signed a one year contract with Scottish Championship side Ayr United: 🔗

Friday, 30th July

U17 midfielder Charlie McCann signed for Rangers, and will play for their B team in the Lowland League: 🔗

Saturday, 31st July

Former Notts County defender Damien McCrory signed for Southern League Premier Division Central side Nuneaton Borough: 🔗

Loans

Thursday, 1st July

Gavin Bazunu will again spend a season in League One, after signing for Portsmouth on loan for a year: 🔗

Sunday, 11th July

After spending the 2020/21 season on loan at Oxford United, Olamide Shodipo will return to League One in the 2021/22 season for a season-long loan at Sheffield Wednesday: 🔗

Tuesday, 20th July

U21 striker Ethon Varian signed a loan deal with Raith Rovers until January 2022: 🔗

Thursday, 21st July

Recently called up U21 goalkeeper Sam Blair signed a season long loan deal with Bury Town: 🔗

Wednesday, 28th July

After spending six months on loan at Cliftonville earlier this year, Barry Coffey has joined Cork City on loan for the remainder of the League of Ireland season: 🔗

Thursday, 29th July

Following loans spells at Millwall and Ipswich during the 2020/21 season, Troy Parrott signed for MK Dons on loan for 2021/22: 🔗

Contracts

Friday, 2nd July

Claire Shine extended her stay with Glasgow City, signing a new one year contract with the Scottish side: 🔗

Monday, 5th July

Former Athlone Town player Dylan Gavin signed a professional contract with Charlton Athletic

Tuesday, 6th July

Tyreik Wright was one of seven U23 players to sign a new contact with Aston Villa: 🔗

Wedneday, 7th July

Josh Giurgi was among eight players that signed new contracts with Norwich City, the talented underage player signed a one year deal with the Canaries: 🔗

Conor Noss signed his first contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach, penning a contract with Der Fohlen until 2024: 🔗

Friday, 9th July

Harriet Scott signed a two year extension to her contract with Birmingham City: 🔗

Monday, 26th July

Andrew Moran and Leigh Kavanagh signed their first professional contracts with Brighton and Hove Albion

Wednesday, 28th July

Seamus Coleman signed an extension to his contract with Everton, adding an extra twelve months to his time at Goodison Park: 🔗

Management and coaches

Friday, 23rd July

Alan Sheehan returned to former club Oldham Athletic as player/coach to manager Keith Curle: 🔗

Tuesday, 27th July

Lee Carsley was appointed manager of England's U21 side: 🔗

Thursday, 29th July

Curtis Fleming joined the coaching staff at Bristol City as first team coach: 🔗

Round up for weekend of Friday, 2nd April 2021

Friday, 2nd April 2021

Championship

Cardiff 0-1 Nottingham Forest

Cyrus Christie was booked for the first time since October

Derby County 2-0 Luton

Jason Knight's start was his 75th appearance for Derby County

Preston North End 1-1 Norwich

Andrew Omobamidele was named in the Norwich City starting XI for the first time

QPR 3-0 Coventry

Jordan Shipley's start was his first appearance in five weeks

Birmingham City 1-0 Swansea

Scott Hogan's goal was his first strike in seven weeks

League 1

Fleetwood 0-1 Peterborough

Jack Taylor's start was his first appearance in five weeks

Ipswich 2-1 Bristol Rovers

Stephen Ward's was named in a starting XI in English football for the 400th time
Alan Judge's goal (his first in five weeks) was his 30th goal in League One

Northampton 1-0 Shrewsbury

Alan Sheehan's second half introduction was his first appearance in five weeks

Portsmouth 2-1 Rochdale

Ronan Curtis' goal (his first in two months) was his 30th goal in League One
Jimmy Keohane was booked for the first time this season - this was his first yellow card since December 2019

Sunderland 3-1 Oxford United

Aiden McGeady scored his fifth goal of the season
Mark Sykes was sent off for the first time for Oxford United

League 2

Barrow 2-1 Newport Co.

