The Irish goalkeeper is on the verge of a move back to the Hammers from Middlesbrough with McCarthy’s full blessing.

“I have spoken to Darren and I am delighted for him that he has got this move,” McCarthy told FAI.ie. “It’s a return to the Premier League and to a club he knows inside out.

“Darren has told me he is fully fit again after his recent injury so he will hit the ground running. He is a top rate ‘keeper and working with him since March has only made me rate him even higher.

“I’ve seen just how good Darren is in training and he has been one of the standout players so far in our European Championship campaign.

“It’s a good move for Darren and that makes it a good move for Ireland ahead of the game against Slovakia in March.”

Randolph isn’t the only Irish player making headlines right now. McCarthy was at Molineux on Saturday evening to see Matt Doherty’s goal disallowed by VAR for Wolves against Manchester United.

And he spent the lead-up to the game watching Adam Idah’s hat-trick for Norwich on TV in their 4-2 FA Cup win at Preston.

“I’ve watched Adam a lot with the Under-21 side but that is the best I have seen him,” added the Irish manager. “His movement and his goals were brilliant and he really took his chance with Teemu Pukki out injured.

“This was real first-team football as well and the talk now is that Adam could play against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday which really is life in the fast lane for him.

“That’s brilliant for him. He’s put himself right into our thoughts. Terry Connor is planning to watch him against United on Saturday and we will watch with interest.”

Like Doherty at Wolves, Southampton striker Shane Long was a VAR victim on Saturday when his ‘goal’ was disallowed in the Cup win against Southampton.

McCarthy said: “I texted Shane after the game with my comments about bloody VAR! I think his toe was offside and he joked that he should have worn size 5 boots!

“The good thing is that Shane took the ‘goal’ really well and I saw it for the finish it was. He’s back in the Southampton team recently and he’s playing more like his old self which is great.

“Shane also had the assist for Will Smallbone’s debut goal so that was an Irish double for myself and for our Under-19 boss Tom Mohan.”

It was quite the FA Cup weekend for Irish youngsters across England as McCarthy acknowledged.

He said: “The Cup games presented opportunities for several of our younger players and they took it. Dara O’Shea, Conor Masterson and Nathan Collins all started for their clubs and Jayson Molumby continues to impress at the heart of the Millwall midfield.

“Mark Travers kept a clean sheet for Bournemouth in their 4-0 win against Luton. That pleases me because we rate Mark really highly and it was great to see him start.

“Jeff Hendrick and Harry Arter scored for Burnley and Fulham as well and Kevin Long started at the heart of the Burnley defence so it wasn’t a bad weekend for some of the older guys either. I’d say it was a good weekend all round for Irish football.

“And away from the Cup I’ve been impressed with Jason Knight’s progress at Derby County and his two goals against Charlton while Ronan Curtis was in goalscoring form with Portsmouth over the Christmas with Marcus Harness back in their team as well.”

Catherine Guy and Liz Joyce are also joining the Board of the FAI as Independent Directors. 

The appointments were ratified at a meeting of the FAI Board in Dublin, following recommendations received from the Nominations Committee in relation to the appointment of the Independent Chairperson and the Independent Directors.

A fourth Independent Director is to be appointed in the coming weeks. The appointment of an Independent Chairperson and three Independent Directors is a cornerstone of the Governance Review Group report published last July.

Newly appointed Independent Chairperson of the FAI, Roy Barrett said: “I have decided to take on the role of Non-Executive Chairman of the FAI at this critical time because I believe the organisation has an important role to play in developing the game at every level in Ireland.

“There is a serious job of work to be done to address the very significant failures which have beset the organisation in terms of its governance and its finances. The new Board will now deal with this task with urgency, working collaboratively with its stakeholders.”

Welcoming the appointments, outgoing FAI President Donal Conway said: “This is another milestone in the reform of the FAI and I am delighted to welcome Roy Barrett, Catherine Guy and Liz Joyce to the Board at this critical juncture.

“Roy, Catherine and Liz are outstanding candidates with skillsets which will bring real strengths to the Board. The appointment of an Independent Chairperson and Independent Directors is a significant step for the Association as it looks to restore public and government confidence in Irish football.

“I wish our new Chairperson and Independent Directors well and I would like to thank the Nominations Committee, Amrop and Sport Ireland for their work in getting the Association to this point.”

Profiles

Roy Barrett

Roy Barrett is the Managing Director at Goodbody Stockbrokers, Ireland’s longest established stockbroking firm. Roy joined Goodbody as Head of Equities in 1995 from the NCB Group where he was Head of Institutional Equities since 1990. Prior to that, he worked in the UK with both SG Warburg and Paribas. In 1996, he was appointed Managing Director. Roy was educated at Blackrock College and qualified with a Bachelor of Civil Law from UCD in 1985. He continued his studies, attaining a Masters in Business Studies (Banking and Finance) in 1987. He is an executive director at financial services firm, Fexco.

Catherine Guy

Catherine Guy took up the role of CEO of Autolease Fleet Management Limited (which trades as Sixt Leasing) in September 2019. Prior to this she was Managing Partner for six years at ByrneWallace, one of Irelands largest law firms, where she was a partner for over 20 years. As Managing Partner, she led the development and growth of the business. Catherine holds a BCL from UCD and is qualified as a Chartered Director from the Institute of Directors. In 2013 Catherine joined the board of Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) which has responsibility for delivery of services by the three children’s hospitals in Dublin, and is a member of the Governance and Capital Projects committees of CHI.

Liz Joyce

Liz Joyce is Director of Human Resources at the Central Bank of Ireland. She joined the Central Bank from Pioneer Investments where she held a number of HR roles. She was previously the Human Resources Director at Greenstar and at United Beverages (a subsidiary of Diageo). Prior to this, she worked in HR with Concern Worldwide for 10 years, ultimately as Human Resources Director. Liz has prior experience as a non-Executive Director most recently on the board of Aware (2014 to 2018). Liz holds a BA degree in psychology from UCG and an MBS in Human Resources Strategies from DCU. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and is qualified as a Chartered Director from the Institute of Directors.

