PRESTON NORTH END boss Alex Neil singled out “excellent” Irish international Alan Browne after their 3-0 away win over struggling Barnsley in the Championship tonight.
Englishman Tom Barkhuizen was on the double and Jamaican midfielder Daniel Johnson was also on target as the Lilywhites fired home three first-half goals, but it was Cork native Browne who earned individual praise from his manager in the post-match press conference.
The 24-year-old wore the captain’s armband and starred around the middle, as Preston climbed into the Championship play-off places.
“If I had to single one player out tonight it would be Alan Browne, he was excellent,” Neil said, “but it would be difficult to pick anybody out who didn’t play well tonight, they were great.
“It was a good positive performance to score three goals and get a clean sheet so it’s really pleasing.”
Former Ireland youth international Joe Rafferty also started for Preston at Oakwell, while Boys In Green striker Sean Maguire was sprung from the bench in the 67th minute.
In tonight’s other Championship fixture, Middlesborough struck late to rescue a 1-1 draw against Birmingham. Dan Crowley — who has also represented Ireland at underage level — came on for the Blues in the 61st minute.
Ashley Fletcher’s 81st-minute goal ensured Middlesborough extended their unbeaten league run to eight games, and cancelled out Lukas Jutkiewicz’s first-half header.
There was late controversy after the Birmingham goalscorer struck again at the death, but it was ruled out by referee Andy Woolmer.
Championship results
- Barnsley 0-3 Preston
- Middlesborough 1-1 Birmingham
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FLEETWOOD TOWN HAVE announced the signing of Republic of Ireland midfielder Glenn Whelan on a short-term deal.
The 36-year-old, who had been a free agent since his departure from Hearts earlier this month, has committed to Fleetwood until the end of the season.
Whelan will wear the number 12 shirt during his time at Highbury.
The move will provide Whelan with the opportunity to get the game-time he’ll need to stay in contention for Ireland’s Euro 2020 play-off away to Slovakia on 26 March.
He will also look to boost his new club’s bid for promotion from League One. Fleetwood currently sit in 11th place, four points adrift of a play-off spot.
The Lancashire outfit are managed by Joey Barton, with whom Whelan was on the books at Manchester City during the early stages of his professional career.
“When the opportunity arose to bring someone of Glenn’s experience in to our squad, we moved quickly to get the deal done,” said Barton following the announcement.
“We lost some experience in this window with Peter Clarke leaving to join Tranmere, so to bring someone in like Glenn who has been the captain of his country, is really important for our squad.
“This is an exciting signing for the club, and we look forward to seeing him in action.”
Having been released by Aston Villa following their promotion to the Premier League last season, Whelan moved to Scotland to join Hearts in August.
He made 17 appearances for the Edinburgh club before a somewhat acrimonious departure. New manager Daniel Stendel has overseen a clear-out of players from Tynecastle, with Hearts languishing at the foot of the Scottish Premiership.
Whelan has featured prominently during Mick McCarthy’s second tenure as Ireland manager, the Dubliner taking his tally of senior caps to 91 by playing in six of the Boys in Green’s eight Group D games in Euro 2020 qualifying.
Fleetwood, whose leading goalscorer is Irish striker Paddy Madden, resume their League One campaign away to Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
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SPORTING CP head coach Silas could not confirm if Manchester United target Bruno Fernandes played his last match for the Portuguese club on Monday.
Linked to United this month and during the previous transfer window, Fernandes remains in Lisbon despite the ongoing speculation and captained Sporting in their 1-0 win over Maritimo.
The midfielder has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for several months with talks heating up regarding a January move.
With United and Sporting still reportedly trying to negotiate a deal before the window shuts, Silas was once again asked about the future of star skipper Fernandes.
The manager, though, was unable to give a definitive answer as the saga looks set to continue on through the final days of the January transfer window.
“I can’t confirm it [if Fernandes made his last appearance against Maritimo], I would like him to stay,” Silas told reporters post-match.
“Right now I don’t know if he will stay or not, but I would like to count on him at least until the end of the season.
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“Bruno Fernandes is a different player, he sees things that no one sees. Being further back and seeing these movements, the defence begins to decline.
Fernandes, linked to Tottenham and Real Madrid previously, has scored 15 goals in all competitions for Sporting this season.
The 25-year-old midfielder netted 31 goals last term, including 20 in Primeira Liga.
Prior to his breakthrough with Sporting CP, the Portuguese star featured in Serie A for the likes of Udinese and Sampdoria, spending three seasons with the former.
He scored 11 goals in 95 total appearances for Udinese while adding five goals during his loan season with Sampdoria.
Man United currently sit fifth in the Premier League with their next Premier League match coming on Saturday.
