Dundalk today today agreed the transfer of Ireland U21 international Daniel Kearns to English Championship club Peterborough United, subject to final details being completed in the coming days.
Belfast born Kearns, who was set for his 50th appearance for the club on Tuesday night, is expected to travel to England on Monday for a medical, with a deal set to go through once that and the other relevant paperwork is completed.
Championship outfit Peterborough have held a long-term interest in Kearns and they have now firmed up their interest with a six-figure offer for the exciting attacking midfielder.
Posh boss Darren Ferguson is a big fan of the former West Ham youngster and has won the race for the 19-year-old's services, despite strong interest from Celtic and a number of other clubs.
Skysports are reporting that Championship side Peterborough United have tabled a bid for Dundalk star Daniel Kearns.
The Belfast born Ireland U21 international has been earning rave reviews for the Airtricity Premier League outfit and a number of clubs have been keeping tabs on his progress
Championship outfit Peterborough have held a long-term interest in Kearns and they have now firmed up their interest with a six-figure offer for the exciting attacking midfielder.
Posh boss Darren Ferguson is a big fan of the former West Ham youngster and is hoping to win the race for the 19-year-old's services.
However, Peterborough could face competition for Kearns with Scottish giants Celtic showing an interest in the skilful attacker after he impressed against Neil Lennon's side in the Dublin Super Cup last month.
Dundalk are thought to be considering Peterborough's offer with Kearns out of contract at the end of the Airtricity season in two months.
Ireland U21 manager Noel King has confirmed his Ireland Under 21 squad for the friendly international with Austria in the Showgrounds, Sligo on Tuesday the 9th August. Leeds United full back Aiden White is a new addition to the squad, while goalkeeper Aaron McCarey links up at this level for the first time, following his performances at the UEFA Under 19 Finals in Romania last week.
The Austria friendly is a warm up for the upcoming 2013 UEFA European U21 Championship qualifiers against Hungary (home) and Turkey (away) on 1 and 6 September.
Also included in the squad is Derry born Everton central defender Shane Duffy who is tipped to go out on loan from the Toffees before the start of the season to gain valuable game time in the Championship.
Belfast born Dundalk midfielder Daniel Kearns is also included in the sixteen man squad after an eye-catching performance against Celtic in the Dublin Super Cup at the Aviva Stadium last Sunday. Dundalk manager Ian Foster was full of praise for the 19 year old former West Ham trainee after the Aviva Stadium performance:
"He was the best League of Ireland player against Celtic by a million miles, for me. It was a strange decision at the weekend to take him off after 74 minutes when, like I say, I thought he was the best player on the pitch in League of Ireland colours. But that game will have done him the world of good and it will have done his confidence the world of good.”
Kearns has been linked with a number of clubs in the UK in recent months, and just nearly a year after signing on at Oriel Park, the young winger could be about to make an exit, with his contract set to expire at the end of the current season. “We’re not going to stand in anybody’s way,” Foster said when asked if he felt the Belfast boy’s performance against Celtic had perhaps sealed a move back across the water. “If offers do come in for Daniel now, which wouldn’t surprise me, we’ll listen to them and we’ll do what’s best for Dundalk Football Club and for Daniel Kearns’ career. I’ve said this umpteen times to Daniel, that we’ll look after him, I wouldn’t be surprised if during the week one or two enquiries do come in.”
Ireland U21 squad
Goalkeepers
Aaron McCarey Wolverhampton Wnds
Ian McLoughlin MK Dons
Defenders
Niall Canavan Scunthorpe United
Mark Connolly Bolton Wanderers
Shane Duffy Everton
Gavin Gunning Scunthorpe United
Robert Kiernan Wigan Athletic
Enda Stevens Shamrock Rovers
Aiden White Leeds United
Midfielders
Adam Barton Preston North End
Conor Clifford Chelsea
Daniel Kearns Dundalk
Richie Towell Glasgow Celtic
Jeff Hendrick Derby County FC
Forwards
Aaron Doran Inverness Caledonian T
Joe Mason Cardiff City
Sean Scannell Crystal Palace
Robert Brady Manchester United FC (On-loan to Hull City FC)
Blackpool scouts will be in Dundalk this evening to watch Ireland u21 international Daniel Kearns in the Airtricity Premier Division clash between Dundalk & Galway United.
Belfast born Kearns has emerged as a Seasiders target and are considering making a bid for the 19-year-old winger who has caught the eye of Ian Holloway after a string of quality performances for Dundalk.
Kearns is a former West Ham trainee, who spent three years at the London club before being released last May.
He was at the centre of the unsuccessful IFA attempt to block Irish players born in the North from representing Ireland on the international stage. Welcoming the ruling last July, FAI Chief Executive John Delaney said;
“Today’s landmark decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirms the FIFA and FAI position on player eligibility. The ruling upholds the right of individual choice on this matter for players born north of the border. I would like to thank the many people from all parts of the island who were strongly supportive during this process, and in particular, recognise the determination of Daniel Kearns and his family to uphold his right as an Irish citizen to play for his country.”
The IFA have lost their case with the Court Of Arbitration For Sport in which they were trying to prevent Irish players born in the North Of Ireland from representing Giovanni Trapattoni’s Ireland at international level. Despite FIFA making a number of rulings in favour of players like Derry’s Darron Gibson and Antrim’s Marc Wilson, the IFA took their case to CAS in a last ditch attempt to block Irish citizens from representing their country.
