After securing their place at the eight-team finals following six games unbeaten in qualifying, Ireland will take on France at 2pm Irish time in Kopavogur – a suburb of Reykjavik.

Having left no stone unturned in preparing for the tournament, Connell – and his diligent backroom team – is confident that his players can get off to a winning start in Group B.

“There’s quite a few girls here who have stepped up to the mark in the last couple of campaigns and that got us to a finals, so we’re looking forward to see how they perform on the big stage and they’re looking forward to it as well,” said Connell.

“It’s been good preparation, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it transfers into the game against France. But we’re very, very happy with our preparations and we feel that it was the right way to go and it will help us to get results.”

Connell knows all about this level having guided the Women’s U19 team to the semi-finals of last summer’s UEFA European Championships in Norway. Now, he is hoping to go one step further.

“What we did last year we’re doing exactly the same with this bunch of girls and we’re hoping that it will take us to another semi-final, if not final and maybe go one step further this time,” said Connell.

“But it’s concentrating on France first and trying to get a good result there and the momentum to pull us into the next game against Switzerland and then the final group game against Norway. So our target is to get out of the group, into a semi-final, and take it from there.”

There are no injury concerns ahead of the game with every player having trained since arriving in Iceland, while Jessica Nolan and Heather Payne will be hoping to win their first caps at this level.

Known as the Ice Queens, this team are aiming to collect the three points in their opening fixture and get off to the best possible start in Iceland.

UEFA European Championship Finals - Fixtures

22/06/2015: Republic of Ireland v France (Korinn, Kopavogur, Iceland; KO 2pm Irish Time)
25/06/2015: Republic of Ireland v Switzerland (Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavik, Iceland; KO 2pm Irish Time)
28/06/2015: Norway v Republic of Ireland (Korinn, Kopavogur, Iceland; KO 2pm Irish Time)

Ireland 4-0 Hungary

Ireland made a few changes to the team, with fresh players coming into the starting line-up, and started the game brightly, having a couple of chances that would have settled any nerves that they had, but Hungary managed to clear their lines on both occasions.

As the first half wore on the Hungary team proved very hard to break down, and Ireland's attacks saw Hungary try to stop Ireland's passing game. We went in 0-0 at half time following a frustrating 45 minutes.

During the break Ireland settled down with the coaching staff telling the players to stick to the game plan, this rejuvenated the players and within one minute of the restart they went 1-0 up thanks to Mark Sinclair. After the first goal it was one way traffic, and four minutes later up popped top scorer Jason Maguire to make it 2-0.

After going 2-0 up Ireland kept the ball with passing through the phases and switching the play at will, and in the 71st minute up stepped Richard Beattie to score his first goal for Ireland.

Nine minutes later Sean Young capped off a fantastic second half with a goal, it came from a beautiful passage of play of one touch passing out from the back. Hungarian frustrations began to take hold and this saw two of their players getting red cards but Ireland managed to keep calm and not retaliate.

There was a great cheer upon the final whistle as the Irish had managed to achieve their first goal of this tournament and reach the Quarter-finals. COYBIG!!!

Assistant Coach Stuart Hayden said: “We were very happy with the performance. What we have worked on in training was transferred to the pitch and our players received some rough treatment out there and I’m proud of the way they reacted.”

Head Coach Jamie Wilson praised the players for a very professional performance and reaching the quarter-finals.

A late goal from Emelyne Laurent ultimately settled the contest despite Dave Connell’s team playing some excellent football and pushing the tempo right to the end in their Group B clash.

Led out by captain Jamie Finn, Ireland set up in a 4-3-3 system and set about winning the game with Eleanor Ryan Doyle and Saoirse Noonan going close to scoring, but they just couldn’t find that goal.

“We’re disappointed with the result. I thought the performance was very hardworking and there were some very good individual performances. As a team, we could do a bit better,” said Connell after the game.

“We’re not out of it. We’ll dust ourselves down, get the girls motivated, regroup and try to get a good result on Thursday (against Switzerland) and put ourselves back in the mix.”

Moving the ball swiftly in passing exchanges and clever movement – particularly from the midfield trio of Noonan, Evelyn Daly, and Roma McLaughlin – Ireland were able to stretch their opponents in key areas.

France, though, are a very good team and they showed an eagerness to shoot on sight of the goal. From early on in the game, they rained shots down on Amanda McQuillan’s goal but the shot-stopper was on high alert.

When they did manage to sneak in behind the Ireland backline, which was brilliantly marshaled by Finn and Chloe Moloney, there was McQuillan in their way. Diving down to her right, she superbly denied forward Estelle Laurier.

Connell made a tactical switch at the break by bringing forward Sarah McKevitt on for Courtney Higgins and switching Jessica Nolan to left-back. It was a positive move and gave Ireland added speed on the left flank.

France continued to press forward and unloaded shots from distance, but McQuillan was equal to them. In front of her, however, the Irish defence stood firm and made a number of important blocks and interceptions.

When the goal did arrive for France, it was unfortunate for Ireland as Laurent headed past McQuillan during an aerial clash following a free-kick forward by Sandrine Soubeyrand’s team.

Strong tackling from Fiona Donnelly, tireless running from the midfielders, and link play from Aislinn Meaney meant Connell’s side were never truly out of the contest but they couldn’t get that goal back.

The focus will now switch to Thursday’s game against Switzerland, where a victory would propel Ireland back into contention for a place in the semi-finals.

Republic of Ireland: McQuillan; Donnelly, Finn, Moloney, Higgins (McKevitt h-t); Daly, McLaughlin, Noonan; Meaney, Ryan Doyle (Payne 69), Nolan (Prior 52).

France: Lebastard; Laplacette, Piga, Galera, Ollivier; Gavory, Ould Braham (Bodain 68); Laurent, Boutaleb (Ferocq 55), Katoto; Laurier (Ringenbach 47).

Referee: Vivian Peeters (Netherlands).

The Football Association of Ireland completely refutes the allegations made about the Republic of Ireland v Argentina friendly match in La Nacion as baseless. 

The match in question was organised by Kentaro and announced by press release prior to the World Cup play offs in 2009. 