Ireland have a 100% record this season and beat England 3-1 at St George’s Park in their most recent game in December.

They face Australia Under-16s at FAI National Training Centre, Abbotstown on Saturday, January 18 before flying out to Murcia, Spain for a three-game tournament against the host nation, The Netherlands and Czech Republic.

There’s a first call-up for Shamrock Rovers’ defender Alex Malone, while Malaga’s Caden McLoughlin and Celtic’s Rocco Vata will join up with Donohue’s squad for the games in Murcia.

On the squad selection

“I got the top 34 players in last week and they played a game against each other which was really high quality. It was hard to pick a squad because of the high standards and the players who did well against England did well again. Alex Malone is a debutant who has played himself into the final squad with a fine performance and he’s one of a very good group who will play in these next four games.”

On Australia

“Australia will be a physical challenge. They are Under-16s so their players could be between 12 and 20 months older than some of our players. We’ll be applying our principles of play that we applied at the start of the season during our assessment and international games. The decision making and communication process is getting better and we’re not going to change anything. I’ve gone away from worrying what the opposition are going to do, I’m all about us and what we can do.”

On facing Spain, The Netherlands and Czech Republic

“We played Spain last year and they were the best Under-15s team I have ever seen and I expect the same this year. We’ll be organised and we’ll go into the game confidentially as we’ve performed well against the opposition we’ve faced so far.

“Martijn Reuser, who is the Head Coach of the Dutch Under-15 team, said to me last year he would love to have the Irish DNA of the ‘fighting spirit’ in the Dutch teams. I think we’ve moved on, it’s not just fighting spirit, it’s quality football and if you look to our performance against England we started the game with 14 passes and the ball was in the back of the net. We can compete with The Netherlands by playing football.

“Czech Republic have invested in their underage teams and are getting them in more often for games. We played them last year in a double-header and we were lucky to win 1-0 in the first game and in the second game they beat us comfortably – they always have strength in depth. Make no mistake our players will be going out in each game to win it.”

Republic of Ireland squad

Goalkeepers: Conor Walsh (Mayo SL), Shay O’Leary (Shamrock Rovers)

Defenders: Sam Curtis (Shamrock Rovers), Luke O’Brien (Shamrock Rovers), Alex Malone (Shamrock Rovers), Cathal Heffernan (Cork City), Trisden Hughes (Klub Kildare), Finn Cowper Gray (Klub Kildare) Daniel Kelly (Mayo SL)

Midfielders: Adam Murphy (St Patrick’s Athletic), Cian Barrett (Shamrock Rovers), Justin Ferizaj (Shamrock Rovers), James McManus (St Kevin’s Boys), Liam Murray (College Corinthians Cork SL), Joe O’Brien Whitmarsh (Cork City) Rocco Vata (Celtic) Alex Nolan (St Patrick’s Athletic)

Forwards: Caden McLoughlin (Malaga), Gideon Tetteh (Shamrock Rovers), Kevin Zefi (Shamrock Rovers), Adam Nugent (Mayo SL)

Fixtures

January 18 – Ireland v Australia, FAI NTC, Abbotstown, KO 1pm

January 30 – Spain v Ireland, Pinatar Arena, Murcia, Spain KO 12pm (Irish time)

February 1 – Ireland v The Netherlands, Pinatar Arena, Murcia, Spain, KO 3pm (Irish time)

February 3 – Ireland v Czech Republic, Pinatar Arena, Murcia, Spain KO 12pm (Irish time)

Now in its 12th year, the programme caters for young players from Under-8 to U-11 to help showcase their skills in an environment similar to some of the world's most technical players.

Four venues are being used - Corduff in Dublin 15, Applewood in Swords, Castlelands in Balbriggan, and Gormanston Park - and the programme is run in conjunction with Fingal County Council’s sports department and community partner Swords Pavilions. It ensures that young players will not go weeks without playing football due to pitches being unplayable. There is also the well-known technical and decision making aspects of futsal which ensures there are goals and skills a plenty.

Commenting on this year’s Futsal programme Paul Keogh, FAI/FCC Development Officer said: "We are starting to feel a genuine interest and growth in futsal from grassroots coaches in Ireland. It has taken a number of years but coaches are now really embracing futsal as a tool to aid players' development and enjoyment of the game.

"It was fantastic to have Stephen Kenny present and his attacking philosophy sits very well with futsal, which is all about freedom of expression and fearless play. Stephen spoke very favourably of futsal and it’s potential in Ireland.

"My colleagues Sharon Boyle, Jamie Wilson and Paul Breen were delighted with the number of clubs present at the launch night and we are all looking forward to it kicking off on the 11th January. Support from Swords Pavilions once again is very welcomed and with their support we will again be linking this year’s futsal to our healthy eating initiative ‘make nutrition your goal’."

Fingal County Council Senior Sports officer Niall McGuirk said: "Futsal is a means for the sports department in Fingal to assist with participation levels and physical activity. Using sport for social and physical wellbeing is of paramount importance and having the added angle of nutritional education once again this year is fantastic.

"Changing habits is a challenge but from evidence from last year this programme really did succeed and it was great to see Swords Pavilions being acknowledged for their support at the recent Fingal Chamber awards."

Ireland U-21 boss Kenny stated: "I was really encouraged by the possibilities of futsal in terms of player development. The essence of attacking play combined with quick decision-making is an approach I fully concur with. Some of the most talented players in the world have been exposed to futsal in their youth which can only aid our future players."

The Under-16 side will face Tanzania, Turkey and Kosovo in the Aegean Cup before competing in a play-off game on Tuesday, January 21.
 