Jamie Devitt scored his first goal for Barrow

Bradford City 4-1 Forest Green

Niall Canavan was booked for the fifth time this season
Billy Clarke completed his fifth assist of the season

Cheltenham 4-0 Tranmere

Joe Murphy was named in the Tranmere starting XI for the first time in two months
Lee O'Connor was booked for the first time this season

Walsall 0-0 Harrogate Town

Emmanuel Osadebe was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Saturday, 3rd April 2021

Premier League

Chelsea 2-5 West Bromwich Albion

In his first appearance for West Brom's senior team in two months, Callum Robinson's scored his fourth and fifth goals of the season - also his fourth and fifth Premier League goals, all of which have come against Chelsea

5️⃣ @CallumRobinson7's five goals against Chelsea joins Robbie Keane(Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Newcastle), Roy Keane(Leeds United), Niall Quinn(Newcastle), and @JonWalters19(QPR) for five Premier League goals by an @FAIreland player against a single club#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/5nMz5Slnyf

— Irish Abroad (@irish_abroad) April 4, 2021

Leeds United 2-1 Sheffield United

John Egan returned from injury for his first appearance in seven weeks as a second half substitute

Scottish FA Cup

East Fife 1-2 Greenock Morton

Sean McGinty scored his first goal in the Scottish FA Cup

Formartine United 0-5 Motherwell

Sam Foley's introduction was his first appearance Wednesday, 3rd February 2021(60 days)

Hamilton Academical 0-3 St Mirren

Jamie McGrath's brace was his first two goals in the Scottish FA Cup

Australian A-League

Brisbane Roar 1-1 Western Sydney Wanderers

Jay O'Shea was booked for the first time in eight weeks

Monday, 5th April 2021

Premier League

Everton 1-1 Crystal Palace

Seamus Coleman assisted a goal for the first time since September

Championship

Luton 1-2 Barnsley

James Collins' first goal in two months was his 70th goal for Luton

Stoke City 1-2 Millwall

James McClean's  introduction was his first appearance since Saturday, 20th February

League 1

Peterborough 1-1 Sunderland

Jack Taylor started a game for Peterborough for the first time since Saturday, 27 February

League 2

Exeter 0-0 Mansfield Town

Pierce Sweeney's start (his first in a month) was his 200th start for Exeter

Newport Co. 1-0 Bolton

Eoin Doyle's start was the 300th time the striker started a game in Engilsh football

Stevenage 1-1 Bradford City

Anthony O'Connor was booked for the fifth time this season

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 20th March 2021

Saturday, 20th March 2021

Premier League

Brighton and Hove Albion 3-0 Newcastle Utd

Ciaran Clark started a game for the 250th time in his career

Championship

Bristol City 0-2 Rotherham

Callum O'Dowda started a game for the first time since Saturday, 26th December

Millwall 1-0 Middlesbrough

Dan McNamara was booked for the first time in two months in his first start since Tuesday, 2 February

Preston North End 0-1 Luton

Joe Rafferty started a game for Preston for the first start time in six weeks

Swansea 0-1 Cardiff

Conor Hourihane made his 400th career start

League 1

Portsmouth 2-1 Ipswich

Marcus Harness scored his first goal since Saturday, 28 November
Ronan Curtis assisted a goal for the first time in two months
Stephen Ward was named in the Ipswich starting XI for the first time in six weeks

Rochdale 3-3 Peterborough

Jimmy Keohane scored his first goal in eight weeks

League 2

Newport Co. 0-1 Leyton Orient

Conor Wilkinson scored his first goal since Tuesday, 29th December, and was booked for the fifth time

Bolton 2-1 Walsall

Eoin Doyle scored his 15th goal of the season

Cambridge United 1-0 Forest Green

Wes Hoolahan scored his fifth goal of the season, this was the midfielder's first goal since Saturday, 30 January

Harrogate Town 0-1 Morecambe

Simon Power made his tenth start for Harrogate Town

Mansfield Town 2-2 Grimsby

Stephen McLaughlin assisted a goal for the first time since Tuesday, 3 November in what was his 250th appearance in English football

Scottish Premier League

Hamilton Academical 1-1 St Mirren

Conor McCarthy was booked for the fifth time this season. This was his 50th appearance for St Mirren, remarkably starting each one

Kilmarnock 4-1 Motherwell

Alan Power completed an assist for the first time since Wednesday, 12th August

Scottish League Two

Queen's Park 3-0 Stranraer

Luca Connell assisted a goal on his first appearance for loan club Queen's Park. Connell's start was his first appearance since Tuesday, 13th August 2019

FA Cup

Bournemouth 0-3 Southampton

Gavin Kilkenny's introduction was his first appearance since Saturday, 9th January

Sunday, 21st March 2021

Bulgarian Championship

Beroe Stara Zagora 1-0 CSKA Sofia

Graham Carey was named in the CSKA starting XI for the first time since Sunday, 13th December