We are consulting our legal advisers in relation to the article, and will be taking further steps.

After narrowly losing to France in their opening Group B game last Monday, Dave Connell’s team are targeting a victory to get them back on track towards securing a place in the semi-finals.

Switzerland picked up a point in their first game following a 2-2 draw with Norway and Tipperary native McKevitt revealed that Ireland have done their homework on their next opponents.

“The preparation has been really good. Everyone is positive and working really hard after losing the first game against France. We actually did quite well against them (France), so we’ll take some things from that match into the Switzerland game,” said McKevitt.

“But we’ll multiply those good things by 10 to make sure that we get the three points on Thursday. Everything is up to speed, everything is going well, so hopefully we’ll perform on Thursday against Switzerland.”

Despite the result against France, there has been a positive mood around the Ireland squad with the backroom staff doing a terrific job helping the players to recover, prepare, and train for Thursday’s game.

McKevitt reckons all of that assistance adds to the squad’s self-belief and the tricky forward is confident that each of the 18 players can contribute to help the team record a vital win.

Having scored twice in qualifying for these finals, McKevitt is confident that she can find the net against Switzerland to help the Ice Queens get off the mark and into the mix for the final four of the tournament.

“I’m hoping that I’ll score on Thursday to help build up my record, but mainly just to help the team because we all want to play our part to help each other and play better than we did against France,” said McKevitt.

“If we get the three points against Switzerland, we’ll have a great chance going in against Norway on Sunday, where we would want to get another three points and get into the semi-finals.”

UEFA European Championship Finals – Group B

25/06/2015: Republic of Ireland v Switzerland (Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavik, Iceland; KO 2pm Irish Time)

Gerry Smith’s side have prepared well for the finals since topping their group in the qualifying round in Hungary in October. Victories over East Hungary, FK Nevézis of Lithuania and Israeli outfit Hapoel SC Karmiel Tzfat saw Ireland through with a 100 per cent record.

The hosts will train at the FAI’s new training ground at Abbotstown this evening as part of their preparations for the meeting with the Turkish representatives.

“All the teams arrived in today and all of our players have settled in. Everybody is feeling good - We’re training this evening so let’s see how it goes,” said Smith.

“It’s a very tough challenge. Very tough. There are eight excellent sides here including ourselves and you can see that there’s no easy teams in this. We’re down to the nuts and bolts now.”

A good start is critical for any team with ambitions of topping their group and progressing to the final on Saturday, July 4, so Smith expects opening day butterflies to be a consideration for all eight sides tomorrow.

“It’s the same for everybody. The Turks are a very good side, we know all about them, they spent a week in a training camp in Istanbul last week ahead of the tournament so they’re really well primed for this game," he said.

“All teams have done what they’ve done. We’re down to predominantly the best eight teams in Europe. Our first game is against the Turkish side, they picked up nine points from their three qualifying games so let's see how it works out."

EASTERN REGION (IRL) SQUAD: Brendan O'Connell (Rockmount), David Meehan (Crumlin Utd), Paul Breen (St Michael's Tipperary), James Carr (St Michael's Tipperary), Ross Carrig (Crumlin Utd), Darren Dunne (Sheriff YC), Lar Dunne (Bangor Celtic), Thomas Dunne (St Patrick's CY), Dean Gibbons (Kilbarrack United), Christopher Higgins (St Michael's Tipperary), Ken Hoey (Rockmount), David Lacey (Killester United), James Lee (Crumlin Utd), Kevin Lynch (Sheriff YC), Greg Moorhouse (Crumlin Utd), Paul Murphy (Sheriff YC), Noel Murray (Tolka Rovers), Conor Riddick (Bangor Celtic), Jonathan Rock (Sheriff YC), Rilwan Sule (Bluebell United).

FIXTURES

Friday, June 26

Group A

South Moravia (Czech Republic) v Tuzla (Bosnia & Herzegovina), UCD Bowl (3.00pm)

Eastern Region (IRL) v Ankara (Turkey), Tallaght Stadium (7.00pm)

Group B

Zagreb (Croatia) v Dolnośląski (Poland), Carlisle Grounds (3.00pm)

Eastern Region (NIR) v Württemberg (Germany), Whitehall (7.00pm)

Sunday, June 28

Group A

Eastern Region (IRL) v South Moravia, Tallaght Stadium  (3.00pm)

Ankara v Tuzla, UCD Bowl (3.00pm)

Group B

Zagreb  v Eastern Region (NIR), Richmond Park, Dublin (12.00pm)

Dolnośląski v Württemberg, Whitehall (12.00pm)

Wednesday, July 1

Group A

Tuzla v Eastern Region (IRL), Tallaght Stadium (7.00pm)

Ankara v South Moravia, Carlisle Grounds (7.00pm)

Group B

Württemberg v Zagreb, Whitehall (3.00pm)

Dolnośląski v Eastern Region (NIR), Tolka Park (3.00pm)

Dave Connell’s side largely created the best goalscoring chances and played some excellent attacking football, although a superb long-range strike from Alisha Lehmann handed the three points to Switzerland.

Having previously lost to France last Monday, Ireland now have one group fixture remaining as they take on Norway on Sunday afternoon and Connell wants his team to put in another positive performance.

“It was another narrow defeat but we definitely should have got something out of the game. We created a lot of chances but we just didn’t take them on the day and you’re punished at this level for that and that’s unfortunately what happened,” said Connell afterwards.

“There have been some wonderful individual performances in our two games, while we played well as a team today. It took a wonderful goal from Switzerland to win it, but the future really looks bright for a lot of our girls.”

It was Ireland who created the first notable chance of the game when a bursting run from midfielder Evelyn Daly allowed her to supply a pass into Eleanor Ryan Doyle, who shifted the ball to her right before unloading a shot at goal.

Switzerland goalkeeper Nadja Furrer got down to make a diving save from that shot and Ireland stopper Amanda McQuillan did something similar nine minutes later when denying Geraldine Reuteler.

McQuillan was a star performer in the game against France and she showed that she was fully alert again here. Although in front of her both Jamie Finn and Chloe Moloney were superb at breaking down attacks.

