Irish Player Transfers, Loans and Contracts - June 2018

Transfers

Thursday, 10th May
Following his release from Oldham, Paul Green signed a one year contract with Crewe Alexandra: 🔗

Monday, 21st May
After two seasons at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, winger Jake Mulraney signed for Scottish Premiership side Hearts: 🔗

Tuesday, 22nd May
Derry City winger Ronan Curtis agreed a deal to join Portsmouth: 🔗

Wednesday, 23rd May
Following three years at Aston Villa, defender James Finnerty signed a two year deal with Rochdale AFC: 🔗

Friday, 25th May
Conor Dimaio left Chesterfield to sign for non-league Stockport County: 🔗

Thursday, 30th May
Noel Hunt returned to his native Waterford to sign for Waterford FC as player, and will also act as assistant to manager Alan Reynolds: 🔗

Tuesday, 5th June
After more than 100 appearances for Peterborough United, Chris Forrester signed a three year contract with Aberdeen: 🔗

Free agent David Meyler signed a two year contract with Reading FC: 🔗

Wednesday, 6th June
Daniel Devine signed a two year contract with Dunfermline Athletic: 🔗

Friday, 8th June
Niall Canavan bounced back after a season disrupted by injury to sign for Plymouth Argyle: 🔗

Cork City announced they had resigned Damien Delaney, who will return to his hometown club when his contract with Crystal Palace expires on July 1st: 🔗

Monday, 11th June
After more than 200 appearances for Southend United, former U21 midfielder Michael Timlin signed with League Two side Stevenage FC: 🔗

Tuesday, 12th June
Winger John O’Sullivan signed a one year contract with Blackpool, with the option of a further 12 months: 🔗

Wednesday, 13th June
Greg Cunningham signed for Cardiff City, bringing the number of Irish full backs in the Premier League to five: 🔗

Following his recent international debut, Graham Burke signed for Preston North End: 🔗

Thursday, 14th June
After two years at Aberdeen, Anthony O’Connor signed a three year contract with Bradford City: 🔗

Monday, 18th June
Winger Willo Flood signed a one year contract with Dunfermline Athletic: 🔗

Defender Sean McGinty joined Scottish Championship side Partick Thistle on a two year deal: 🔗

Tuesday, 19th June
Following the end of his contract with Ipswich, midfielder Stephen Gleeson signed a two year deal with Aberdeen: 🔗

Monday, 25th June
Dessie Hutchinson and Noe Baba returned to Ireland to sign for Hutchinson’s home town club, Waterford FC: 🔗

Tuesday, 26th June
23 year old defender Sean Long left Lincoln to sign a two year contract with Cheltenham Town: 🔗

Wednesday, 27th June
Former Ireland international Alan Maybury joined the backroom staff at former club St. Johnstone as youth coach: 🔗

Friday, 29th June
Shay Given joined Frank Lampard’s coaching team at Derby County as goalkeeping coach: 🔗

Loans

Thursday, 21st June
Samir Carruthers joined former manager Karl Robinson at Oxford United on a season long loan: 🔗

Friday, 29th June
Oxford United defender Fiacre Kelleher signed for Macclesfield Town on a season long loan: 🔗

Contracts

Monday, 14th May
Goalkeeper Danny Rogers signed a two year extension to his contract with Aberdeen: 🔗

Friday, 25th May
U18 defender Jack James signed his first professional contract with Luton Town: 🔗

Wednesday, 30th May
Shamir Fenelon signed a new one year deal with Aldershot Town: 🔗

Thursday, 31st May
Alan Sheehan extended his stay with Luton Town with a new two year contract: 🔗

Tuesday, 5th June
Sean Maguire was rewarded for an outstanding first season at Preston North End with a new three year contract: 🔗

Thursday, 14th June
Republic of Ireland teammates Katie McCabe and Louise Quinn both signed new contracts with Arsenal Women’s FC: 🔗

Monday, 25th June
Gillingham’s 2017/18 Player of the Season Mark Byrne signed a new two year deal with Gillingham, keeping him at Priestfield until 2020: 🔗

Friday, 29th June
Former Limerick FC defender Paudie O’Connor signed a two year deal with Leeds: 🔗

Southampton youth team players Aaron O’Driscoll and Jonathan Afolabi signed two and one year contracts, respectively, with the Saints: 🔗

2017/18 Season Appearance Statistics for Irish Players

Irish Abroad players appearance statistics for the 2017/18 season

Wins
Promoted Matt Doherty started the most wins of the season, named in the starting XI 30 times that Wolves would go on to win. Interestingly, new recruit Callum Robinson started the most wins of any striker - 13 wins for the Preston forward.