Round Up for midweek of Tuesday, 16th March 2021

Tuesday, 16th March 2021

Championship

Derby County 2-2 Brentford

Louis Watson started a game for the first time in his career
In the same game, Jason Knight started a game for the 60th time in his career

Middlesbrough 2-0 Preston North End

Alan Browne was sent off for the third time for Preston North End - this was his first red card since Saturday, 21th October 2017

League 1

Oxford United 3-0 Doncaster Rovers

Olamide Shodipo scored his first goal in six weeks

Fleetwood 2-0 Ipswich

Stephen Ward's introduction was his first appearance in five weeks

League 2

Salford City 0-0 Colchester

Richie Towell's introduction was his 50th appearance for Salford City

Crawley 1-1 Walsall

Emmanuel Osadebe scored his first goal for Walsall, this was his first goal since Saturday, 12th October 2019

Port Vale 2-1 Newport Co.

Padraig Amond was named in the Newport starting XI for the 150th time

Mansfield Town 1-1 Carlisle United

Stephen McLaughlin scored his first goal since Sunday, 10th January

Wednesday, 17th March 2021

Championship

Blackburn 0-0 Bristol City

Max O'Leary's start was first appearance since Wednesday, 10th February

League 1

Accrington Stanley 0-2 Sunderland

Aiden McGeady started his 100th game for Sunderland

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 27th October 2020

Tuesday, 27th October 2020

Championship

Barnsley 3-0 QPR

Conor Masterson came off the bench for his first appearance in eight weeks

Swansea 2-0 Stoke City

Ryan Manning made his first appearance for new club Swansea, this was his first appearance in eight weeks

League 1

AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Blackpool

Callum Reilly's goal was the 15th strike of his career, and his tenth in League One

Charlton 2-0 Oxford United

Olamide Shodipo made his first start for loan club Oxford United

Ipswich 1-0 Gillingham

Mark McGuinness' start was his league debut, and his first appearance for loan club Ipswich
Stephen Ward assisted a goal for the first time since October 2017

Portsmouth 4-0 Northampton

Ronan Curtis scored his 30th goal for Portsmouth
After signing an appearance based contract with Northampton, Alan Sheehan made his debut for the Cobblers

Rochdale 2-2 Sunderland

Eoghan O'Connell's start was his 70th appearance in League One

League 2

Bolton 1-0 Bradford City

Paudie O'Connor started a game for the 50th time in his career, and was also his 60th career appearance

Mansfield Town 2-4 Barrow

Aaron O'Driscoll was sent off for the first time in his career

Wednesday, 28th October 2020

Championship

Preston North End 0-2 Millwall

Alan Browne's start was his 200th appearance in the Championship

Bournemouth 1-0 Bristol City

Callum O'Dowda was named in the starting XI for the first time this season

Luton 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Glen Rea scored his first goal since October 2018

Thursday, 29 October 2020

MLS

Orlando City 4-1 Atlanta United

Jake Mulraney came off the bench for his 150th career appearance

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 30th June 2020

Tuesday, 30th June 2020

Premier League

Brighton and Hove Albion 0-3 Manchester United

Aaron Connolly and Shane Duffy were both named in the same starting XI for the first time since December

Aaron Connolly made his 25th appearance for Brighton and Hove Albion, and his 20th appearance in the Premier League

Championship

Millwall 1-1 Swansea

Shaun Williams made his 30th appearance of the season

Cardiff 0-0 Charlton

Josh Cullen made his 60th appearance for Charlton - and continued his remarkable record of starting each one of these

QPR 1-2 Fulham

Cyrus Christie scored his first goal of the season, this was also the fifth goal of his career and his first goal since September 2018

Leeds United 1-1 Luton

James Collins was booked for the first time since December in his 40th appearance of the season

Wigan 3-0 Stoke City

This was the first time Stephen Ward, Nathan Collins, and James McClean were named in the same starting XI

Ward was booked for the first time since December, while Collins was booked for the first time since August

Wednesday, 1st July 2020

Premier League

Arsenal 4-0 Norwich

Adam Idah came off the bench for his tenth appearance for Norwich

Everton 2-1 Leicester City

Seamus Coleman was named in the Everton starting XI for the 20th time this season

Championship

Preston North End 0-1 Derby County

Joe Rafferty returned to the starting XI for Preston - his 25th start of the season
Sean Maguire's introduction was his 90th appearance for Preston North End
Jason Knight's start was his 25th appearance in the Championship

Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 West Bromwich Albion

Alex Hunt came off the bench for his fifth appearance for Sheffield Wednesday
Dara O'Shea's start, his first appearance since the restart, was his 15th appearance for West Bromwich Albion
Callum Robinson made his 30th appearance of the season

Thursday, 2nd July 2020

Premier League

Sheffield United 3-1 Tottenham

David McGoldrick was named in the Sheffield United starting XI for the 20th time this season
John Egan's start was his 30th appearance in the Premier League

Round up for weekend of Saturday, 23rd November 2019

Saturday, 23rd November 2019

Premier League

Arsenal 2-2 Southampton

Michael Obafemi started a game for Southampton for the first time in two months

Championship

Derby County 1-0 Preston North End

Joe Rafferty was booked for the first time this season - almost a year after his last yellow card in December 2018

Luton 1-2 Leeds United

James Collins' goal was his first strike in two months

Stoke City 2-1 Wigan

Stephen Ward was booked for the first time this season - 15 months after his last booking in August 2018
James McClean's first booking in two months was also his fifth yellow card of 2019/20

Swansea 0-1 Millwall

Alex Pearce made his 25th appearance for Millwall, two months after his last appearance for the Lions

League 1

AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Gillingham

Ryan Delaney was booked for the first time since September

Accrington Stanley 7-1 Bolton

Seamus Conneely was booked for the fifth time, and completed his fifth assist for Accrington Stanley in this game

MK Dons 2-3 Rotherham

Joe Mason scored his first goal for MK Dons, this was his first goal since scoring for Colorado Rapids in June 2018

Rochdale 0-3 Portsmouth

Jimmy Keohane started his 25th game for Rochdale
Ronan Curtis scored his 15th and 16th goals in League One

Sunderland 1-1 Coventry

Aiden McGeady's start was his 50th appearance in League One

League 2

Northampton 2-0 Grimsby

James McKeown was booked for the first time this season

Plymouth 2-1 Bradford City

Niall Canavan's own goal was his second for Plymouth, and the third of his career

Swindon Town 1-0 Mansfield Town

Eoin Doyle's goal was his 30th in League Two

Scottish Premier League

Hibernian 3-1 Motherwell

Daryl Horgan scored his tenth goal for Hibernian

St Mirren 2-1 Ross County

Both Sam Foley and Sean McLoughlin scored their first goal for St Mirren

Scottish Championship

Inverness CT 1-0 Dundee

Aaron Doran was booked for the first time this season, and scored his fifth of the season in this game

Slovakian Super Liga

Zemplín Michalovce 5-0 DAC

Connor Ronan's start was the 50th of his career

Sunday, 24th November 2019

Premier League

Sheffield United 3-3 Manchester United

Callum Robinson completed his first assist of the season for Sheffield United's late equaliser

Round Up for weekend of Friday, 30th August 2019

Friday, 30th August 2019

Championship

Cardiff 1-1 Fulham

Harry Arter was sent off for the fourth time in his career, three years after his last red card in August 2016

Scottish Championship

Inverness CT 5-0 Greenock Morton

Aaron Doran's start was the 200th time he was named in a starting XI in his career

Dundee Utd 6-2 Dundee

Mark Connolly completed an assist for the first time since January 2018

Saturday, 31st August 2019

Premier League

The 2019/20 season has the lowest number of Premier League goals by Irish players in August since the 2016/17 season - when no goals were scored.

Chelsea 2-2 Sheffield United

John Egan made his 50th appearance for Sheffield United - all of which have been starts
Callum Robinson scored his first goal for the Blades, this was also his first goal in the Premier League
Enda Stevens' assist on Robinson's goal was his first since December 2018

Manchester City 4-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

Aaron Connolly came off the bench for made his first appearance in the Premier League

Championship

Bristol City 2-2 Middlesbrough

Callum O'Dowda made his first assist of the season

Birmingham City 2-1 Stoke City

Stephen Ward start was his 200th appearance in the Championship

League 1

Blackpool 1-1 Portsmouth

Ronan Curtis' start was his 50th start for Portsmouth

Gillingham 5-0 Bolton

After signing for Gillingham on loan until January, Thomas O'Connor made his first start for the club
Mark Byrne made his first assist of the season

Oxford United 3-3 Coventry

Both Anthony Forde and Jordan Shipley were booked for the first time this season.
Shipley also completed his first assist of the season

Southend United 0-3 Rochdale

Robert Kiernan's second half introduction was his first appearance of the season

League 2

Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Bradford City

Paul Green made his 50th start for Crewe Alexandra
Jamie Devitt was named in a starting XI for the first time this season
Paudie O'Connor's start was his first appearance in League Two

Exeter 1-0 Mansfield Town

Ryan Sweeney was sent off for the third time in his career, this was his first red card since September 2017

Forest Green 0-2 Newport Co.