Ireland were bright in their passing, clever with their movement, and determined in their tackling – all hallmarks of a squad managed by Connell and his diligent backroom staff – and they looked the most likely to score too.

Heather Payne almost did just that on 32 minutes after excellent play by Roma McLaughlin, but the Galway girl saw her shot drift wide of the goal. The same outcome was attached to a header from Ryan Doyle.

Organised and fired up, Ireland went in search of that opening goal but it was Switzerland who got it when Lehmann fired into the top corner out of McQuillan’s reach from outside of the penalty area.

In reaction to conceding that goal, the team known as the Ice Queens hit back with three great chances as Ryan Doyle, Sarah McKevitt, and Saoirse Noonan were all unfortunate not to score.

There were many positives to take from the performance – just like against France – but Connell’s side just could not find that goal that they probably deserved. They will now look to the Norway game on Sunday.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: McQuillan; Donnelly, Finn, Moloney, Nolan; Daly, McLaughlin, Noonan; McKevitt (McCartan 76), Ryan Doyle (Prior 71), Payne (Beirne 64).

SWITZERLAND: Furrer; Felder, Humi, Kaufmann, Megroz; Hofmann, Jenzer; Dubs (Stampfli h-t), Lienhard (Staffoni 74, Barth 90+3), Lehmann; Reuteler.

Referee: Pirriatore Graziella (Italy).

First time entrants Wexford were drawn in Group 7 of the qualifying round with Gintra Universitetas (Lithuania), group hosts KKPK Medyk Konin (Poland) and Cardiff Met Ladies FC (Wales).

The Mini-Tournament will take place in Poland between August 11-16. The eight group winners will progress to join the 24 teams from the 15 highest-ranked nations in the round of 32 draw on August 20.

Raheny United reached the last 32 last season. The round of 32 takes place in October with the final scheduled for Reggio Emilia next May.

The Irish side now progress to a classification game against Argentina on Friday (June 26th) at 10.30am. Argentina are one place higher than Ireland in the world ranking at sixth so it is set to be a tight encounter. The winner of that game will go forward to the 5th/6th place play off with the loser moving to the 7th/8th place play off. Placings are very important at these Championships as anything above an eighth place finish completely guarantees Ireland’s place at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

Ukraine showed why they are ranked second in the world with an impressive performance this evening characterised by relentless pace and clinical finishing. Despite a massive Irish defensive effort and some real chances Gerard Glynn’s side couldn’t break through the Ukrainian defence and found themselves caught out by the outstanding counter attacking ability of the world number two side.

Speaking immediately after the game Irish manager Barry Ferguson said;“We’re obviously disappointed with the result but it was a great test to pair ourselves up against the top two teams in the world over the past week. It proves that we are good enough to compete at that ferocious level for periods. We need to get in some good recovery now are looking forward to the challenge Argentina will pose on Friday morning.”      

Ukraine got the ideal start to the first half netting two goals after just five minutes to leave Ireland having to chase the game. For the next fifteen minutes Ireland defended the Ukrainian onslaught well and created an excellent chance of their own that saw a brilliant Gary Messett ball headed away to safety. However Ukraine won a corner on twenty one minutes and managed to score from it to push their lead to three. Ireland’s best chance of the half came two minutes from the end when a long ball from Joe Markey reached Eric O’Flaherty who delivered a superb pass to Dillon Sheridan who saw his effort saved.

Without doubt Ireland had the brighter start to the second half with a handful of chances inside the first ten minutes. The best of these came on 39 minutes when Ireland went on the counter after heroic defending from Gary Messett in their own box. Eric O’Flaherty showed great vision to pick out Jason Moran with a long inch perfect pass whose shot unfortunately went straight into their keeper’s hands. Snell and Nolan came on for Sheridan and Messett with a little under twenty minutes remaining and both made an impression. Ukraine however sealed the win with a second goal from Antoniuk on forty seven minutes to make it 4-0, as it finished on the night.

The Irish Paralympic football team guaranteed their place at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games today with a brilliant 1-0 win over Argentina in their classification match at the Cerebral Palsy Football World Championships in St. George’s Park in England. Gerard Glynn’s Irish side will now progress to a 5th/6th place play-off tomorrow afternoon against the winner of England versus USA. The only goal of the game was scored with just five minutes remaining by Captain Luke Evans.

Placings are very important at these Championships as anything above an eighth place finish completely guarantees 2016 Rio Paralympic Games qualification. Ireland did not want to be facing into a 7th/8th place play off tomorrow so today’s win was absolutely vital. Ireland missed out on qualification for the London 2012 Paralympic Games by just one spot so to secure a place on the plane to the eight team tournament for 2016 is an achievement that cannot be understated.

Speaking after the game an elated Irish manager Barry Ferguson said:  “We’re just delighted with the result. The lads didn’t actually play that well but worked so hard to dig out the result. They did exactly what they had to do to win the game. They have worked so hard over the last number of years and months to secure Paralympic Games qualification, they deserve it, we’re so proud of them.”

Irish goalscorer and captain Luke Evans also spoke: “While it wasn’t our best performance we are completely delighted with the win. We had to dig so deep and showed great character to do it. It really hurt missing out on the London 2012 Games so to guarantee our place at Rio 2016 with that win is massive, it means so much to us and has been a long time coming. We’re keen to try and push on for fifth tomorrow.”

Argentina are one place higher than Ireland in the world rankings at sixth, so on paper were favourites going into today’s encounter. As expected it was a tightly contested affair with the play from end to end throughout. Dillon Sherdian tormented the Argentinian defence while Gary Messett had an immense battle with his counterpart Bassi at midfield. Irish keeper Simon L’Estrange was busy throughout making countless saves and captain Luke Evans led a committed and disciplined Irish defensive effort.

Argentina were making all the running in the opening period of the first half but as the midway point approached Ireland began to get on top with several chances but just couldn’t get on the end of them. During the final ten minutes of the opening period Ireland had four corners in a row and with superior height advantage all round looked so threatening. Somehow the Argentinians managed to keep them out. Ireland’s best chance of the half came just two minutes from the break when Ballyfermot United’s Sheridan went on a brilliant run right through the middle beating every defender he encountered but saw his final shot go just over the crossbar.