The Football Association of Ireland today (July 30) confirmed that it has won the case taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) by the IFA in relation to Daniel Kearns.
The landmark ruling vindicates the FAI and FIFA position that players born within the island of Ireland are eligible to play for FAI international teams and provides complete and final clarity on the matter.
The Football Association of Ireland delegation which attended the hearing on July 19 in Switzerland was composed of John Delaney, CEO, Michael Cody, Honorary Secretary and Sarah O’Shea, Legal Director. The FAI was represented by Paul Gardiner SC and David Casserly BL. Daniel Kearns was represented by Gary Rice of Beauchamps.
The FAI thanks the many bodies which assisted it in this case including the Irish Government, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport, the Olympic Council of Ireland, the Irish Sports Council, FIFA, UEFA, numerous elected representatives throughout the island of Ireland and many others.
The ruling comes into force with immediate effect and under the terms of the ruling, the IFA will pay all related costs. The FAI would like to take the opportunity to highlight that it has in recent years had good relations with the IFA. Those were maintained throughout this case and will continue into the future.
Welcoming the ruling, FAI Chief Executive John Delaney said;
“Today’s landmark decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirms the FIFA and FAI position on player eligibility. The ruling upholds the right of individual choice on this matter for players born north of the border. I would like to thank the many people from all parts of the island who were strongly supportive during this process, and in particular, recognise the determination of Daniel Kearns and his family to uphold his right as an Irish citizen to play for his country.”
Sean McCaffrey's Irish U19 team defeated Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-0 in their final European Championship qualifier courtesy of a Conor Clifford penalty in Kiev on Monday.
However that victory was not enough to secure qualification to this summer's finals in France as England sealed their place in the eight team finals with a 1-1 draw with Ukraine at the Borodinka venue in Kiev. Chelsea midfielder, Conor Clifford scored the only goal from the spot after 68 minutes- his second in as many matches as Ireland claimed second spot in group 3 ahead of European champions, Ukraine.
In a one-sided encounter, it was Ireland who created most of the scoring opportunities throughout the game as they looked to build on their goal difference which they hoped would help their qualification hopes had Ukraine defeated England 1-0.
Daniel Kearns had the games first real opportunity after 11 minutes when he skipped away from his marker on the right wing and his shot from the outside of his right-foot flashed agonisingly across the face of goal. Three minutes later, Conor Henderson tested their opponents keeper, Tino Divkovic with a stunning free-kick from 25 yards which the keeper tipped wide for a corner.
Mervue United keeper, Ger Hanley was called into action in the 15th minute when midfielder, Zlomislić powered a free-kick towards goal but the Galway man was on-hand to avert the danger. Galway United striker, Karl Sheppard had a glorious opportunity to open the scoring in the 24th minute when Conor Henderson cleverly chipped the ball over the defence which allowed Sheppard through one-on-one with Divkovic who raced off his line and blocked the powerful shot from point-blank range.
A minute later, Bosnia & Herzegovina striker, Pandza found himself in space inside the Irish box and with the goal at his mercy, he scuffed his shot and the ball dribbled wide of Hanley's post.
Arsenal's Conor Henderson had another opportunity to break the deadlock just before the break when his 25 yard shot was just off-target as Divkovic scrambled to cover his angles. Bosnia & Herzegovina defender, Alić was dismissed by the referee in the 44th minute when he performed a two-footed lunge on Irish midfielder, Daniel Kearns. The referee made no hesitation and gave the defender a straight red for dangerous play.
Ireland started the second half with the same vigor that they finished the first period. Chelsea's Conor Clifford had two remarkable long-range efforts within minutes of eachother as he struck the crossbar after 56 minutes from over 20 yards and two minutes later he had a similar effort which went just to the left and wide.
As Ireland pushed forward in numbers, it gave Bosnia & Herzegovina a number of opportunities to attack on the break and amazingly, striker, Pandza was guilty of missing another glorious chance as he fluffed his lines in front of Ireland's goal with just Ger Hanley to beat.
Bosnia & Herzegovina keeper, Divkovic was being kept busy by the attacking Irish and he pulled-off two remarkable saves, first from substitute Harry Crawford and then from Karl Sheppard who found space inside the box but the keeper was on-hand to scramble the ball clear and keep the game scoreless.
Ireland made the breakthrough in the 67th minute when Sunderland's Conor Hourihane won his side a penalty when he made a darting run into the opponents box and he was cynically hauled down by defender, Hadžić. Conor Clifford scored his second penalty in as many matches as he calmly put the ball to the keepers left to give Ireland the lead.
Ireland were unable to build on their lead in the final quarter of the game due to the stubbornness of the Bosnia & Herzegovina defence. Substitute, Ronan Murray looked very lively after his introduction after 69 minutes and he had an opportunity to score with ten minutes remaining but his shot was blocked by an on-rushing defender. From the resulting corner, Irish defender, John Dunleavy came agonisingly close when he headed over from three yards as he out-stretched his marker to get his head to the ball.
Republic of Ireland: Ger Hanley, Richard Towell, John Dunleavy, Sean McGinty, Shane McEleney, Conor Hourihane, Conor Clifford, Conor Henderson, Daniel Kearns, Shaun Timmins, Karl Sheppard.
Substitutes: Ian McLoughlin, Ronan Murray (on for Karl Sheppard,69 mins) , Stephen McDonnell, Andrew Boyle, Harrison Crawford (on for Daniel Kearns, 46 mins), James Keohane (on for Shaun Timmins, 33mins).
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)
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.
