Ireland U19 squad named for Euro qualifiers

Ireland under-19 manager Paul Doolin today announced his squad for the upcoming UEFA U19 Championships qualifying tournament.

Ireland will travel to Luxembourg next month where they will meet the hosts, FYR Macedonia and Germany in Group Five.

 

Thursday October 11
Ireland v Luxembourg


Saturday October 13
FYR Macedonia v Ireland

Tuesday October 16
Ireland v Germany


The top two nations qualify for the Elite Qualifying Round with the finals tournament in Lithuania next summer.

Name	Club
1. Ian Lawlor	Manchester City FC
2. Danny Rogers	Aberdeen FC
3. Brian Lenihan	Cork City FC
4. Thomas Hoban	Watford FC
5. Pierce Sweeney	Reading FC
6. Ryan O'Reilly	Stoke City FC
7. Shane Griffin	Reading FC
8. Bradley Garmston	West Bromwich Albion FC
9. Ryan Coombes	St. Patrick's Athletic FC
10. Luke Gallagher	Burnley FC
11. Kenneth McEvoy	Tottenham Hotspur FC
12. Kieran Sadlier	West Ham Utd FC
13. Michael Drennan	Aston Villa FC
14. Conor Wilkinson	Millwall FC
15. Jack Grealish	Aston Villa FC
16. Noe Baba	Castlebar Celtic FC
17. Conor Pepper	Inverness CT FC
18. Sam Byrne	Manchester Utd FC

Ireland start U19 Euro finals with impressive win against Greece

Ireland got their U19 UEFA Championship finals off to a great start this evening with a 2-1 win over Greece in Buftea,Romania.

Paul Doolin's 'Boys In Green' took an early lead when Sean Murray's corner was headed home by Anthony O’Connor on four minutes. The early lead lasted all of two minutes when Katidis equalised with a volley from just inside the penalty area.

Ireland sealed the victory on 51 minutes in similar style to the first goal. A short Murray corner this time launched in for O’Connor who headed home for a very impressive win for Paul Doolin’s men.

In the other group game hosts Romania were beaten 3-1 by the Czech Republic.

Ireland: McCarey, Doherty, Williams (Shaughnessy 82), Egan, O’Connor, Murray, Hendrick, Carruthers, Forde, O’Sullivan (McGovern 85), Murphy

Greece: Stefanos Kapino, Kostas Stafylidis, Tasos Lagos, Giannis Potouridis, Charis Mavrias, Kostas Fortounis, Nikos Karelis, Nikos Marinakis, Kostas Rougalas, Dimitris Diamantakos, Giorgos Katidis.

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Liam Irwin looking to follow in father's Ireland footsteps

A quick glance of Liam Irwin controlling a football confirms that the Ireland U-19 international is a chip off the old block.

So calm and composed in possession, the Bolton Wanderers midfielder has all the hallmarks you would expect from the son of former Manchester United and Ireland star Denis Irwin.

Denis' career started slowly -- he was released by Leeds United as a teenager -- but the Corkman went on to become one of the most decorated players in the English game.

Should Liam's dad ever be challenged to 'show us your medals', the chances are he would impress whoever is asking. His haul includes seven Premier League successes, a Champions League win, a Cup Winners Cup victory, three FA Cup triumphs, one League Cup, one Inter-continental Cup and one UEFA Super Cup.

Sean McCaffrey handed Irwin Jnr his Irish U-19 debut against the Ukraine last week.

"Dad gives me advice all the time and he just wants me to do well," said Liam.

"He has a go at me when I've not done well and I do try to listen to him. Obviously, I have to consider how much he did as a player himself.

"I've not got many memories of him playing for Ireland, but I remember some of the friendly games in Dublin.

"I was at the 1994 World Cup, but I really don't remember it because I was so young."

The 18-year-old, who is a central midfielder rather than a full-back, like his father, was delighted to finally make his debut for Ireland.

"Anybody would want to play on the international stage, but I never really thought about it until this season," he said.

"It felt different to an English club game. I had more time on the ball and I thought it went well."

After an unsuccessful trial at Manchester United, Liam ended up signing for Bolton and has progressed into the reserves.

The youngster's target this season is to do well enough to secure a professional contract at the end of the campaign.

"Owen Coyle hasn't spoken to me directly, but I got feedback that he was happy for me and said I deserved it.

"He saw me in the Youth Cup last season and apparently he's happy with how I'm doing," said Liam.

Ireland U-19 manager McCaffrey was impressed with Irwin Jnr's display against the Ukrainians.

"Liam was so neat and tidy with the ball. He has a great touch, great awareness and a great range of passing," said McCaffrey.

"He's a light wee cub, but I'm sure he will get stronger."

Ireland u19 squad named for friendly double header

Sean McCaffrey has unveiled his Under-19 squad for the double-header friendly against Ukraine in Dublin on Monday, August 9 and Wednesday, August 11.

Manchester United winger Robbie Brady, part of last season's Under-19 squad which brought their qualification bid to the final game of elite stage, is chosen along with his Old Trafford clubmate Sean McGinty, who captained the Irish Under-17s last term.

Republic of Ireland Under-19 Squad


Sean McDermott - Arsenal
Aaron McCarey - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Declan Walker - Wrexham
John Egan - Sunderland
Joe Shaughnessy - Aberdeen
Anthony O'Connor - Blackburn Rovers
Sean McGinty - Manchester United
Derrick Williams - Aston Villa
Carl McHugh - Reading
Daryl Horgan - Salthill Devon
Shane Byrne - Leicester City
Stephen McDonnell - Dundalk
Jeff Hendrick - Derby County
Liam Irwin - Bolton Wanderers
Craig Walsh - Shamrock Rovers
Stephen Folan - Newcastle United
Patrick McEleney - Derry City
Robbie Brady - Manchester United
Michael Rafter - Colchester United
Ryan Connolly - Derby County

Second victory not good enough for Ireland u19's

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).

Conor Clifford still hopefull of making UEFA u19 finals

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

Daniel Kearns strike seals second victory for Ireland

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)