Again the South American side started the second half brighter piling on the pressure with a couple of early corners. L’Estrange made a good save from the second of those and released a ball to see Sheridan again make a magnificent run the length of the pitch only to be eventually denied in an one on one with the Argentinian keeper. Irish subs Podge Leacy and Jason Moran came on for O’Flaherty, and Messett, who had been yellow carded early in the game. Either team could have broken the deadlock over the ensuing fifteen minutes with chances a plenty. However, with just five minutes to go Ireland were awarded a free kick close to the left hand corner flag. Sheridan stepped up and put in a super ball into the box which saw Evans convert with a really brave header low to the left. Despite man of the match Bassi pushing a great shot just wide of the Irish post on fifty eight minutes and with three minutes added time to contend with Ireland held out for a memorable victory.

They have very little time to recover before their final game of these Championships tomorrow against the winners of England against the USA for fifth spot. The semi-finals take place later today with Brazil facing Ukraine, and the Netherlands against favourites Russia.

 They are open to journalists, newspapers, broadcasters (TV and radio), webmasters, Public Relations Officers, photographers and clubs and leagues who have contributed over the past 12 months using a variety of communications tools. 

The 2015 Awards will cover the period from June 1, 2014 to May 30, 2015 and entries must be submitted by July 7, 2015. 

These awards honour the volunteers and professionals who deliver coverage for the sport with determination and passion.

Best Written Article 
This award is open to journalists and contributors who have written an article or articles on grassroots Irish football or national League clubs during the qualifying period. It can be an interview, a feature, a column, a blog or a news story that gives a unique insight into Irish football at local level. A maximum of three articles may be submitted by any entrant. The article or articles must have appeared in a newspaper, magazine or website during the qualifying period.

Best Broadcast Item
The best broadcast item category open to journalists and contributors who have broadcast an item on any aspect of Irish football during the qualifying period. It can be a match report, preview or commentary, interview, feature, documentary or a news story that gives a unique insight into the workings of Irish football at local, regional, national or international level. A maximum of three pieces may be submitted in support of an entry. All entries must be no more than 30 minutes long. The item or items must have been broadcast on radio, television or the internet during the qualifying period.

Best social media initiative
This award is open to a club, league or affiliate which has used social media to promote and generate awareness of initiatives being carried out in a unique or innovative manner. Emphasis will be placed on innovation and engagement that is of lasting benefit to the club, league or affiliate. The entry for this award should explain the rationale for the initiative, using screen shots to showcase its execution.

Best Website
This is an award for the best website belonging to a club or league affiliated to the Football Association of Ireland. The entry for this award should include the website address and a 500 word summary detailing its evolution and features. The judges will visit the site and evaluate it.

Best PRO
This is an award for the best Public Relations Officers attached to a club or league affiliated to the Football Association of Ireland for work done during the qualifying period. The entry should include a 500 word summary detailing the work carried out by the PRO together with supporting samples.

Best Publication
This is an award for the best publication by a club, league or affiliate of the Football Association of Ireland. It could be a match programme, yearbook, history or a commemorative booklet which has been published during the qualifying period. The entry for this award must include a copy of the publication.

Best Photograph
This is an award for the best photograph taken during the qualifying period by an amateur or professional photographer of an Irish grassroots football theme. It can be in colour or black & white. 

Rules and how to enter

The 2015 Awards will cover the period from June 1, 2014 to May 30, 2015 and entries must be submitted by July 7, 2015. 

The Best Publication category must be sent by post with the relevant publication to:
FAI Grassroots and League Communications Awards, Football Association of Ireland, National Sports Campus, Dublin 15. The FAI will endeavour to return material if requested.

Entries for all other categories can be submitted by email to media@fai.ie along with supporting material. 

The Jury will reach its decisions by July 11 and entrants will be informed by email. The decisions of the Jury are final.

Awards will be presented at the Pre AGM Delegates dinner in Sligo on July 17.

* Email queries: If you have any queries about the awards or need assistance to apply, send your name, telephone number and question to media@fai.ie

A 27th minute header from Moorehouse and a 45th minute penalty from Dunne left Gerry Smith’s side firmly in control at the break and their solid defending saw them hold on after the break for a dream start to the tournament.

The opening quarter of this Group A fixture was a cagey affair with neither side wanting to make a mistake and the nearest anybody came to scoring was in the fourth minute when David Lacey showed great close control on the edge of the box before smashing a volley just over the crossbar.

The deadlock was broken in the 27th minute when the Turks failed to clear a Kevin Lynch free-kick and the ball was eventually worked back in by Larry Dunne for Moorehouse to head home from close range with the keeper unable to keep the ball out despite getting a hand to it.

Paul Breen almost added a second two minutes later when he timed his run to perfection to meet a Darren Dunne corner from the left but his powerful downward header went inches past the post.

Ankara’s Salim Uzum went close to grabbing an equaliser on 43 minutes but his shot was deflected over the bar for a corner and two minutes later the hosts extended their lead from the penalty spot after James Lee was brought down by Fatih Eksioglu. The spot kick was cooly dispatched by Darren Dunne, sending keeper Gokhan Koksal the wrong way.

The Turks tried hard to get back into the game in the second half but they found the Irish defence extremely difficult to break down and goalkeeper Brendan O’Connell was only forced to make one significant save when he comfortably stopped a shot from the dangerous Muhammed Kizilkaya.

One worrying aspect of the game for Gerry Smith will be the four yellow cards picked up by Gregory Moorehouse, Ken Hoey, Larry Dunne and David Lacey. Next up for Eastern Region are South Moravia from the Czech Republic who won 1-0 in their opening game against Bosnia’s Tuzla. That game is at Tallaght Stadium on Sunday at 3pm.

Eastern Region (IRL): O’Connell; Hoey, Murray, Breen, Lynch; Carr, D Dunne, L Dunne; Lee (Gibbons 87), Moorehouse (Dunne 60), Lacey (Rock 79).

Ankara (TUR): Koksal; Eksioglu (Bilgin 46), Ocal, Uysal, Surucu; Demircan, Ilhan; Uzun, Kizilkaya, Kucuk (Ozturk 77); Solak (Baydar 56).