Prior to that, the Red Devils, who are fresh off a 6-0 FA Cup demolition of Tranmere Rovers, will face rivals Manchester City on Wednesday in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
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WOLVES HAVE ANNOUNCED the signing of teenage full-back Luke Matheson from Rochdale.
The 17-year-old completed a medical with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side on Friday and has returned to the League One club on loan for the remainder of the season.
Wolves have reportedly paid £1 million to sign the Rochdale academy product.
Matheson made the headlines when he scored at Old Trafford in September as Rochdale held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw in the EFL Cup third round before losing on penalties.
He also impressed in the FA Cup third round this month, setting up Aaron Wilbraham to secure a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United at home, with the Magpies winning the replay 4-1.
Wolves sporting director Kevin Thelwell told the club’s website: “Our recruitment team have watched Luke since he made his debut at 15.
“The system we play, it’s set up for him. He plays at right-back for Rochdale at the moment, but he’s a right-wing-back in our eyes because of his energy and ability to continually sprint and recover.
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“It’s great for all of us to get him in the building, we’re really excited and we think he’s going to be a top talent.”
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Cork City 0
Shelbourne 1
Denis Hurley reports from Turner’s Cross
A LATE GOAL from Ciarán Kilduff was the winner as promoted Shelbourne marked their return to the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division with victory at Turner’s Cross on Friday night.
An even game was heading for a scoreless draw when Shels won a corner in the 86th minute and Karl Sheppard’s delivery resulted in a scramble, with Seán Quinn going close before Kilduff bundled the ball over the line from a yard.
Shelbourne fans celebrate.
Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO
Overall, opportunities were at a premium, with Shels edging the first half, their best chance coming in the 44th minute when Ryan Brennan headed against the post from Dayle Rooney’s delivery.
City fielded eight debutants, with only captain Gearóid Morrissey, Ronan Hurley and Dáire O’Connor remaining from last year. They showed flashes of creativity, albeit without testing Jack Brady.
On the resumption, Rooney went close from a free-kick and Kilduff might have put Shels ahead but Liam Bossin was quick off his line to save with his legs.
With 12 minutes left, City might have gone ahead as O’Connor’s cross from the right was met by defender Joseph Olowu but he was unable to keep his effort on target.
There was still time for a decisive intervention though and Kilduff provided it.
Gary Deegan celebrates at the final whistle.
Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO
CORK CITY: Liam Bossin; Kyron Stabana, Joseph Olowu, Joe Redmond, Ronan Hurley; Morrissey, Ochieng (Alec Byrne 87), Cian Coleman; Dáire O’Connor, Reyon Dillon (Beineón O’Brien-Whitmarsh 70), Dylan McGlade (Deshane Dalling 87).
SHELBOURNE: Jack Brady; Aidan Friel, Daniel O’Reilly, Luke Byrne, Alex O’Hanlon; Karl Sheppard, Gary Deegan, Seán Quinn, Dayle Rooney (Jaze Kabia 80); Ryan Brennan (Shane Farrell 56); Ciarán Kilduff.
Referee: Adriano Reale (Kildare).
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EVEN CLOSING IN on twenty years later, it remains a most jarring scene.
On one side, Eamon Dunphy – that self-appointed myth-dispeller of various cods, spoofers and stage-door Johnnies. On the other, John Giles – virtuous doyen of straight-laced, no-nonsense analysis. Sitting cosily in between, Bertie Ahern – leader of the country.
Showbiz, baby.
As Celtic Tiger pop culture low-points go, it was right up there with GAA drama On Home Ground. And just like Kildoran GAA’s resident bad boy, Brendan Ruane, Ahern simply didn’t give a damn.
He wasn’t the only one occupying an unusual role and in the absence of Bill O’Herlihy, somebody felt it was a good idea to allow Dunphy anchor proceedings, almost certainly giving him the ill-fated confidence to try his hand at hosting his own chat show two years later. He introduced the special guest as ‘perhaps the most-renowned Manchester United supporter in the country’ and everything rapidly went downhill from there.
Teed up perfectly, Ahern failed the audition. After highlights of his beloved team’s hammering of Everton at Old Trafford, Dunphy quizzed him on Alex Ferguson’s squad rotation for the upcoming midweek Champions League game against Olympiakos, which had meant substitute roles for Ruud van Nistelrooy, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs.
“He played Chapman,” Bertie said, meaning Luke Chadwick.
As some viewers pondered whether Fergie had pulled off a last-minute transfer coup or promoted some kid to the first-team for his debut, others – more than likely the show’s editorial team – were left to curse the entire pantomime.
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There were layers, if you looked deep enough. Along with the Stadium Ireland plan – better known by its ‘Bertie Bowl’ nickname – there had also been discussions about a joint-bid, with Scotland, to host the European Championship in 2008 and a confirmed proposal would arrive early in 2002. Most importantly, a general election was on its way and under Ahern, sport was a central aspect of his political profile.
