Ireland U19 captain, Conor Clifford has backed his team to defy all of the odds and reach this summer's UEFA Championship finals in France as they complete their UEFA Championship, elite qualifying phase with a game against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday in Kiev. Ireland must defeat Bosnia & Herzegovina by four goals or more and hope that reigning European Champions, Ukraine defeat England 1-0 in the other game in group 3 to ensure qualification for the ‘Boys in Green.'
Sean McCaffrey's side were defeated 1-0 by England in the group's opening game while they bounced back to stun reigning European Champions, Ukraine with a 1-0 victory in Kiev last Friday. Bosnia & Herzegovina have struggled in group 3 to date with a 4-1 defeat to Ukraine which was followed up with a 4-0 defeat to England.
Chelsea star, Clifford said, "Qualification to this summer's finals is very much alive. Obviously we are relying on Ukraine doing us a favour in the final game but none of us are thinking about that - we are just concentrating on getting the result we need against Bosnia & Herzegovina. I think that getting an early goal will be vital in settling the team into the game. That would put the opposition under pressure and hopefully force a few errors. The Bosnian team haven't had the easiest time of it over here, they haven't come here to make up the numbers, they will be playing for pride and will want to go back home with points on the board," he said.
Clifford added, "In my opinion, Ukraine have an excellent chance in their game against England. Let's not forget that they are the current champions and they will be hoping to advance to the finals in front of their own supporters. They are a strong, physical side and they are very capable of taking the ball down and playing it around on the ground. There are a lot of twists and turns left in this group yet, be sure of that. Our result against England was a major set-back for all of the players and the staff in the team. We firmly believed that we should have least got a positive result in that game but that disappointment really spurred us on for the second game against Ukraine. The lads were fantastic, we all worked for each other on the field and to get a win against all the odds, especially with ten men was indescribable."
Chelsea's Youth captain, Clifford has been in instrumental form for club and country this season which he capped with the winning goal for Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup final against Aston Villa, "At the beginning of the season, I wrote down all of my goals that I wanted to achieve at Chelsea this year and thankfully they were all achieved. I started every game for the reserve team and to finish the season lifting the FA Youth Cup in front of all my family and friends at Stamford Bridge was an unbelievable achievement. That being said, that feat might be overshadowed if we were to qualify for this summer's UEFA Championship. A couple of the players here have already experienced the UEFA Championship finals at U17 level and it is something we want to repeat. Every player wants to experience the high intensity and the huge crowds associated with the finals and we will ensure that we are in a position to rely on Ukraine's result against England in the final game, which will hopefully see us through to the finals.
Clifford added, "Most of the players in this squad have been playing together for a number of years at international level with some notable success, especially at U17 level. Unfortunately, we have had to deal with a large number or withdrawals due to injury and players with other commitments. I believe that if we had a full squad we would have qualified but we can still do it. This is a great group of players who have been together for a number of seasons under Sean McCaffrey and his staff which has been very enjoyable. It would be a fitting tribute for everybody involved to finish the season with an unprecedented place at this European finals," he said.
Republic of Ireland Under-19 Squad:
Ger Hanley - Mervue United
Ian McLoughlin - Ipswich Town
Richie Towell - Celtic
Johnny Dunleavy - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Andy Boyle - UCD
Sean McGinty - Manchester United
Shaun Timmins - Birmingham City
Shane McEleney - Derry City
Conor Clifford - Chelsea
Conor Henderson - Arsenal
Conor Hourihane - Sunderland
Daniel Kearns - West Ham United
Jimmy Keohane - Wexford Youths
Robbie Brady - Manchester United *
Ronan Murray - Ipswich Town
Harry Crawford - Southend United.
Stephen McDonnell - Dundalk
Karl Sheppard - Galway United
*Suspended
A second half goal by Ireland striker Daniel Kearns at Tolka Park on Thursday night made it two wins from this week's double-header friendly against Poland.
Belfast born Kearns marked his first start for Ireland with a goal which gave his side a 1-0 victory in the U-19 international.
The pair of victories in their final warm-up games will give the Irish a boost ahead of the UEFA Elite qualifiers which takes place in Ukraine from May 26-31 against England, Bosnia-Herzegovina and mini-group hosts.
It took an Irish attack of sublime quality in the 58th minute to break the deadlock. Substitute Conor Henderson split the vistors' defence with a threaded pass to Doran on the left, who in turn found Kearns in the box with his back to goal. The West Ham United forward turned his marker brilliantly and fired a low shot past Socha in the Poland goal.
Daniel Kearns was delighted to score the winner on the night in only his second game under Sean McCaffrey.
He admitted: "Obviously it was brilliant for me to score on my first start." However, he was even happier with the team's performance over the two games "These games have been great preparation for the elite qualifying stage. We have a very tough group so it will be good to go into the qualifiers on the back of two good performances."
Ireland: Ger Hanley (Mervue United); Padraic Ormsby (Shamrock Rovers), Gavin Gunning (Rotherham United), Rob Kiernan (Kilmarnock), Shaun Timmins (Birmingham City); Aaron Doran (Blackburn Rovers), Jimmy Keohane (Wexford Youths), Conor Hourihane (Sunderland), Daniel Kearns (West Ham United); Jamil Adam (Barnsley), Charlie Collins (MK Dons)
Substitutions: Ronan Murray (Ipswich Town) for Collins, Conor Henderson (Arsenal) for Keohane (both h/t), Thomas McBride (Derry City) for Hourihane, Gary Burke (Bohemians) for Kearns (both 65 mins), Cian Bolger (Leicester City) for Kiernan, Ryan Brennan (Drogheda United) for Adam (both 76 mins), Shane McEleney (Derry City) for Timmons (84 mins)
Sean McCaffrey yesterday named a 19 man squad to face Poland in a double header friendly on Tuesday April 6 and Thursday April 8. The fixtures will take place in Tolka Park with both matches kicking off at 7.30pm.