 Referee: Markus Hameter (AUS).

Both the hosts and the Czechs were winners in the opening round of fixtures in Group A yesterday. Eastern Region IRL beat Ankara of Turkey 2-0 thanks to first half goals from Greg Moorhouse and Darren Dunne while South Moravia beat Tuzla Canton 1-0 in their opener.

Eastern Region IRL coach Gerry Smith was pleased with his side’s first day result and is looking to build on that display against the Czechs.

“It’s all about getting the three points in your first game. It wasn’t a classic performance but it was a steady one,” said Smith.

“We did really well in the first half and we knew they would be having a go at us in the second half. It was tentative and tight – there was a lot of tension in it being the first match.

“With a winner coming in the first game we had to get our three points so we’re delighted we’ve done that.

“The way things have fallen now this win means that whatever happens we’ll be still in the hunt going into the final group match on Wednesday.

“Sunday is the next challenge against the Czech side who won their first game. We’ve to recuperate and then look to pick a team for Sunday. We had their game watched and will look at the DVD too so we’ll be well prepared.”

Tomorrow sees a full round of fixtures in both groups. Croatia's Zagreb beat Dolnośląski of Poland 4-0 yesterday with Eastern Region NI drawing 2-2 with German side Württemberg.

FIXTURES & RESULTS

Friday, June 26

Group A

South Moravia (Czech Republic) 1-0 Tuzla (Bosnia & Herzegovina), UCD Bowl

Eastern Region (IRL) 2-0 Ankara (Turkey), Tallaght Stadium

Group B

Zagreb (Croatia) 4-0 Dolnośląski (Poland), Carlisle Grounds

Eastern Region (NIR) 2-2 Württemberg (Germany), Whitehall

Sunday, June 28

Group A

Eastern Region (IRL) v South Moravia, Tallaght Stadium  (3.00pm)

Ankara v Tuzla, UCD Bowl (3.00pm)

Group B

Zagreb  v Eastern Region (NIR), Richmond Park, Dublin (12.00pm)

Dolnośląski v Württemberg, Whitehall (12.00pm)

Wednesday, July 1

Group A

Tuzla v Eastern Region (IRL), Tallaght Stadium (7.00pm)

Ankara v South Moravia, Carlisle Grounds (7.00pm)

Group B

Württemberg v Zagreb, Whitehall (3.00pm)

Dolnośląski v Eastern Region (NIR), Tolka Park (3.00pm)

SATURDAY, JUNE 27

SSE Airtricity League Premier Division

Bray Wanderers v Sligo Rovers, Carlisle Grounds, 17:45.

SSE Airtricity League First Division

Cobh Ramblers v UCD, St. Colman’s Park, 19:45.

SUNDAY, JUNE 28

UEFA European Women’s U17 Championship Finals Group B

Norway v Republic of Ireland, Kópavogsvöllur Stadium, Kopavogur (ISL), 14:00 (Irish Time).

UEFA Regions Cup Finals

Group B

Zagreb (HRV) v Eastern Region (NIR), Richmond Park, 12:00.

Dolnośląski (POL) v Württemberg (GER), Home Farm FC, 12:00.

Group A

Eastern Region (IRL) v South Moravia (CZE), Tallaght Stadium, 15:00.

Ankara  (TUR) v Tuzla (BIH), The UCD Bowl, 15:00.

TUESDAY, JUNE 30

Europa League First Qualifying Round First Leg

FC Progrès Niederkorn (LUX) v Shamrock Rovers, Stade Municipal de la Ville de Differdange, 18:00 (Irish time).

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1

UEFA Regions Cup Finals

Group B

Württemberg (GER) v Zagreb (HRV), Home Farm FC, 15:00.

Dolnośląski (POL) v Eastern Region (NIR), Tolka Park, 16:00.

Group A

Tuzla (BIH) v Eastern Region (IRL), Richmond Park, 19:00.

Ankara  (TUR) v South Moravia (CZE), Carlisle Grounds, 19:00.

Club Friendly

Bohemians v Hearts, Dalymount Park, 19:45

THURSDAY, JULY 2

Europa League First Qualifying Round First Leg

Skonto Riga (LVA) v St Patrick's Athletic, Skonto Stadions, 17:00 (Irish time).

Cork City v KR Reykjavik (ISL), Turner’s Cross, 19:45.

UCD v F91 Dudelange (LUX), The UCD Bowl, 19:45.

World Student Games Men’s Preliminary Round

Ireland v Uruguay, Gochang Public Stadium, Gwangju (KOR), 03:00 (Irish time).

World Student Games Women’s Preliminary Round

Ireland v Chinese Taipei, Mokpo Football Centre, Gwangju (KOR), 03:00 (Irish time).

FRIDAY, JULY 3

SSE Airtricity League Premier Division

Drogheda United v Dundalk, United Park, 20:05 (Live on Setanta Ireland).

SSE Airtricity League First Division

Athlone Town v Cobh Ramblers, Athlone Town Stadium, 19:45.

Finn Harps v Cabinteely, Finn Park, 20:00.

Wexford Youths v Waterford United, Ferrycarrig Park, 20:00.

SATURDAY, JULY 4

UEFA Regions Cup Final

Winner Group A v Winner Group B, Tallaght Stadium, 16:00.

SSE Airtricity League Premier Division

Limerick v Bray Wanderers, Markets Field, 18:30.

Longford Town v Bohemians, City Calling Stadium, 19:30.

Sligo Rovers v Galway United, The Showgrounds, 19:45.

Club Friendly

Shelbourne v Hearts, Tolka Park, 15:00.

World Student Games Women’s Preliminary Round

Ireland v Czech Republic, Boseong Public Stadium, Gwangju (KOR), 08:30 (Irish time).

SUNDAY, JULY 5

Club Friendly

Drumoghill Select v Finn Harps, Drumoghill Complex, Co Donegal, 15:00.

World Student Games Men’s Preliminary Round

Ireland v China, Mokpo Football Centre, Gwangju (KOR), 08:30 (Irish time).