Padraig Amond's goal was his 80th strike in League Two

Port Vale 1-0 Cambridge United

After signing a one year contract with Cambridge during the week, Samir Carruthers made his first appearance for the U's

Salford City 1-1 Leyton Orient

Richie Towell's goal was his first for Salford
Adam Rooney was booked for the first time this season

Scunthorpe 0-1 Carlisle United

Canice Carroll was named in Carlisle United's starting XI for the first time

Scottish Premier League

Aberdeen 3-0 Ross County

Simon Power's second half introduction (his first appearance in a month) was  his first appearance in the SPL

Scottish Championship

Arbroath 1-0 Dunfermline

Daniel Devine's start was his first appearance of the 2019/20 season

Sunday, 1st September 2019

Scottish Premier League

Rangers 0-2 Celtic

Jonathan Hayes scored his first goal of the season as a late second half substitute, this was his first goal since December 2017

Bulgarian

CSKA Sofia 2-2 Levski Sofia

Graham Carey assisted both of CSKA Sofia's goals in his seventh appearances for the club

Most starting Irish players in a Premier League team

Sheffield United started four Irish players in their first Premier League game since 2007 - John Egan, Enda Stevens, David McGoldrick, and Callum Robinson. This was the first time this happened since Burnley named Stephen Ward, Jeff Hendrick, Kevin Long, and Robbie Brady in their starting XI against West Ham on Sunday, 21st May 2017.

While rare, starting four Irish players is not uncommon. Since the Premier League was launched in 1992, clubs have had a quintet of Irish players start a game in the competition for them on 65 occasions.

Stoke City account for almost half of these games - the Potters have named four players in 28 separate games, ahead of Aston Villa who started four players in 19 games. No other club has done it more than 10 times.

Only two clubs have named five players in their starting XI. Middlesbrough named Alan Kernaghan, Graham Kavanagh, Curtis Fleming, Bernie Slaven, and Chris Morris in their team against Sheffield Wedneday on Saturday, 24th October 1992. Almost twenty years later, in February 2012, Aston Villa named Shay Given, Richard Dunne, Ciaran Clark, Stephen Ireland, and Robbie Keane in their starting XI in two consecutive Premier League games.

To date, no Premier League team has started six, or more, Irish players.

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 10th August 2019

Saturday, 10th August 2019

Premier League

Seven Irish players were named in the starting XI of today's Premier League games for the first time since January 2018

Bournemouth 1-1 Sheffield United

Sheffield United are the first team to name four Irish players in the starting XI of a Premier League game since Burnley in May 2017

Burnley 3-0 Southampton

Michael Obafemi returned from injury for his first appearance since February

Championship

Charlton 3-1 Stoke City

Stephen Ward's start, his first since January, was his 400th appearance in English football

Derby County 0-0 Swansea

Richard Keogh was shown his first yellow card of the season in what was his 350th appearance for Derby County - remarkably in every one of these he was named in the starting XI

Fulham 2-0 Blackburn

Harry Arter assisted Fulham's opener on his debut for the Cottagers - his first assist since March

Middlesbrough 0-1 Brentford

Darren Randolph's start was his 100th appearance for Middlesbrough - all of which have been starts

Preston North End 3-0 Wigan

Sean Maguire scored his first goal of the season

QPR 1-1 Huddersfield

Ryan Manning completed his first assist of the season - his first in almost a year

West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Millwall

Alex Pearce unfortunately scored an OG in this game, his first since November 2014

League 1

Oxford United 1-0 Peterborough

Anthony Forde came off the bench to make his debut at new club Oxford United

Portsmouth 2-0 Tranmere

Darren Potter made his first start for Tranmere Rovers - his first time being named in a starting XI since December 2017

Rochdale 1-1 Doncaster Rovers

Kieran Sadlier scored his fifth goal for Doncaster - all of which have been in league football

Southend United 1-3 Blackpool

Simon Cox scored his first goal of the season in his 150th appearance for Southend United

League 2

Grimsby 1-1 Bradford City

Eoin Doyle made his 50th appearance for Bradford City

Cheltenham 4-1 Scunthorpe

Jake Doyle-Hayes marked first appearance for loan club Cheltenham with an assist

Macclesfield 3-0 Leyton Orient

Fiacre Kelleher made his 50th appearance for Macclesfield
Former U21 cap Emmanuel Osadebe's first goal for Macclesfield was his first strike since November 2018