The 19 players were chosen from a pool of 30 players who attended a training camp at Bisham Abbey in England in February this year. The group spent five days at the purpose-built training facility to work on tactics and formations and these friendlies will focus the minds of the players before heading off to the Ukraine.
The squad includes players that have risen through the international ranks from Under 17's such as Ger Hanley, Johnny Dunleavy, Richie Towell, Gavin Gunning, Aaron Doran and Conor Hourihane while some will be making their international debuts: Ian McLoughlin, Cian Bolger, Thomas McBride, Sean Kinsella and Charlie Collins.
Manager Sean McCaffrey said, "We will be using these friendlies to bed down how we are going to play in the elites. Poland are a good side, they are also competing in the elite phase of the European championships so they will be looking for a competitive double header. We were able to get a lot of preparation work done in the training camp in Bisham Abbey so hopefully the players will use what they learnt against what will be tough opposition."
He added, "It is unfortunate that a number of players are not available for these games. Greg Cunningham and Andy Boyle are out due to club commitments while Robbie Brady has been ruled out with a thigh strain, Callum O'Connor is recovering from a collar bone injury and Gearoid Morrisey is also out due to injury."
Ireland Under 19 squad v Poland:
Ian McLoughlin - Ipswich Town
Ger Hanley - Mervue United
Johnny Dunleavy - Wolves
Richie Towell - Celtic
Shane McEleney - Derry City
Cian Bolger - Leicester City
Rob Kiernan - Kilmarnock
Gavin Gunning - Rotherham United
Shaun Timmins - Birmingham City
Aaron Doran - Blackburn Rovers
Jimmy Keohane - Wexford Youths
Thomas McBride - Derry City
Sean Kinsella - Plymouth Argyle
Conor Hourihane - Sunderland
Conor Henderson - Arsenal
Jamil Adam - Barnsley
Ronan Murray - Ipswich Town
Charlie Collins - MK Dons
Paddy McEleney - Derry City
Ireland Under-19 manager Sean McCaffrey has announced a squad of 30 players for a training camp to be held at Bisham Abbey in England from February 28-March 4 as part of their preparations for the UEFA U-19 elite stage qualifiers in Ukraine.
The group will spend five days at the purpose-built training facility to begin working towards the qualifiers which take place from May 26-31. Ireland's route to the finals in France this July is a daunting one as they face both of last season's finalists in their group.
Receiving their first Under-19 call-ups of the season are Aaron McCarey (Wolves), Shaun Timmons (Birmingham City), David Cawley (Ipswich Town), Sean Kinsella (Plymouth Argyle), Nathan Rooney (Wolves), Ryan Connor (Stoke City), Gavan Holohan (Hull City).
Also receiving their first international call up's are Belfast players Daniel Kearns (West Ham United) and Daniel Devine (Preston North End).
League of Ireland clubs are well represented with Mervue United's recently-signed goalkeeper Ger Hanley joined in the panel by fellow netminder Ciaran Gallagher of Finn Harps, UCD defender Andy Boyle, Jimmy Keohane of Wexford Youths and Derry City brothers Shane and Paddy McEleney.
Ger Hanley - Mervue United
Ciaran Gallagher - Finn Harps
Aaron McCarey - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Johnny Dunleavy - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Richie Towell - Celtic
Callum O'Connor - Blackburn Rovers
Rob Kiernan - Watford (on loan to Kilmarnock)
Gavin Gunning - Blackburn Rovers (on loan to Rotterham United)
Andy Boyle - UCD
Daniel Devine - Preston North End
Shane McEleney - Derry City
Shaun Timmins - Birmingham City
Aaron Doran - Blackburn Rovers
Jimmy Keohane - Wexford Youths
Gearoid Morrissey - Blackburn Rovers
Conor Hourihane - Sunderland
Conor Henderson - Arsenal
David Cawley - Ipswich Town
Sean Kinsella - Plymouth Argyle
Nathan Rooney - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Ryan Connor - Stoke City
Stephen McDonnell - Unattached
Darren McCauley - Celtic
Gavan Holohan - Hull City
Robbie Brady - Manchester United
Daniel Kearns - West Ham United
Ronan Murray - Ipswich Town
Joe Mason - Plymouth Argyle
Jamil Adam - Barnsley
Paddy McEleney - Derry City.
Ireland Under-19 manager Sean McCaffrey has announced his squad for the upcoming Four Nations tournament, which will be held in Dublin and Bray on September 5th, 6th and 8th.
Ireland will compete against Turkey, Holland and Portugal in the Four Nations Tournament.
Ireland Under-19 squad
Ger Hanley Galway United
Ciaran Gallagher Finn Harps
Richie Towell Celtic
Rob Kiernan Watford
Gavin Gunning Tranmere Rovers (on loan from Blackburn Rovers)
Mark O’Brien Derby County
Greg Cunningham Manchester City
Shane McEleney Derry City
Stephen McDonnell Celtic
Conor Henderson Arsenal
Conor Clifford Chelsea
Conor Hourihane Sunderland
Gearoid Morrissey Blackburn Rovers
Aaron Doran Blackburn Rovers
Robbie Brady Manchester United
Patrick McEleney Sunderland
Ronan Murray Ipswich Town
Joe Mason Plymouth Argyle
Jamil Adam Barnsley