MONDAY, JULY 6

World Student Games Women’s Preliminary Round

South Korea v Ireland, Naju Public Stadium, Gwangju (KOR), 08:30 (Irish time).

TUESDAY, JULY 7

Europa League First Qualifying Round Second Leg

Shamrock Rovers v FC Progrès Niederkorn (LUX), Tallaght Stadium, 20:00.

SSE Airtricity League Premier Division

Galway United v Dundalk, Eamonn Deacy Park, 19:45.

World Student Games Men’s Preliminary Round

Russia v Ireland, Jeongeup Public Stadium, Gwangju (KOR), 08:30 (Irish time).

Club Friendlies

Ballyjamesduff v Shelbourne U19s, Castlerahan, Co Cavan, 19:00.

Athlone Town v Falkirk, Athlone Town Stadium, 19:45.

THURSDAY, JULY 9

Europa League First Qualifying Round Second Leg

F91 Dudelange (LUX) v UCD, Stade Jos Nosbaum, 17:00 (Irish time).

KR Reykjavik (ISL) v Cork City, KR-vollur, 18:15 (Irish time).

St Patrick's Athletic v Skonto Riga (LVA), Richmond Park, 19:45.

FRIDAY, JULY 10

SSE Airtricity League Premier Division

Dundalk v Shamrock Rovers, Oriel Park, 19:45.

SSE Airtricity League First Division

Cabinteely v Shelbourne, Stradbrook, 19:45.

Waterford United v Finn Harps, RSC, 19:45.

SATURDAY, JULY 11

SSE Airtricity League Premier Division

Bray Wanderers v Derry City, Carlisle Grounds, 17:45.

Limerick v Galway United, Markets Field, 18:30.

Sligo Rovers v Longford Town, The Showgrounds, 19:45.

SSE Airtricity League First Division

Cobh Ramblers v Wexford Youths St. Colman’s Park, 19:45.

Club Friendlies

Sligo Rovers U19s v Longford Town U19s, The Showgrounds (Astro), 14:00.

Shelbourne v Ipswich Town, Tolka Park, 15:00.

Cork City v Liverpool Development Squad, Turner's Cross, 19:45.

SUNDAY, JULY 12

SSE Airtricity League First Division

UCD v Athlone Town, The UCD Bowl, 19:00.

Dave Connell’s team performed brilliantly against both France and Switzerland, but narrowly lost those two Group B games so they will end their time in the tournament against Norway.

Yet, there is an upbeat mood around the team hotel in Reykjavik as the coaching staff have kept the girls focused on beating Norway, who still have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.

Connell can be very proud of his players’ attitude and work-rate at these finals, but midfielder Lucy McCartan insists the entire squad want to taste victory and sign off in the best possible way.

“We’re not going to leave here without our pride. There is no point going out just to play; we’re going to go out to win,” said McCartan ahead of the game that kicks off at 2pm Irish time.

“Our defending has been brilliant and we have kept big teams out – they only scored one goal each against us and the Switzerland goal was a brilliant goal. We can take a lot of positives out of the games.”

There hasn’t been a stone left unturned in preparation for each game at this tournament and that sort of attention to detail will surely benefit the players as they progress in their careers.

Two of those players – Saoirse Noonan and Heather Payne – remain eligible for the U17s again next campaign, while others are bound to go on to earn caps at U19 and senior level such is their level of talent.

Peamount United ace McCartan certainly believes that to be the case for the team known as the Ice Queens as they hope to play their part in keeping women’s football in Ireland on an upward curve.

“We have Saoirse (Noonan) and Heather (Payne) who will still be Under 17 again next year, so they will be leaders for that team and hoping to get them back into a finals,” said McCartan.

“Then most of us will be trying to get into the Under 19s team, which will be very hard. So I think it is very positive going forward for all of the teams and there is a bright future ahead for a lot of them – if not all of them.”

UEFA European Championship Finals – Group B

28/06/2015: Norway v Republic of Ireland (Korinn, Kopavogur, Iceland; KO 2pm Irish Time)

The result sees Gerard Glynn’s Irish side take sixth place overall at these Championships but most importantly secure themselves a much coveted qualification place at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. Ireland missed out on qualification for the London 2012 Paralympic Games by just one spot so to secure a place on the plane to the eight team tournament for 2016 is an achievement that cannot be understated.

Speaking about the game this evening Irish manager Barry Ferguson said:  “We’re bitterly disappointed with the result tonight but I felt the better team won the game. We didn’t keep the ball as well as we should have and England were better than us.”

However, reflecting on the tournament as a whole he said: “Overall our sole goal coming to this tournament was to qualify for the Rio Paralympics and we’re delighted to have done that. We have been able to get some young players invaluable experience of playing in such a major tournament and that can only be of great benefit and we prepare for Rio and what lies ahead.”

The first half got underway at a frantic pace with the play constantly switching from end to end. England showed great pace and were pushing a lot of their ball down the left hand channel. Ireland’s most capped player on this team; defender Joe Markey, who was winning his seventy-first cap tonight was kept busy marshalling the disciplined Irish defence alongside captain Luke Evans.

Arguably Ireland’s best chance of the half came on ten minutes when Gary Messett made a great individual run all the way through the middle only to see his eventual shot well held by the England keeper. A moment of individual brilliance saw England take the lead when Matt Crossen ran across the Irish box and chipped the ball in with the outside of his right foot on twenty seven minutes.

Both sides exchanged real chances in the first fifteen minutes of the second half. Again Gary Messett, who won his seventieth Irish cap today, burst through the middle and saw a great strike spilled by the English keeper but gathered up again just before it could cross the line. His counterpart Simon L’Estrange pulled off his save of the game on forty two minutes when Jake Brown was unmarked in a one on one in the Irish box.

 It was with nine minutes to go that England stretched their lead. England were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Irish box after Joe Markey was given what looked to be a harsh yellow card. The England captain struck the ball perfectly to give L’Estrange no chance and see it go high into the top corner. Ireland weren’t without a handful of chances in the closing minutes, including ones from Sheridan and Moran but the hosts just held out for the victory.

Favourites, and reigning Paralympic champions Russia face European Champions Ukraine in tomorrow’s final at 3pm. Beforehand Brazil take on the Netherlands to decide third and fourth spot. Ireland’s newly qualified Paralympic football team return home on Monday morning.

