With the Squad for the Bulgaria double-header due to be announced in less than a fortnight, Heimir Hallgrimsson and John O’Shea will be looking to pick from an established group of players in both the Premier League and the Championship, as well as many players impressing abroad.
From the Championship to the Segunda División, here are just a few of the players (and manager) that impressed over the weekend.
England – Championship Review
Shane Duffy fared well in a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers. While Norwich started the season off well, they have since fallen off and may struggle to qualify for the playoffs.
The 33-year old may have lost his starting position in the Ireland set-up, although Heimir has explicitly stated that it would be good to bring some experience into the camp, as our oldest defender(s) otherwise would be John Egan (32) and Dara O’Shea (26). It is also worth noting that he typically is Captain of Norwich City – and could be a worthwhile face to have around future camps.
In yet another convincing display for Watford, James Abankwah showed why he is deserving of a callup for an Ireland squad in the near future. His battling display earned the Hornets a well-fought point on the road versus Stoke City.
For Stoke City, Andrew Moran played well, coming off the back of two assists in his last two games for the Potters – and Enda Stevens put in a solid shift to move the Staffordshire side five points past the relegation zone.
Jayson Molumby and Mikey Johnston both featured in a 1-1 draw versus Leeds for West Bromwich Albion, although the latter of the two would earn the bulk of the plaudits, as he was named as MOTM – creating two big chances and making himself a nuisance for defenders. West Brom very much remain in contention for this season’s playoffs, and will look to finish the regular season on a high.
Finn Azaz made his mark for Middlesborough, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 home win versus Derby. His goal on Saturday made him the first player to reach ten goals and assists in the Championship this season – coming off the back of a goal and an assist on Tuesday.
Mark McGuinness played around twenty minutes for Luton Town, having missed last week through illness. Luton did manage to win, although they remain in the relegation zone.
In a 2-1 away victory versus QPR, Tom Cannon came on for the last twenty minutes for his new side, and should have gotten an assist had it not been for some awful finishing by Ben Bereton Diaz.
For Promotion-chasing Sunderland, Alan Browne made his first appearance in several months, playing 75 minutes for the side. Irish-eligible left back Dennis Cirkin came on for the last few minutes as well.
Tyler Goodrham got an assist versus Coventry City, although it ultimately wasn’t enough as the newly promoted side lost 3-2 at home.
FA Cup Wrap-up
Coming on for the bulk of the second half and extra time, Matt Doherty did quite well, with several clearances and tackles, that was until he stepped up to take what would have been the winning penalty for Wolves.
He would ultimately fire wide, and Wolves would go crashing out of the cup. Despite this, the 33 year old has been in a rich vein of form in these last few months.
Robbie Brady rolled back the years with a stunning freekick versus his former club, as Preston North End won 3-0 versus Burnley to advance to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. Will Keane also scored, marking his 4th goal of the season. Both played nearly the full game, with Robbie oming off “injured” in the 71st minute.
In a 2-0 away loss to his former club (Aston Villa), Callum Robinson featured for the first forty-five minutes before being abruptly pulled off at half time. Callum O’Dowda was an unused substitute for the beleaguered Welsh club as they bowed out of the FA Cup.
Scotland (SPFL)
Adam Idah played just shy of seventy minutes for Celtic, although he did not get much (of any) service, and failed to score yet again. However, several days’ rest and a weekend tie versus Hibernian in the Scottish Cup could very well get him back to scoring.
Rocking a new hairdo, Liam Scales played nearly 75 minutes after Austin Trusty went off with a head injury, however he did not have the best of games for the Glasgow-based side.
Owen Oseni, Roland Idowu and Ireland U-21 international Killian Phillips both featured for Celtic’s opponents, St. Mirren. The latter would score St. Mirren’s second goal of the night, an equaliser, although they would go on to lose 5-2 at home.
Ireland U-21 international Sam Curtis got his first assist of the season for St. Johnstone versus Dundee in a 1-1 draw. Sam is spending the rest of the season at the relegation-threatened Scottish club, after being recalled from his loan at Peterborough United earlier this year.
Rest of Europe
Uncapped John Patrick Finn featured in a 3-0 loss to Monaco, playing the full ninety minutes. Bar several missed headers, he put in a decent enough shift, although he mainly played in a more defensive role.
Andrew Omobamidele remains injured for Strasbourg FC, although he hopefully will be back in 3-4 weeks.
Troy Parrott had two gilt-edged opportunities saved for AZ Alkmaar as they lost 3-1 away to Heerenveen FC. However this should not overshadow the fact that he has scored 12 goals in 24 league appearances for the Dutch club.
Elsewhere in the Netherlands, Ireland U-21 international Anselmo García MacNulty scored his first goal of the season in a 4-2 loss to Hercales FC.
Gavin Bazunu did well to keep Standard Liege in the game until they conceded twice in the second half, making a decent save in the first half to deny high-flying Anderlecht.
Honourable Mentions
17 year-old Aaron Ochoa Maloney put in a decent shift for Malaga FC in the 2nd tier of Spain, as they drew with promotion-seekers Almería.
Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros FC came from behind to draw 2-2 at home. After a shaky-enough start to life in Hungary, his side seem to have found some stability.