The squad includes first international call-ups for St Patrick’s Athletic pair Gerard Killane and Jack O’Reilly, as well as Dara McGuinness (Shamrock Rovers) and Harry Nevin (Cork City).
 
Paul Osam on his squad selection
“We’ve four players who have received a first international call-up and it’s a first call-up of the season for Zayd Abada. The players have done well with their clubs and their hard work has been rewarded with a place in the squad. It’s a good group and we’re looking forward to going out and playing some top opposition.”
 
On Tanzania, Turkey and Kosovo
“We're used to playing European sides so Tanzania will be an unknown quantity for us. It will be a good test but the focus will ultimately be on our game plan and what we can do.
 
“Turkey have traditionally had a strong underage teams and this side has beaten Portugal and Serbia. They’re the host nation so it will be a challenge, but make no mistake we’ll be prepared for it. Likewise with Kosovo, while not much will be known about them, the focus will be on our game plan and the strengths we possess and the problems we can cause the opposition.”
 
On player development
“At Under-16 level it is crucial to provide Colin O’Brien [Ireland Under-17 Head Coach] with a group of players who can go on and qualify for the European Championships. If you look at Colin’s team that qualified for the Elite Round in November the main bulk of that squad were with me at Under-16s, so continuity is vital. Tournaments like these play such an important part to that development.”
 
Republic of Ireland squad
Goalkeepers: Jack Ross (Bray Wanderers), Reece Byrne (Bohemians)
Defenders: John Ryan (Shamrock Rovers), Gerard Killane (St Patrick’s Athletic), Darragh Reilly (Sligo Rovers), James Abankwah (St Patrick’s Athletic), Aaron O’Reilly (St Patrick’s Athletic), Conor Barrett (Birmingham City), Sean Grehan (Bohemians), Harry Nevin (Cork City)
Midfielders: Glory Nzingo (St Patrick’s Athletic), Jamie Mullins (Bohemians), Zayd Abada (Shamrock Rovers), Ben Curtis (Shamrock Rovers), John Joe Power (Burton Albion)
Forwards: Cian Kelly Caprani (Bohemians), Tom Lonergan (St Patrick’s Athletic), Dara McGuinness (Shamrock Rovers), Edwin Agbaje (Shamrock Rovers), Jack O’Reilly (St Patrick’s Athletic)
 
Fixtures
January 15 – Ireland v Tanzania, Altinordu Gündüz Teki̇n Onay Sahasi, Turkey, KO 9am (Irish time)
January 17 – Turkey v Ireland, Altinordu Serpi̇l Hamdi̇ Tüzün Sahasi, Turkey, KO 11.30am (Irish time)
January 19 – Ireland v Kosovo, Altinordu Gündüz Teki̇n Onay Sahasi, Turkey, KO 9am (Irish time)
January 21 – Playoff Fixture, venue TBC, KO 9am (Irish time) / Final, Altinordu Serpi̇l Hamdi̇ Tüzün Sahasi, Turkey, KO 11.30am (Irish time)
 

20 teams were in the draw for the eight ties, with Fifth and Sixth Round matches still awaiting completion.

Greencastle FC knocked out 2019 champions St. Michael's in the Sixth Round, and will be away to Rush Athletic in the Last-16.

FAI New Balance Junior Cup Seventh Round Draw
Pike Rovers v Fairview Rangers
Tolka Rovers/Castlebar Celtic v Gorey Rangers
Crettyard United v Buncrana Hearts/Killarney Celtic
Trim Celtic/Avenue United/Ferrybank FC v Oliver Bond Celtic
Rush Athletic v Greencastle FC
Usher Celtic v Sheriff YC
Athenry FC v Crumlin United
Westport United v Newpark FC

All games are scheduled to take place on the week ending February 2nd

Cork City’s Nevin, netted the only goal of the game in the 76th minute as Paul Osam’s side began the tournament in the perfect fashion – they face host nation Turkey in the next game on Thursday.

Nevin made his first start alongside fellow debutants, St. Patrick’s Athletic pair Gerard Killane and Jack O’Reilly. And it was O’Reilly who almost gave Ireland the dream start after a minute when he went through on goal but he saw his effort just go wide of the post.

A minute later, O’Reilly was involved again when the Pats man crossed to John Joe Power but the midfielder saw his attempt blocked. 

Tanzania almost took the lead themselves but Jack Ross was on hand to deny a one-on-one situation to keep the game scoreless.

Glory Nzingo almost broke the deadlock in style when his 20-yard strike beat the goalkeeper but not the cross-bar.

In the second half, there were chances for both teams and Shamrock Rovers’ Dara McGuinness was introduced for his first appearance for Ireland. 

Ross, who had denied the African opponents in the first-half, did superbly to tip Gaby Joseph Fundumo’s effort onto the cross-bar to keep Ireland in the game.

However, the winner came in the final few minutes of the 80-minute contest. After short build-up play by Ireland, Cian Kelly produced a super cross that found Nevin at the back post to slot home.

Ireland: Ross, Nevin, Curtis, Grehan (C) (Reilly 62), Barrett, Killane (Ryan 47); Nzingo (Mullins 62), Power (Agbaje 55), Abada; Lonergan (McGuinness 55), Jack O’Reilly (Kelly 47).

Tanzania: Radadhani Kassim, Tirshan Thabit, Ndalo Kamoga, Shauri Nwalupeta, Juma Chasambi (C), Salum Athuman, Abbas Omar, Maulidi Mussa, Abudallah Sabian, Ibrahim Yahya, Miraji.

Substitutes: Rashid Miraji (GK), Philibert Joseph, Evord Shirma, Sefania Nduhje, Hassani Yahaya, Fundumo, Genilson Mlew.