Dave Connell’s team knew that they would not be making it out of Group B going into this game but still fought hard and deserved something from it despite what the scoreline might suggest.

Norway’s goals came when Jenny Norem profited from a loose ball at the back post and they got a second just before the break through Ingrid Kvernvolden’s long-range strike.

“We played some fantastic football but we just didn’t score a goal. I’m very, very proud of our girls and we can hold our heads up high with how we’ve played in this tournament,” said Connell afterwards.

“It was a fantastic achievement to qualify and we performed well in our three games, but just didn’t get that bit of luck. We obviously came here to win the tournament, but we can be proud of our performances overall.”

Similar to their two previous games in this tournament – narrow losses to France and Switzerland – Ireland started brightly in their 4-3-3 formation and largely dictated the tempo with their running and passing.

However, they just weren’t clinical at key moments, like when Eleanor Ryan Doyle volleyed over following a clever scooped pass from Saoirse Noonan or when Heather Payne’s shot was deflected wide.

Norway, though, were fortunate more than clinical in front of goal. Norem scored when goalkeeper Amanda McQuillan dropped a cross and she poked the ball in at the back post.

Connell’s side fought back but Norway had a couple of more chances – headers wide by Andrea Norheim and Kvernvolden – before they scored again with Kvernvolden spinning off McQuillan and into the net.

In the three games, McQuillan has been simply outstanding and is destined to become a senior international, but she didn’t have much luck on both goals. And that summed up Ireland’s three games overall – unrewarded for their positive play.

Connell made a double substitution – bringing on Dearbhaile Beirne and Lucy McCartan – and switched captain Jamie Finn into midfield, where she was able to have more of an influence on the team going forward.

More goalscoring opportunities started to fall for Ireland as Jessica Nolan, Ryan Doyle, and Finn all went close with efforts before Finn earned a penalty, which she took and unfortunately saw it clip the crossbar and go over.

Just before that chance McQuillan made a truly wonderful diving save to keep out an effort from Kvernvolden. Up the other end, Ireland continued to press forward and Ryan Doyle fired a shot just wide.

Norway took the points at the end of this game, but they bowed out of the tournament along with Ireland as France and Switzerland progressed from Group B into the semi-finals.

Brave, resilient, and positive, Ireland can hold their heads up high from how they performed in this tournament. Connell and his backroom staff did a terrific job, but luck didn’t fall their way on the pitch.

Republic of Ireland: McQuillan (Maher 80); Donnelly, Finn, Moloney, Nolan; Daly, Noonan, Meaney (McCartan 52); McKevitt (Beirne 52), Ryan Doyle, Payne.

Norway: Saevik; Ellingsen (Sand h-t), Suphellen, Nilsen (Dovie 65), Haaland; Syrstad Engen, Maanum; Norem (Lofshus 75), Norheim, Hafnor; Kvernvolden.

Referee: Viola Raudzina (Latvia).

The game finished 1-1 in normal time but it was the Cork girls, who suffered the pain of a penalty shoot-out loss in 2013, who emerged victorious. Penalties were also required to decide the Plate Final, where last year’s Cup winners Metropolitan Girls League were able to secure some silverware to take back to Dublin when they got the better of Waterford 3-1 from their spot-kick battle following another 1-1 draw.

The tournament kicked off under glorious early afternoon sunshine on Friday with the Kerry and the Limerick County leagues opening five-team Group A. Two goals from Saoirse Kennedy secured three points for Kerry. The three remaining teams joined the fun later in the afternoon, with Kerry sitting this round of games out. The Limerick County side recovered from the opening loss to record a 2-1 win over North Tipperary, whilst Kilkenny overcame Clare 1-0 thanks to a Hannah Scott strike.

A busy schedule for the Group A sides concluded after the evening contests. Kilkenny and Limerick County – playing their third game of the day – shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw. In the evening's other game Clare overcame Kerry 2-0, setting up a situation where four teams were separated by only one point. 

Wins for Kerry on Saturday against Clare and Kilkenny as well as another win for Limerick County over Clare left all to play for in the final set of fixtures. Indeed, the destiny of the group rested on a very late North Tipperary equaliser against Kerry. That goal, couple with Limerick Counties narrow 2-1 win over Kilkenny, gave the Shannonsiders the group title.

The fate of Group B’s sides also came down to the last series of games. Cork took an early advantage when they overcame North Eastern Counties by 2-0 as group rivals Galway and Wexford shared the points following a 0-0 draw. However, a round of 1-1 draws in Saturday morning’s fixtures meant that each side could still finish as group victors. A single, late goal from Cork’s Daire Kiely in their match against Galway ensured that they finished the group in pole position. In the other game, a decisive 3-1 success for North Eastern Counties over Wexford saw them move from fourth to second place, sending them into the Plate semi-finals.

Group C had all the makings of a “group of death”, with the defending champions Metropolitan Girls League joining the Midlands, Donegal and Mayo. The holders opened with a convincing win over Donegal, whilst the Midlands also garnered three points following a 3-1 win over Mayo. Both sides made it two wins from two on Saturday morning, the MGL beating Mayo and the Midlands defeating Donegal to set up a group decider later that day.

A super contest took place amid a heavy downpour, and goals from the dangerous attacking pair of Carla McManus and Emma Lawlor  - both notching their fourth  tournament goal -  saw the Midlands take top position following a 2-1 win, with Leah Reybet-Degat providing the repost for the MGL.

 In Group D, Inishowen and the Limerick Desmond League made winning start to their campaigns, both working hard to secure 1-0 wins over Waterford and Sligo/Leitrim respectively. Both sides couldn’t be separated when they played each other on Saturday morning, allowing Waterford to re-enter the race for top spot after a last-minute goal saw them edge past Sligo/Leitrim.

However, Inishowen made a decisive move in the final round of games, notching five against Sligo/Leitrim without reply to see them finish as table-toppers and Cup semi-finalists. Waterford continued to improve with an Alannah Gallagher goal the difference in a 1-0 win over Limerick Desmond to book a slot in the Plate semi-final draw.