Draws
Derby defender Richard Keogh started 15 games that ended all square, just behind goalkeeper Jack Bonham whose loan spell at Carlisle featured 17 draws.

Losses
St Johnstone's Joe Shaughnessy started 20 losses across the season, including two losses to FK Trakai of Lithuania.

Starts/Completed Games
Darren Randolph started a remarkable 50 games during 2017-18, only missing three games of Middlesbrough's season, and went on to completed 90 minutes in each one. Of the outfield players, nobody started or completed more games than Anthony O'Connor's games for Aberdeen.

Substitutions/Introductions
No player was substituted more than Millwall's Aiden O'Brien, the striker was removed from the action 19 times in 2017-18. Fellow striker Adam Rooney was introduced from the bench 21 times this season.

Stayed On Bench
Cardiff City's Brian Murphy was left on the bench in more games than any other player, finishing the season as an unused substitute in 47 games. Derby defender Alex Pearce was left on the bench in 35 games - the most of any outfield player

Goals
In what was a poor season for Irish goals, Conor Hourihane, Anthony Stokes and Adam Rooney all managed 11 goals, Sean Maguire scored 10 for Preston, and Eoin Doyle scored 17 on loan at Oldham.

Discipline
Carl McHugh was shown a yellow card in 15 of his 45 starts, four more than compatriot Daniel Devine - the only two players to reach double digit bookings in 2017-18

International Round Up

Monday, 28th May 2018

Friendly

France 2-0 Republic of Ireland

The three players to make their international debut in this game was most debutants in one game since four players (Daryl Horgan, Andy Boyle, John Egan, and Conor Hourihane) made their first senior appearance against Iceland in March 2017

Starting XI
Derrick Williams made his first appearance for Ireland
Kevin Long made his sixth appearance for Ireland
James McClean was booked for the tenth time in his international career in his 59th appearance for Ireland
Callum O'Dowda made his ninth appearance for Ireland, this was his first international appearance since Saturday, 11th November 2017
Alan Browne made his third appearance for Ireland
Shane Long start was his 40th start for Ireland, his first start since Friday, 6th October 2017 and his 80th appearance for Ireland
Jonathan Walters made his 52nd appearance for Ireland, this was the player's  first international appearance since Tuesday, 5th September 2017

Substitutes
Harry Arter's 12th appearance for Ireland as his first appearance since Tuesday, 14th November 2017, and he was booked for the first time at international level since the previous month
David Meyler made his 25th appearance for Ireland
Graham Burke made his first appearance for Ireland - Burke is the first player from the League of Ireland player to make a senior international appearance since Joe Gamble in 2007
Matt Doherty made his second appearance for Ireland
Shaun Williams made his first appearance for Ireland - the first player to make their international debut at 31 since David Forde against Northern Ireland in May 2011

Saturday, 2nd June 2018

Friendly

Republic of Ireland 2-1 United States of America

This was the first game where two players scored their first international goal since Jeff Hendrick and Daryl Murphy scored against Serbia in September 2017
Following the debuts of Darragh Lenihan and Enda Stevens in this game, Martin O'Neill has given debuts to the same amount of players as Steve Staunton did in his reign - 23
This game continued the record of both teams scoring in every fixture between the Republic of Ireland and the USA, neither team has failed to score in all nine games, and the first time the team had come from behind to win under O'Neill - the last time this happened was against Kazakhstan in October 2013

Starting XI
Colin Doyle made his fourth appearance for Ireland
Kevin Long made his seventh appearance for Ireland was also the defender's fifth start at international level
John O'Shea retired after making his 118th appearance for Ireland, this was the defender's first international appearance since Friday, 24 March 2017
Shane Duffy made his 20th appearance for Ireland - all of which have been starts
James McClean made his 60th appearance for Ireland
Declan Rice made his third appearance for Ireland
Callum O'Dowda made his fifth start for Ireland in his tenth appearance at senior international level
Jeff Hendrick made his 39th appearance for Ireland
Seamus Coleman made his 46th appearance for Ireland
Graham Burke scored his first international goal in his first start for Ireland - the first League of Ireland player to score at international level since Ray Treacy in 1978

Substitutes
Darragh Lenihan and Enda Stevens came off the bench to make their first appearances for Ireland
Harry Arter made his 13th appearance for Ireland
Alan Judge scored his first goal for Ireland in his fourth international appearance
Daryl Horgan made his fourth appearance for Ireland