Fixtures
January 17 – Turkey v Ireland, Altinordu Serpi̇l Hamdi̇ Tüzün Sahasi, Turkey, KO 11.30am (Irish time)
January 19 – Ireland v Kosovo, Altinordu Gündüz Teki̇n Onay Sahasi, Turkey, KO 9am (Irish time)
January 21 – Playoff Fixture, venue TBC, KO 9am (Irish time) / Final, Altinordu Serpi̇l Hamdi̇ Tüzün Sahasi, Turkey, KO 11.30am (Irish time)

Result
January 15 – Ireland 1-0 Tanzania

I can only imagine the thoughts running through your head with the world seemingly at your feet at such a young age. It will feel like everyone you meet already has high expectations of you, and with those high hopes comes a lot of pressure.

Speaking from experience, I can tell you that not everything is going to work out how you might want it to, and there will be many mountains to climb, but that’s all part of growing up as a player and as a person. You will learn how to separate being a player and person in time but, please be patient with it. I struggled with that and you can learn from my mistakes.

When you reach the start of the first mountain, roll with it and take deep breaths. Listen to the advice that your friends and family give you. As much as it may seem like nobody understands the terrifying thoughts that take over your whole way of thinking, the people closest to you will love you no matter what and no matter how hard it may be for them to hear those dark thoughts from you.

Every good day may follow with five bad days and on those bad days you may find yourself searching for something that eases the pain, something that no longer distracts you from it.

It is my hope that sharing everything I have learned will help you to avoid making the same mistakes. While there are some things I wish I had done differently, I am now stronger for having come through certain experiences and wiser as to how to handle situations when they arise.

You might think, for example, that alcohol is your best friend and helps to ease that pain. But I can assure you that it only feeds that devil on your shoulder telling you to have ‘one more’. It also tells you that you’re not good enough and points out all of your insecurities that you try to flush to the back of your mind.

All of those nights you end up walking home because you spent your last tenner on a drink you probably didn’t need. Tears rolling down your face over the thought of wanting to end it all there and then. That devil appearing that never seems to go away. It’s a battle that you will never win on your own.

If only I could warn you about what you are about to do and tell you how many people love you no matter what. But I know that you don’t care. I know that you’re not thinking about anything other than getting rid of this pain.

Five years of those thoughts coming and going, and each comeback proved to be a greater fall. Leaving Pieta House both times, I felt invincible and ready to attack the world once again. But not giving yourself that self-love, that self-care, that you needed led to you walking aimlessly around Cork city, full of pints and God only knows what else. As you’re walking, your chest starts to tighten and your mind ready to explode… “nobody will even care… just do it, just do it”.

As you wake up, sitting upright in a chair, you see your best friend asleep on the hospital bed. A doctor sitting outside the door, just in case your mind begins to wander again. You are on suicide watch.

“Why am I here? Why am I here?” You’re screaming and shouting but nobody can hear you. All you want is for everyone to leave you alone. You’re sick of continuously letting people down and feel that the world would be a better place without you. But let me tell you something, the people who love you – and there are many who truly do care about you – will see things differently. They can be, and should be, the ones who reinforce what is good about this world and why you make such a positive impact on it.

Right now, you’re known for your talent on the pitch, but it’s up to you to make sure that the person develops as much as the player does. They need to work together, but the emphasis should be on the latter as sport will only last for so long. You have a life to live, so be the best person you can be and do not lose sight of what is important.

Take my word for it, that devil on your shoulder can also be your best friend.

Just please, talk to someone.

Clare,

January 2020.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can contact Pieta House for 24/7 support at 1800 247 247

You can also text HELP to 51444 (standard message rates apply)

This article was published on The Sports Chronicle in January 2020

The club were formed and competed in the AFL in the 1995/96 season. In 2000, their junior section was established. Currently there are 170 members playing football weekly in the club, with 30+ players in their Academy. Seven Schoolboy Teams compete in the DDSL, along with one Senior Team in the LSL and a Football For All squad.

The club moved to their new home at Rockbrook Park School Rathfarnham in 2002, which boasts a clubhouse (opened 2014) a Gym (opened October 2019), three 5v5 Astro pitches and five grass pitches.

The FAI Club Mark is an award for grassroots clubs based on best practice in the governance, management and administration of a football club.

Clubs start their journey at Entry Level and can progress onto the One Star Award. Each step challenges the club to implement policies and procedures in line with best practice.

The FAI Club Mark is free and optional for clubs and aims to:

• Improve the management of clubs ‘off the field’
• Establish and promote best practice
• Empower and support clubs
• Recognise and reward clubs for achieving high standards
• Increase a club’s capacity to operate effectively and grow football in communities throughout Ireland.

If your club is interested in learning more about the FAI Club Mark please complete this short Registration Form

In the 30-minute episode, the Ireland U-21 boss looks through every match of the year and goes in-depth with his tactical analysis of how the squad achieved their fantastic results last year.

Ireland are currently top of their UEFA 2021 European Championships qualifying group and also finished fourth in the 2019 Maurice Revello Toulon Tournament in a busy year for Stephen Kenny's side.

It is a must watch episode where Kenny highlights his tactical set-up and analyses how Ireland achieved the results they did last year.

Full episode on FAI TV official YouTube channel now!

Fenerbahce forward Melih Bostan scored, what proved to be the only goal of the game, in the first half as Paul Osam's team were unfortunate to come away with the loss.

Ireland did well to nullify a Turkish team that had beaten Belgium, England and Serbia this season. 

The Boys in Green were forced into an early change when James Abankwah collided with Emre Biligin in the Turkey goal while trying to meet a Jamie Mullins cross.

With Abankwah off the pitch, Ireland were temporarily down to 10 men and the hosts almost capitalised when they broke forward but Mahmut Afsar's effort just went wide of the post.

In the 20th minute Turkey took the lead. A free-kick was floated to the front post and Bostan converted the cross to make it make 1-0.