Swindon Town 3-2 Carlisle United

Canice Carroll was sent off for the first time in his career

Scottish Premier League

Hearts 0-0 Ross County

After overcoming severe injury, Aidan White made his first appearance for Hearts. This was his first appearance in football since January 2017

Scottish Championship

Inverness CT 2-1 Arbroath

Aaron Doran scored the 40th goal of his career - this was also his tenth goal in the Scottish Championship

Slovakian Super Liga

Trenčín 2-1 DAC

Connor Ronan was booked for the first time this season

Sunday, 11th August 2019

Scottish Premier League

Rangers 6-1 Hibernian

Daryl Horgan scored his first goal of the season

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 5th January 2019

Saturday, 5th January 2019

League 1

Rochdale 0-4 Burton Albion

Ryan Delaney made his 50th appearance for Rochdale

Scunthorpe 2-1 Coventry

Michael Doyle started a game for the first time in more than a month

League 2

Carlisle United 3-2 Mansfield Town

Jamie Devitt marked his 250th appearance in League Two with his fifth assist of the season

Macclesfield 1-2 Swindon Town

Having signing for Swindon on loan, Canice Carroll made his debut for the Robins - and was booked for the first time this season
Fiacre Kelleher was booked for the first time since October

Yeovil 0-1 Bury

Shaun Donnellan's first appearance since Saturday, 10th November was his 25th appearance for Yeovil
Joe Murphy was booked for the first time since September

Scottish Championship

Dunfermline 2-2 Alloa

Aidan Keena scored his fifth goal of the season
Daniel Devine was booked for the first time in two months

English FA Cup

Bolton Wanderers 5-2 Walsall

U18 International Luca Connell came off the bench for his senior Bolton debut

Manchester United 2-0 Reading

Liam Kelly's start was his first appearance since Tuesday, 27th November

West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Wigan

Wes Hoolahan was named in the West Brom starting XI for the first time since Tuesday, 25th September

Bournemouth 1-3 Brighton and Hove Albion

Shane Duffy's completed his first assist since Saturday, 22nd September

Burnley 1-0 Barnsley

Stephen Ward returned from injury for his first appearance since Tuesday, 25 September
Jeff Hendrick's start was his 250th career start
Kevin Long was booked for the first time since September

Fleetwood 2-3 AFC Wimbledon

Paddy Madden scored his 20th goal for Fleetwood

Aston Villa 0-3 Swansea

Scott Hogan was named an Aston Villa starting XI for the first time this season

Gillingham 1-0 Cardiff

Mark Byrne made his 100th start for Gillingham
Bradley Garmston was booked for the fifth time this season

Derby County 2-2 Southampton

Shane Long started his first game since November

Sunday, 6th January 2019

English FA Cup

Millwall 2-1 Hull City

Having signed for Millwall, Alex Pearce made his first appearance for the Lions. This was his first start of the season
Shaun Williams came off the bench for first appearance in a month

Preston North End 1-3 Doncaster Rovers

Sean Maguire's introduction from the bench was his first appearance in two months
Kieran Sadlier came off the bench for his first appearance for Doncaster Rovers

Newport Co. 2-1 Leicester City

Padraig Amond's penalty that knocked Leicester out of the cup was the striker's 30th goal for Newport

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 12th May 2018

Saturday, 12th May 2018

Championship Play Off

Middlesbrough 0-1 Aston Villa

Conor Hourihane was booked for the first time in a month

League 2 Play Off

Lincoln City 0-0 Exeter

Sean Long came off the bench for his first appearance since Sunday, 8th April

Coventry 1-1 Notts County

Michael Doyle made his 50th appearance of the season, remarkably the midfielder started each of these 50 games

Sunday, 13th May 2018

Premier League

Burnley 1-2 Bournemouth

Stephen Ward made his 100th start for Burnley
In the same game, Kevin Long made his 50th appearance for the Clarets
Ward, Long and Jeff Hendrick were named in the starting XI in consecutive games for the first time in a year

Liverpool 4-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

Shane Duffy made his 200th career start

Polish Ekstraklasa

Zagłębie Lubin 1-2 Jagiellonia Białystok

Cillian Sheridan was shown a yellow card for the first time since Thursday, 29th June 2017