When Dunphy asked him his thoughts on Jaap Stam’s hasty sale to Lazio and the arrival of veteran Laurent Blanc as his replacement, it was difficult to determine whether Ahern was talking about Manchester United or his own cabinet members.
“If United really have the dream and want to win the championship (the Champions League) next year in Scotland, then you have to beat the Juventus, the Lazios, the Real Madrids. You’re up against really tough teams. That’s where you worry about a defence like that.”
As it turned out, Michael Noonan was more Bayer Leverkusen and an election dogfight never really materialised.
RTE were lashed for their part in the weirdly-compelling TV event, which even extended into a cuddly segment on the nine o’clock news, leading to some spectacular post-match punditry from the opposition. Fine Gael’s John Cushnahan compared the entire charade to something akin to the old days of the Eastern Bloc and likened Ahern to Belarus president Aleksander Lukashenko, who one day appeared on state TV to inaugurate a gas pipeline and again later that evening to offer his opinions on football.
The newspaper coverage was equally entertaining.
“By the end of the show, Dunphy was so far up his (Ahern’s) backside, the political correspondents had to move over,” remarked The Sunday Independent the following week.
Meanwhile, The Evening Herald wondered if the new RTE programming manifesto would mean Gerry Adams getting to strut his stuff on GAA magazine show Breaking Ball.
While the media borrowed from the Dunphy playbook, it was left to the academics to apply some of Giles’ telestration skills and focus on the tactics at play.
Sport was always a key part of Bertie Ahern’s political profile.
Source: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO
Political historian Eamon Phoenix believed Ahern attempted to showcase himself as a “leader with political kudos” by tapping into the notion of floating voters, those untethered to past ideologies.
Sport was one way of doing it.
“While there have been many Irish politicians who had been competitive sportsmen (mostly GAA) in earlier years, most notably Jack Lynch but also people like John Donnellan and and Jimmy Deenihan while Charlie Haughey played minor hurling for Dublin, Bertie Ahern went the other way by becoming known as a sporting fan having had no prowess as a player,” says Professor Gary Murphy of DCU’s School of Law and Government.
Perhaps that’s the hook. The adoration of a garrison game was an easier play for Ahern, who knew the potential repercussions of using the sacrosanct GAA to help fuel his political agenda.
Still, there’s a curiosity to the GAA’s relationship with Irish politics. And Murphy is quick to point out that in amongst the strong history and the heavyweights, like Lynch, carving out such a remarkable legacy, there’s also a decent array of well-known local personalities scarred badly by their poor performances at the polls.
“Political parties have always chased GAA players, in particular, to run for them but Lynch was unusual in his success,” Murphy says.
“People tend to forget that really good players who were adored by their fans bombed out completely as candidates. Graham Geraghty in Meath got only 3 per cent for Fine Gael in the 2007 general election. Brian Whelehan, who was on the hurling team of the century, couldn’t even win a council seat for Fine Gael in Birr in 2009.”
But, the cute hoorism of Irish politics can’t be ignored. In certain places, there’s long been a county board mentality to how things operate, a Timmy Ryan approach – all flat caps and flailing arms. One would imagine Michael Lowry was well-prepared for the pressure of Justice Moriarty’s tribunal considering his previous experience of facing down delegates while in charge of Tipperary GAA.
Effectively, it’s all a pantomime – similar to the one Bertie gave in the RTE studios back in 2001.
Showbiz, baby.
At the time, Ahern was still pushing hard for Stadium Ireland – his legacy project. Famously, soon-to-be Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, referred to the plan as being reminiscent of Nicolae Ceausescu, the executed Romanian communist president.
Sport has never been front and centre during election time but it has been a costly misstep for certain governments, this one included.
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NEWCASTLE UNITED BOSS Steve Bruce says Ireland defender Ciaran Clark’s injury “looks pretty serious” after he was substituted in the second half of their Premier League loss today.
Arsenal were 4-0 winners at the Emirates Stadium, and a bad day for the Magpies got worse when Clark hobbled off in the dying minutes of the game.
Bruce confirmed that it is a “bad” ankle injury, and it’s expected the Irish international will now face a race against time to be fit for the Boys in Green’s all-important Euro 2020 qualifier against Slovakia next month.
“He’s got a bad one,” Bruce told reporters after the game, as quoted by Chronicle Live.
“It doesn’t look great, the state of his ankle, leaving the ground on crutches. I can’t say now how bad it is but it’s bad enough.”
The 30-year-old defender has been in good form of late, but is now shaping up to be a doubt for the trip to Bratislava on 26 March.
Clark being helped off the field.
Source: Frank Augstein
Clark — who has been capped 32 times at international level — has been used sparingly since Mick McCarthy took over ahead of the Euro 2020 campaign, but has come into contention selection since winning his club place back under Bruce.