Bostan almost had his second of the game when he unleashed a fine shot that fired back off the post following neat play by the home side.

In the second half Bohemians man Reece Byrne made a fine save to prevent Adem Metin Turk giving Turkey a two-goal cushion.

Ireland continued to press and looked dangerous from crosses by Cian Kelly and set pieces which caused the hosts problems.

They almost got the goal their play deserved when Darragh Reilly put Dara McGuinness through with the goalkeeper but the Turkish stopper got there in time before the forward could capitalise.

Next up for Ireland is Kosovo on Sunday as they look to secure their second win of the group stages.

Republic of Ireland: Byrne, Nevin, Ryan, Reilly (C) (Curtis 81), Aaron O’Reilly, Abankwah (Grehan 12); Mullins (Lonergan 58), Abada (Power 78), Kelly; McGuinness, Agbaje (Nzingo 81)

Turkey: Bilgin, Yilmaz, Tintis, Ortakaya, Cagliyan, Bilgic, Bostan (C), Karademire, Afsar, Guven, Kabasakal
Substitutes: Yilmaz, Tutar, Turk, Akgeyik, Ekelik, Akman, Birinci, Kerem, Ilkhan
 
Aegean Cup Fixtures
January 19: Ireland v Kosovo, Altinordu Gündüz Teki̇n Onay Sahasi, Turkey, KO 9am (Irish time)
January 21: Playoff Fixture, venue TBC, KO 9am (Irish time) / Final, Altinordu Serpi̇l Hamdi̇ Tüzün Sahasi, Turkey, KO 11.30am (Irish time)
 
Results 
January 15: Ireland 1-0 Tanzania 
January 17: Turkey 1-0 Ireland

Following nominations sought from members, Martin Heraghty and Gerry McAnaney will contest the election for this position at the EGM on Saturday, January 25th.

Below are biographies for the two candidates:

Mr Martin Heraghty
Martin Heraghty was elected to the FAI Board in July 2019 as a nominee of the National League. He has been involved with Sligo Rovers FC for many years. 

• Member of Sligo Rovers Management Board for over six years
• Chairman of Sligo Rovers since 2016
• He has been a member of the FAI Council and was the Sligo Rovers representative on the PCA for over four years

Martin’s professional career was in the Civil Service. He was Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with specific responsibility for the development of the Irish Food industry. He was previously Head of Corporate Affairs and other major Divisions in the Department. Earlier in his career he served as private secretary to various Ministers and was the Departments press/information officer.  

His experience has encompassed policy development and the management of multi-million EU schemes and the corporate governance oversight of major semi-state bodies, including the Irish Food Board, Teagasc and Horse Racing Ireland.  

He was centrally involved in crisis management in relation to the resolution of several major national agri-food related incidents, in particular the foot and mouth disease outbreak. He has had extensive involvement in EU (member of various EU management committees) and international market access/trade negotiations.  

Martin also completed a diplomatic posting for five years as First Secretary in the Irish Embassy in Germany. Martin has significant Board experience having served as a Board member of a number of semi-state organisations.

Since his retirement from the Civil Service, as well as his involvement in football administration, he has been a Board member of a private company and engaged in consultancy work.    
 
 
Mr Gerry McAnaney
Gerry represents Football For All on FAI National Council, having previously represented the Defence Forces on the FAI National Council. Gerry has been involved in football administration for a number of years having served as: 

• Chairperson of the Defence Forces Football Association
• FAI National Council Member
• FAI Board of Management Member (24 Person Board)
• FAI Football Technical Development Plan Working Group member
• FAI Underage and Player Development Football For All Committee member
• Member of Football for All National Executive Committee
• FAI Scouting Regulations Working Group 
• FAI Disciplinary Panel Member
• National representative with CISM World Military Sports Council, both hosting and participating in multiple European and World level events  

Gerry is a retired member of the Irish Defence Forces and has experience in a number of areas including: 

• Regional Director of Military Police responsible for compliance with legal requirements and conduct of all investigations
• Driving standards of governance throughout the Southern Region ensuring a fit for purpose organisational design that facilitated the building of a compliance culture, regulation, oversight and validation that systematically captures and incorporates legal and regulatory updates
• Responsibility for risk assessments and management of a facility extending over 3.500 acres and with an annual footfall of 100,000 people participating in robust training up to and including the discharge of firearms and explosives
• As a Business Development Executive within the Audio Visual industry, Gerry has demonstrated astute business acumen in responding to customer needs and building a sustainable business model through his interaction with various sporting bodies
• As Site and Regional HR Manager, Gerry supported the Defence Forces through strategic headcount efficiencies, managing change, employee and industrial relations, building leadership capability and developing the talent pipeline for critical business roles

Two second half goals from Kevin Zefi and Alex Nolan – his first for his country - secured the victory meaning Jason Donohue’s team have now won seven out of seven internationals this season.

Ireland were the brighter of the two teams and debutant Pearse O’Brien – drafted in from Oakwood FC in Connecticut - drew a good save from Australian goalkeeper Callum Cook who then thwarted Adam Murphy on the rebound.
 
Nolan had a glorious chance to give his side the lead on 22 minutes when he capitalised on a mistake by Cook, but the Australian defence did well to get back and clear his effort that was heading into an empty net.
 
Australia had their own chance to go in front on the stroke of half-time. A mistake in the Ireland backline saw the ball fall to Sebastian Hernandez whose shot was well saved by Conor Walsh before the danger was cleared.
 
But it was Ireland who took the lead shortly after the interval. Zefi got wide on the left and cut in to curl a great effort into the top corner for his sixth goal for Ireland this season.
 
Nolan, who posed a threat throughout, almost scored shortly after the Zefi goal when he went through one-on-one but Cook stood big and pulled off another good save.
 