Tuesday, 15th May 2018

Championship

Aston Villa 0-0 Middlesbrough

Darren Randolph made his 50th appearance for Middlesbrough

Wednesday, 16th May 2018

League 1

Rotherham 2-0 Scunthorpe

Anthony Forde was booked for the first time since February

Thursday, 17th May 2018

Scottish Championship Play-Offs

Livingston 2-1 Partick Thistle

Daniel Devine was booked for the first time since Saturday, 31st March

Sunday, 20 May 2018

Scottish Championship Play-Offs

Partick Thistle 0-1 Livingston

Adam Barton's first booking since December was his fifth booking of the season

Thursday, 31st May 2018

American MLS

New England Revolution 1-1 Atanta United

Chris McCann returned for his first start for Atlanta for a month

Round Up for weekend of Saturday, 21st April 2018

Saturday, 21st April 2018

Championship

Birmingham City 2-1 Sheffield United

Enda Stevens started his 200th game since leaving Shamrock Rovers

Preston North End 0-0 Norwich

Greg Cunningham was booked for the fifth time this season

Sunderland 1-2 Burton Albion

Marc Wilson's first booking since Tuesday, 26th December was also the defender's fifth yellow card of the season

League 1

AFC Wimbledon 2-2 Oldham

Eoin Doyle was booked for the fifth time this season

Northampton 2-0 Plymouth

John-Joe O'Toole's opener was the player's first goal in two months

League 2

Carlisle United 1-1 Luton

John O'Sullivan's came off the bench for his first appearance in a month

Lincoln City 2-1 Colchester

Sean Murray started his first game since Saturday, 24th February

Scottish Premier League

Dundee 2-1 St Johnstone

Joe Shaughnessy was booked for the fifth time this season

Sunday, 22nd April 2018

Premier League

Stoke City 1-1 Burnley

Stephen Ward's start was his 100th appearance for Burnley

Round Up for weekend of Friday, 23rd February 2018

Friday, 23th February 2018

Scottish Championship

Livingston 2-1 Dundee Utd

Willo Flood made his 50th appearance in the Scottish Championship

Saturday, 24th February 2018

Premier League

Burnley 1-1 Southampton

Stephen Ward returned from injury for Burnley for his first appearance since December

Championship

Burton Albion 0-1 Millwall

Damien McCrory came off the bench for his first appearance since September

Reading 3-3 Derby County

Liam Kelly scored his fifth goal of the season
Richard Keogh scored his first goal of the season, this was his first goal since August 2016

Sheffield Wednesday 2-4 Aston Villa

Glenn Whelan scored his first goal for Aston Villa in his 25th start for the club, this was the midfielder's first goal since November 2011. In the same game, Conor Hourihane scored his tenth goal for the club in his 50th appearance for the Villains

Sunderland 3-3 Middlesbrough

Aiden McGeady was booked for the fifth time this season

League 1

Plymouth 1-0 Bradford City

Graham Carey made his 50th appearance in League One

Portsmouth 0-2 Blackpool

Connor Ronan made his 25th career appearance

League 2

Accrington Stanley 1-0 Cambridge United

Gary Deegan was booked for the first time booking time since September

Lincoln City 1-4 Crewe Alexandra

Sean Long was named in the Lincoln starting XI for first start since Monday, 1st January
Paul Green scored his first goal for Crewe, this was the midfielder's first goal since August

Luton 2-2 Cheltenham

Alan Sheehan's scored his first goal in 2018
Kevin Dawson was booked for the fifth time this season

Scottish Premier League

Hamilton Academical 2-1 Partick Thistle

Conor Sammon scored his ninth goal of the season in his 25th appearance for Partick Thistle

Indian Super League

Delhi Dynamos 4-3 Atlético de Kolkata

Robbie Keane scored his first brace since September 2010 in his first start since Sunday, 7th January

Sunday, 25th February 2018

Premier League

Crystal Palace 0-1 Tottenham

Damien Delaney came off the bench for his first appearance since Monday, 8th January

Bulgarian Championship

Pirin Blagoevgrad 1-0 Vitosha Bistritsa

Conor Henderson scored his first goal since Friday, 24th November

Round Up for weekend of Friday, 17th November 2017

Friday, 17th November 2017

Championship

Burton Albion 1-3 Sheffield United

Samir Carruthers' late introduction from the bench was his first appearance in two months

Preston North End 0-0 Bolton

Andy Boyle was booked for the first time this season

Saturday, 18th November 2017

Premier League

Bournemouth 4-0 Huddersfield

Harry Arter scored his first goal of the season, this was also the 30th goal of the midfielder's career