He featured as a half-time substitute in the 1-1 draw against Denmark at the Aviva Stadium last November.
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James McClean is another serious fitness concern for McCarthy after the Stoke City star suffered a medial ligament knee injury on club duty.
Earlier this week, McCarthy confirmed that he would be relying on “tried and tested” players for the Slovakia trip.
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LIVERPOOL’S 44-game run without defeat in the Premier League came to a crashing end as relegation-threatened Watford thrashed the European champions 3-0 on Saturday.
Ismaila Sarr’s double and Troy Deeney’s strike 18 minutes from time ended Liverpool’s hopes of romping to a first league title in 30 years with an unbeaten season as they lost in the league for the first time since January 2019.
Jurgen Klopp’s men still enjoy a 22-point lead at the top of the table, but their sluggish return from a two-week winter break earlier this month was finally punished.
After single-goal victories over struggling Norwich and West Ham either side of a Champions League defeat at Atletico Madrid, Liverpool were comprehensively beaten at Vicarage Road.
A 55-point gap separated the sides before kick-off, but the out-of-sorts visitors failed to muster even a single effort on goal in the first 45 minutes.
Gerard Deulofeu’s dipping effort just did not come down in time as it landed on the roof of the net before he teed up Abdoulaye Doucoure, who saw his shot deflected behind by Virgil van Dijk.
Deulofeu then had to be stretchered off with a nasty looking knee injury that seems certain to end his season.
Watford’s heads did not drop without one of their most dangerous players, though, as only Alisson Becker’s fleetness of foot allowed the Brazilian international to save from Deeney deep into first-half stoppage time.
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Andy Robertson’s driven effort finally forced Ben Foster into a save early in the second half, but just as Liverpool were beginning to build up a head of steam, they were stung by two quick strikes by Sarr.
Firstly, the Senegalese beat Robertson to Doucoure’s low cross to stab home at the near post.
Six minutes later, Sarr had too much pace for a flat-footed Liverpool defence as he raced onto Deeney’s through ball and showed fantastic composure to lift the ball over the advancing Alisson.
Sarr also had a big part to play in Watford’s third as he pounced on a short passback and had the vision to pick out Deeney, who lofted the ball nonchalantly over Alisson to make it 3-0.
Watford had thrown away a lead in three of their last four Premier League games to fall back into the bottom three.
But they never looked in any danger of doing so again as they moved back out of the relegation zone on goal difference.
Sarr should even have had a famous hat-trick with his final touch as he curled wide when one-on-one with Alisson.
However, that was the only gloss missing from a glorious night for Watford as Liverpool remain four wins away from the title.
© – AFP, 2020
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THE REPUBLIC OF Ireland’s rescheduled Euro 2020 play-off matches will not take place this June, it has been confirmed.
Uefa held a video meeting with the 55 member associations today to discuss strategy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, with interim CEO Gary Owen representing the FAI.
It was revealed that plans to stage Ireland’s game against Slovakia in Bratislava and the other play-off between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Northern Ireland — as well as the meeting of the two winners for a place at the finals — have been shelved.
The fixtures were originally due to be played on 26 March and 31 March respectively, but a decision was made to defer them to early June due to the spread of Covid-19 last month.
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New dates have not yet been announced, but September has been mooted as a potential option.
With Stephen Kenny due to take over as Ireland’s senior manager on 1 August, refixing the matches for later in the year is set to cause the FAI further headaches.
Had the Boys in Green failed to qualify for Euro 2020 — now set to be hosted next year — by losing either of the two games in June, the succession plan would not have caused an issue.
However, the association’s dilemma will now be intensified as Mick McCarthy’s remit has always been to reach the European championships and manage the team at the finals before stepping aside for current U21 boss Kenny.
Yesterday, it was announced that the FAI have introduced a tiered pay deferral scheme for team – including McCarthy and his backroom staff — to mitigate against the financial effects of the coronavirus crisis.
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THE PREMIER LEAGUE is considering screening some behind-closed-doors matches on free-to-air television when the season restarts, the UK culture secretary has said.
Sky Sports and BT hold the UK and Irish television rights for live Premier League matches in what remains of the 2019/20 season, which is currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said there had been “productive conversations” with sporting bodies about how they would resume activity in the event of restrictions being relaxed.
Discussing how sport would be broadcast if held behind closed doors, he told the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee: “I have said to the Premier League it wouldn’t send the best signal if they were one of the first major sports to resume behind closed doors and the public at large couldn’t have access to it.”
But Dowden, who spoke to the lawmakers on Wednesday, refused to speculate further on which platforms would broadcast the games.
“There’s all sorts of creative options within that but it is something they should be considering, and they have said they are.”
Dowden said the government had talked with the police, health authorities and local government as part of planning for a potential resumption.
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– © AFP 2020
Originally published at 13.07
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