The St Patrick’s Athletic forward eventually got on the scoresheet in the 52nd minute. Taking advantage of the space behind the Australian backline he raced onto the ball and was able to slot home past the goalkeeper for his first international goal.
 
Ireland controlled the rest of the game but couldn’t add to their two goals.
 
Next up for Jason Donohue’s team is a tournament in Spain where they will face the hosts, Netherlands and Czech Republic.
 
Republic of Ireland: Walsh (O’Leary 50) Cowper Gray (Malone 65), Luke O’Brien (Hughes 65), Curtis (Kelly 61), Heffernan; O’Brien-Whitmarsh (Ferizaj 41), Pearse O’Brien (Murray 61), McManus (Barrett 41); Zefi, Nolan, Murphy (Tetteh 61)
 
Australia: Cook, Martelota, O’Donoghue, Mathie, Croucher, Hughes, Drew, Frack, Hernandez, Florez, Cefala.
Substitutes: Beach (GK), Ball, Di Pizio, Gibson, Tanddo, Skotadis, Inglese
 
 

Two goals from Dara McGuinness – his first goals for Ireland – along with finishes from Thomas Lonergan and Jamie Mullins gave Paul Osam’s side a comprehensive win.

Ireland were without Darragh Reilly and James Abankwah who missed the game due to injury.

They took the lead after 5 minutes when a delivery from Cian Kelly across the face of goal found St Patrick’s Athletic striker Thomas Lonergan to tap in.

The second goal came in the 21stminute when Sean Grehan picked out Kelly wide on the left. His cross once again caused the Kosovan defence problems and this time McGuinness was on hand to finish.

Kosovo had a chance to get back in the game when they were awarded a penalty following a foul by John Ryan. Etnik Bruti stepped up but his spot kick came off the cross-bar.

On the stroke of half time Ireland netted their third. Lonergan found Mullins at the far post and he took a neat touch to find space to fire past the goalkeeper.

Shortly after the interval Ireland had their fourth and McGuinness his second. Goalkeeper Jack Ross played it out to Lonergan, the Pats man slipped the ball through to McGuinness who rounded the keeper and fired home – an excellent finish.

McGuinness had a great opportunity to seal his hat-trick when he was put in behind by John Joe Power but the Shamrock Rovers forward saw his shot just go over the bar.

Ireland will be looking to end the tournament on a high as they face a 3rd/4th Place Play-Off game on Tuesday.

Republic of Ireland: Ross; Nevin (Barrett 41), Ryan (Killane 67), Curtis (Aaron O’Reilly 75), Grehan (C); Kelly (Jack O’Reilly 52), Nzingo, Mullins (Power 52); Agbaje (Abada 67), Lonergan, McGuinness.

Kosovo: Shala (C), Riad Jashari, Igball Jashari, Luis Hotti, Morina, Rexhaj, Avdimetaj, Bruti, Nikqi, Bashota, Mulharremi.
Substitutes:Art Hotti (GK), Ajeti, Gjergji, Tupalla, Muji, Krasniqi, Ahmeti, Krasniqi, Bajrami.

Aegean Cup Fixture
January 21: 3rd/4th Playoff Fixture, opponent and venue TBC, KO 9am (Irish time)

Results
January 15: Ireland 1-0 Tanzania,
January 17: Turkey 1-0 Ireland
January 19: Ireland 4-0 Kosovo

Ahern was one of several players that Ireland head coach William O’Connor introduced at the break as he juggled his squad in an effort to break the deadlock after a scoreless opening half.

The Limerick United forward (a pupil at Hazelwood College, Dromcollogher) made his mark in fine style on the hour by powering home the equaliser with a 30-yard screamer that sailed past a helpless Thomas Rozman in the visitors goal.

That goal got Ireland right back into a game that looked to be slipping away from them after Sasha Kuzevski had earlier put Australia in front beating goalkeeper Patrick McGarvey from the penalty spot after he was taken down in the box by Mark Hanratty.

Ahern wasn’t finished and minutes after he struck the equaliser he went on to crown a top class show by climbing above the Australia defenders to head home what proved to be the winner.

The goal was created by Lucan CBS scholar Kyle Robinson’s precise pass that gave Hanratty the chance to whip in a high cross from the left and Ahern managed to get his head on the ball and guide it home for a superb double.

Both sides had chances to get on top in the first half but neither could manage to make the break through.

Ireland might have taken a 20 minute lead when Robinson was unlucky to see the ball go just past the post after he charged down goalkeeper Luke Genua’s hurried clearance.

While later the deadlock looked likely to be broken with two further Irish chances.

The first came from Rob Walsh’s well struck free kick that zipped across the Australia goalmouth without any Irish boot getting a touch on it.

Another opportunity quickly followed when Daniel Cox (St. Joseph’s College, Galway) might have opened the scoring but he placed his finish wide after Adam Verdon and Kyle Robinson had combined to create the opening.

Rhys Osmond had the best chance for Australia coming up to the break but after doing well to get past defenders Rob Walsh and Andrew Quinn on the right but he dragged his finish just outside the far post.

The penalty coolly converted by Kuzevski on 56 minutes put Australia in the driving seat although a fantastic double save from goalkeeper Rozman who kept out close range efforts from Robinson and Ahern might have seen Ireland get back on terms.

However minutes later Ahern got another opportunity to make amends and this time he made no mistake with his superb finish from distance.

That equaliser shook the visitors and when Ahern quickly headed home his second there was no way back as the Irish grew in confidence with Eoin Farrell and Adam Verdon dominating the midfield and Kyle Robinson and Brian Ahern always lively up front.  

A deserved win that delighted head coach O’Connor, ‘Games against Australia are always difficult as our side are all Under 18 while they are Under 19 but we responded well after conceding the early second half penalty.

‘Brian (Ahern) did really well to get us back on top with two great goals. The first one in particular was some strike.