The open draw for Sunday’s fixtures took place on Saturday evening. The Jeremy Dee Cup semi-finals threw together old rivals Limerick County and Cork, whilst the other fixture brought together the free-scoring Midlands league and the talented Inishowen. In the Plate semi-finals, the North Eastern Counties were drawn against the Metropolitan with Waterford, off the back of two straight wins, selected to play Kerry.

The minor placing would also be decided on Sunday. Clare and Sligo/Leitrim kicked things off with a clash to determine 16th and 17th place. Wexford, Kilkenny and Donegal would contest places 13 through 15 whilst North Tipperary, Limerick Desmond, Galway and Mayo would compete for 9th to 12th place.

The Cup semi-finals proved to be distinctly different affairs. Cork proved just too strong for a tired Limerick County side and eased to a 6-0 win thanks to braces from Lauren Homan, Eimear Kiely and Michelle O’Driscoll. The Midlands and Inishowen could only be separated by a penalty shoot-out after a tense stalemate. It was the girls from the Midlands who kept their nerve best, netting three to Inishowen’s one to book a place in the Cup showdown.

In the Plate semi-finals, dethroned cup champions the Metropolitan League kept alive their hopes of taking some silverware home as they edged past the North Eastern Counties. Waterford and Kerry took each other to a penalty shoot with Waterford edging it with three successful kicks to Kerry’s two. That experience, however, was to benefit Kerry in the 7th and 8th place play off as the converted five against North Eastern Counties’ four after a 2-2 draw. Galway also secured their 9th place finish from the penalty spot against North Tipperary whilst goals from Shauna Golden and Melissa Devaney gave Mayo a regulation-time win over Limerick Desmond to finish 11th. Wexford produced their best football of the weekend to conclude the tournament in 13th position.

Goals in either half from Darren Dunne and Paul Breen were enough to give the Irish side victory over South Moravia from the Czech Republic and their final berth was secured when Turkish side Ankara came from behind to beat Bosnia’s Tulza Canton 2-1 in the other Group A.

Eastern Region will now face Tulza on Wednesday in Tallaght Stadium (19:00). Even if the Bosnia side, who have lost both their games, defeat the Irish and there is a winner in the other game between Ankara and South Moravia to produce a tie on six points at the top of the table Gerry Smith’s side will prevail on the head to head rule.

A delighted Smith said after today’s game: “I am very proud of all the players and the staff for the work that was put in. It is fantastic for Irish football to reach a UEFA final. We did it in 2011 so two finals in four years is great and hopefully we can go one better than we did in Portugal. Some of the players have played over 60 games this season so it has taken a great physical effort to get through these games. It means I can rest a few players on Wednesday and give some of the other squad members a run.”

Smith made two changes from the side which beat Ankara 2-0 on Friday night with Rilwan Sule coming in for James Carr on the right hand side of midfield while Paul Murphy replaced Kevin Lynch, a move that skipper Ken Hoey switch from right back to left back to accommodate the 27-year-old.

After another cagey opening, the Irish broke the deadlock on 22 minutes when James Lee was brought down inside the area by Michael Kršák and while Czech goalkeeper David Juran initially saved Darren Dunne's effort from the spot, he could not prevent him sweeping home the rebound from close range for his second goal in two games.

The impressive Rilwan Sule then went close with a dipping shot that clipped off the top of the crossbar but the Irish were unable to add to their opening goal before the half-time break. They rode their luck in the opening minutes of the second half as Luksa Kubicek blasted Radim Zaruba’s shot across the post and the goalkeeper Brendan O’Connell produced a brilliant block to deny Tomas Zubek after a mix-up in the Irish defence.

Eastern Region added the cushion of a second goal on 61 minutes when Darren Dunne’s corner picked out defender Paul Breen at the back post and he powered a header to the back of the net. Noel Murray almost made it 3-0 minutes later but his goalbound shot was deflected wide by team-mate Gregory Moorehouse.

South Moravia dominated possession in the final quarter but the nearest they came to pulling a goal back was in the 79th minute when substitute Miloš Žoček smacked a free-kick from the edge of the box against the bar.

Eastern Region (IRL): Brendan O’Connell; Paul Murphy, Noel Murray, Paul Breen, Ken Hoey (C); Rilwan Sule (James Carr 55), Darren Dunne, James Lee, Laurence Dunne (Kevin Lynch 61); David Lacey (Thomas Dunne 72), Gregory Moorehouse.

South Moravia (CZE): David Juran; Roman Svarc (C), Jakub Splichal, Michael Krsak, Tomas Novotny; Lukas Kubicek (Miroslav Paul 72), David Lang, Radim Fiala (Milos Zocek 46), Radim Zaruba; Tomas Zubek (Ondrej Ullmann 62), Petr Svoboda.  

Referee: Nikolaj Hanni (SUI).

UEFA Regions Cup Finals

Results & Fixtures

Friday, June 26

Group A

South Moravia (Czech Republic) 1 Tuzla (Bosnia & Herzegovina) 0

Eastern Region (IRL) 2 Ankara (Turkey) 0

Group B

Zagreb (Croatia) 4 Dolnośląski (Poland) 0

Eastern Region (NIR) 2 Württemberg 2 (Germany) 2l

Sunday, June 28

Group A

Eastern Region (IRL) 2 South Moravia 0

Ankara 2 Tuzla 1

Group B

Zagreb 3 Eastern Region (NIR) 1

Dolnośląski 0 Württemberg 1  

Wednesday, July 1

Group A

Tuzla v Eastern Region (IRL), Tallaght Stadium, 19:00

Ankara v South Moravia, Carlisle Grounds, 19:00

Group B

Württemberg v Zagreb, Whitehall, 19:00.

Dolnośląski v Eastern Region (NIR), Tolka Park, 15:00.

Coach Gerry Davis and defender Noel Murray gave their reaction to FAI TV after a fantastic day for Irish amateur football.

The Irish side will meet Bosnian side Tuzla Canton on Wednesday at Tallaght Stadium (7pm) then face either the Croatian side Zagreb or the German side Württemberg on Saturday at the same venue - let's get behind the Boys in Green!