Burnley 2-0 Swansea

Stephen Ward was booked for the first time this season

Manchester United 4-1 Newcastle Utd

Ciaran Clark returned to the Newcastle starting XI for the first time since 1st October

Championship

Birmingham City 1-0 Nottingham Forest

Stephen Gleeson made his first appearance since Saturday, 26th August

Cardiff 2-0 Brentford

John Egan made his 50th appearance for Brentford

Reading 0-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Matt Doherty's first goal of the season was also his tenth goal for Wolves, and the 15th goal of his career

Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 Bristol City

Callum O'Dowda made his 50th appearance in the Championship

League 1

Bristol Rovers 1-3 AFC Wimbledon

Rory Gaffney made his 50th appearance in League One

Peterborough 0-1 Blackpool

Conor O'Malley made his first appearance in League One

League 2

Grimsby 0-1 Carlisle United

Jack Bonham made his 25th career appearance

Lincoln City 1-2 Coventry

Sean Long was booked for the first time this season

Scottish Premier League

Dundee 0-0 Kilmarnock

Darren O'Dea was sent off for the second time this season, two months after his last red card on Saturday, 16 September. This was fourth red card of his career

Sunday, 19th November 2017

Scottish Premier League

Hearts 1-1 Partick Thistle

Daniel Devine was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Scottish Championship

Dundee United 3-0 Falkirk

Willo Flood scored his first goal since Saturday, 2 September in his 200th start for Dundee United

Report Card for Republic of Ireland V Serbia

Tuesday, 5 September 2017

FIFA World Cup European Qualifying

Republic of Ireland 0-1 Serbia

Darren Randolph's 19th start was his 24th appearance for Ireland
Cyrus Christie made his 13th appearance for IrelandShane Duffy continued his run of starting every cap he's earned for Ireland in his 13th game
Ciaran Clark made his 26th appearance for Ireland
Stephen Ward made his 45th appearance for Ireland
James McClean made his 30th start for Ireland in his 54th international appearance
Wes Hoolahan made his 41st appearance for Ireland, this was the midfielder's first start since Saturday, 12 November 2016David Meyler made his 20th appearance for Ireland
Robbie Brady made his 36th appearance for Ireland
Shane Long made his 75th appearance for Ireland
Jonathan Walters made his 51st appearance for IrelandDaryl Murphy made his 28th appearance for Ireland
Callum O'Dowda made his sixth appearance for Ireland

Report Card - Weekend of Saturday, 2nd September 2017

Saturday, 2 September 2017

FIFA World Cup European Qualifying

Georgia 1-1 Republic of Ireland

Darren Randolph made his 23rd appearance for Ireland
Stephen Ward made his 44th appearance for Ireland
Shane Duffy scored his first international goal in his 12th appearance for Ireland
Ciaran Clark made his 25th appearance for Ireland, this was the defender's first international appearance since Saturday, 12 November 2016
Cyrus Christie made his 12th appearance for Ireland
James McClean made his 53rd appearance for Ireland
Glenn Whelan made his 82nd appearance for Ireland
Harry Arter made his seventh appearance for Ireland
Robbie Brady made his 35th appearance for Ireland was also his 30th start for his country
Shane Long was booked for the first time at international level since June 2016 in his 74th appearance for Ireland
Jonathan Walters made his 50th appearance for Ireland
Aiden McGeady's appearance off the bench was his 91st appearance for Ireland
Daryl Murphy made his 27th appearance for Ireland

League1

Doncaster Rovers 0-0 Peterborough

Ian Lawlor made his 25th appearance for Doncaster Rovers

Oldham 3-4 Charlton

Eoin Doyle marked his appearance for Oldham with his first goal of the season, and also picked up his first yellow card of the season
Jack Byrne scored the first goal of his loan spell at the Latics

Southend United 0-0 Rochdale

Stephen McLaughlin was booked for the first time this season, the midfielder hadn't been booked before this since November 2016

Walsall 2-1 Plymouth

Graham Carey marked his 100th start for Plymouth with his first goal of the season

League 2

Swindon Town 1-4 Barnet

Donal McDermott's red card was the second time the midfielder had been sent off in his career

Scottish League Challenge Cup

Dundee Utd 3-1 Alloa

Willo Flood scored his 15th goal of his career, and the winger's first goal in more than a year

Sunday, 3 September 2017

League 1

Portsmouth 0-1 Rotherham

Richie Towell made his first appearance for Rotherham as a late second half substitute
Darren Potter was booked for the first time this season