‘Overall all the squad did brilliantly and there were some fine individual performances too which bodes well for our bid to regain the Centenary Shield with the first of our four games a home fixture against Scotland coming up on March 19’. 

Australia now travel to Belfast as they entertain Northern Ireland Schools tihs week. This will be their fourth game in a ten-match schedule.

The Aussies enjoyed a 2-1 win over the English Independent Schools while drawing 3-3 with Welsh Colleges as well as a scoreless draw to Welsh Schools before their arrival to Dublin.

The Irish students will have a trial game against Colin O’Brien’s Under 17 select in a few weeks time as O’Connor attempts to whittle the squad down to 16 players for the Centenary Shield fixture at the end of March.

Republic of Ireland: Eoghan O’Sullivan (Coláiste Cois Life, Lucan); Cillian Heaney (Rice College, Westport), Adam McCarron (Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana), Andrew Quinn (Dunshaughlin Community College), Rob Walsh (Glanmire Community College); Eoin Farrell (Ardscoil na Tríonóide, Athy) Adam Vernon (Gaelcholáiste Reachrann, Donaghmede); Adam Lennon (Athlone Community School), Daniel Cox (St. Joseph’s College, Galway), Charlie Concannon (Yeats College, Galway); Kyle Robinson (Coláiste Phadráig, Lucan CBS).
Substitutes: Patrick Ferry (Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair) for Walsh h-t, Brian Ahern (Hazelwood College, Dromcollogher) for Cox h-t, Patrick McGarvey (Rosses Community School, Dungloe) for O’Sullivan h-t, Joe Power (Presentation College, Bray) for Heaney h-t, Mark Hanratty (Lusk Community College) for Concannon h-t, Luke Rudden (Carndonagh Community School) for Lennon 86.

Australia: Luke Genua (Edmund Rice College);  Sasha Kuzevski (St. Edward’s College), Nathan Grimaldi (The Hills Sports High School), William Pearce (William Clarke College), Jack McLoughlin (Cranbrook School); Dimitri Kostopoulos (Westfields Sports High School), Alexander Bonetig (Edmund Rice College); Connor Rose (St. Leo’s Catholic College), Lachlan Sepping (Emmaus Catholic College), Jordan Metcalfe (Epping Boys High School); Rhys Osmond (Westfields Sports High School).
Substitutes: Thomas Rozman (Champagnat Catholic College) for Genua h-t, Jack Berte (St. Pius Cross College) for Osmond h-t, Caleb Jackson Brown (Westfields Sports High School) for Pearce h-t, Jay McGowan (Sylvania High School) for Metcalfe h-t, Will Hodgson (St Aloysius College) for Kostopoulos 62, Bailey Ratcliff (Matthew Flinders Anglican College) for McLoughlin 62.

Referee: Ian O’Keeffe (Waterford)

The 2020-2022 edition will be the seventh time that the FAI has hosted the course, and follows on from the 2019-2020 group, who will graduate later this year.

“We recently opened an expression of interest for coaches to make contact and we have received over 100 queries from coaches looking for further information on the course," said FAI Coach Education Manager Niall O’Regan.

“The current application process will be open for the next four weeks before a formal review, which will see some applicants return for the next stage of the application process which is a contact block made up of presentations, coaching practices and interviews scheduled for February.

“Successful applicants will then complete pre-course assignments before starting the first contact block of the course in September 2020, and working towards contacts over 2020 and 2021, and then the exit process in 2022, finishing with a Graduation in May 2022.”

FAI High Performance Director Ruud Dokter says the quality of previous graduates shows how important the course is.

“The latest application phase for the UEFA Pro Licence is very important for the Association. The coaches who have graduated have gone on to work at various levels in Ireland and further afield," he said.

“The current batch of coaches on the Pro Licence include former internationals and coaches at domestic level. That shows the calibre of people working in football in Ireland.

“These Pro Licence graduates will join the elite of coaches around Europe. It's a brilliant opportunity for those who want to further their career to graduate at the highest level.”

Each course includes contact blocks, club visits, and learning through course assignments. One of the highlights of the 2019-2020 class was a Study Visit to UEFA Headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

The current participants on the UEFA Pro Licence course are John Andrews, Keith Andrews, Jim Brennan, John Cotter, Damien Duff, Neale Fenn, Paul Hegarty, Robbie Keane, Paddy McCarthy, Kevin Maher, Ger O'Brien, William O'Connor, Vinny Perth, Andy Reid, Stephen Rice, Dave Rogers, Szilard Suto and Srdjan Tufegdzic.

To apply for the 2020-2022 UEFA Pro Licence Course, please apply here.

FAI UEFA Pro Licence Graduates
2009
Paul Ashworth, Packie Bonner, Joe Boyle, Paul Clement, Tony Cousins, Pat Dolan, Paul Doolin, Pat Fenlon, John Gill, Don Givens, Brian Kerr, Mike Kerley, Noel King, Pete Mahon, Tony Mannion, Alan Mathews, John McDonnell, Noel O'Reilly 

2011
Bobby Browne, Michael Browne, Liam Buckley, Paul Cook, Kenny Cunningham, John Devine, Tommy Dunne, Curtis Fleming, Eddie Gormley, Steve Harrison, Jeff Kenna, Harry McCue, Brendan Place, Damien Richardson, Martin Russell

2013
John Brennan, Gerry Carr, Mick Cooke, Trevor Croly, Declan Devine, Adrian Fitzpatrick, John Glynn, Shane Keegan, Harry Kenny, Keith Long, Dave Mackey, Paul O'Brien, Tom O'Connor, Pat Scully

2015
Stuart Ashton, John Caulfield, Dave Connell, Jason Donohue, Eileen Gleeson, Tommy Griffin, Niall Harrison, Owen Heary, Ollie Horgan, Robbie Horgan, Peter Hutton, Tom Mohan, Mick Neville, Colin O'Brien, Don O'Riordan, Sue Ronan, Leo Tierney

2018
Tommy Barrett, Stephen Bradley, Adrian Carberry, Jim Crawford, Gary Cronin, Ger Dunne, Stephen Henderson, Frank Kelleher, Gerard Nash, Graham O'Hanlon, Colin O'Neill, Paul Osam, Alan Reynolds, Greg Yelverton

Ireland will take on Albania tomorrow (Tuesday, January 21) at 9am (Irish time) as they look to end the tournament on a high note after victories against Tanzania and Kosovo and an impressive performance in the defeat to Turkey.

The Boys in Green came within one minute of a place in the final but Turkey scored in the sixth minute of added time to equalise against Tanzania taking the hosts through to the final.

On the group stages Osam said
“We could well have been in the final. Tanzania needed to beat Turkey by less than 3-1 and we would have been there but the referee added six minutes of injury time and Turkey got their goal in that period to make it 2-2.

“I think that just shows the strength of the group we were in and Tanzania have really impressed people. Not much was known about them so it was down to us to figure out their style and play our game to get the win – it was a key part of our development.

“Turkey were a good side, and we knew that going into the tournament, but we could have got something from the game. We were unlucky to lose and I’m pleased with how we played. In the game against Kosovo it could have been six or seven goals to us because we played very well - it was a dominate performance from us.”

On facing Albania in the playoffs
“Albania play a 3-5-2 formation which is a great test for our players. A lot of teams in Europe will play with a single centre forward, so now our centre backs will have to prepare for dealing with two. This is all part of their education of the game and you hope when they go on to Colin O’Brien’s Under-17s they take the knowledge of playing against different systems with them. Albania are a good side but we’ll be looking to cap off the tournament with a win.”

Reflections on the tournament
“Overall it has been a good tournament. We recognised what lessons needed to be learned following the disappointment of the Victory Shield.
“As a team we haven’t done much different to that tournament in terms of preparation, but we put more focus on tightening up defensively as we were conceding in the Victory Shield in the transition from attack to defence. 
“The players’ reaction has been excellent, they’ve recognised how you can be punished by the top sides in those situations and they’ve gone out in the games and put that right.”

Fixtures
January 21: 3rd/4th place play-off, Ireland v Albania, Altinordu Gündüz Teki̇n Onay Sahasi, Turkey, KO 9am (Irish time)

Aegean Cup results
January 15: Ireland 1-0 Tanzania
January 17: Turkey 1-0 Ireland
January 19: Ireland 4-0 Kosovo

In the meantime, the FAI board tonight approved the appointment of Gary Owens as Interim Chief Executive with immediate effect.

Gary Owens is a highly experienced leader and non-executive director with specialist expertise in business re-structuring, turnaround strategies and governance structures.

Gary has a distinguished career in senior management roles in the financial services and technology sectors, including IFG Group, Rainmaker Technologies and Hibernian Group. He has previously undertaken interim CEO roles with Down Syndrome Ireland and Athletics Ireland.

FAI Independent Chairperson Roy Barrett said: “Gary brings a wealth of experience to this interim role and the Board and I look forward to working with him.

"The Board would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Mr. Paul Cooke, FAI Board Member, who at very short notice held the position of Executive Lead on a pro bono basis for the past few weeks, whilst a process to identify and select an interim CEO was underway."

Goals from Edwin Agbaje, Glory Nzingo and Thomas Lonergan saw Paul Osam’s team end the tournament on a high securing a medal place in the 3rd/4th playoff. The young Irish side were also awarded the Fair Play trophy for picking up the fewest yellow cards in the tournament (two).

Ireland were ahead after 16 minutes through Shamrock Rovers' forward Agbaje. Lonergan did well to beat his man out wide and he slipped a ball to Agbaje who took a first touch to set himself before delivering a great strike in the top right-hand corner of the net.

Albania had a chance to equalise six minutes later when Redi Kacanolli struck a low effort that was well saved by Reece Byrne to keep Ireland in front.

Ireland could have gone two up shortly after when Nzingo picked out Dara McGuinness to put him through on goal but the striker’s effort struck the post as Paul Osam’s side continued to press.

On half time Albanian keeper Simon Simoni pulled off a great save to keep the scoreline down. Cian Kelly’s free-kick fell to Agbaje who was able to get a strike away but Simoni wasn’t to be beaten.

Two minutes into the second half McGuinness had the ball in the net but it was ruled out by the referee for a push on the goalkeeper.

But they didn’t have to wait long for their second and it came in the 51st minute following good pressing from Ireland. Nzingo capitalised on the mistake at the back from the Albanian defence and he was able to collect the ball and cooly slot home.

Ireland had chances to go further ahead through Lonergan, who had effort go wide, and Power, who forced the keeper into another save. 

They got their third goal in the final minutes of the game following good work from Jack O’Reilly to beat his man and get his shot away but Lonergan was on hand to tap in from the rebound to give Ireland a convincing victory and finish the tournament in third,

Republic of Ireland: Byrne; Nevin, Ryan (Killane 77), Grehan (C) (Aaron O’Reilly 77), Abankwah (Barrett 72); Kelly (Jack O’Reilly 61), Abada, Nzingo (Curtis 72); McGuinness (Power 61), Agbaje, Lonergan.

Albania: Simoni (GK), Halili, Cela,  Stafa, Pano, Kote (C), Beluli, Tahiri, Miftari, Blakqori, Selimi
Substitutes: Lena (GK), Kacanolli, Neziri, Bajraktari, Cereni, Musai, Deda, Kraja.

Aegean Cup results
January 15: Ireland 1-0 Tanzania
January 17: Turkey 1-0 Ireland
January 19: Ireland 4-0 Kosovo
January 21: Ireland 3-0 Albania