Paul Osam and his staff have worked with the squad in development games in recent weeks but the Irish head coach is looking forward to the first official fixture of the season at this level.

"Everything has gone really well. We've trained at the venue and all the preparation has gone well although some players have slight knocks and we'll assess how they are before the game," he said.

"We trained well in Dublin before we came over here and we've prepared as much as we can. We've done a bit of research on the opposition but we're concentrating mostly on ourselves.

"The venue is a fantastic complex which fields various different sports in a campus of the Heriot Watt university. It's going to be unusual for their players playing under a roof for the first time in a game like this but it will be the same for both sides.

"We want to give the players more exposure to what international football is about. We've had development games in the summer but these are their first games at U16 international level and exposing them to more scenarios and problem-solving situations in games like this helps their progress. We want to try and improve them as much as possible as we can throughout the season.

"There's a lot of work done with them at U15 level and we want to help pass them on to the U17s ready for the competitive games next season."

The games will be screened live here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ScotlandNationalTeam/videos

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND:

Kian Clarke (St Kevin's Boys)

Harry Clarke (Cherry Orchard)

Max Murphy (St Joseph's Boys)

Kevin O'Reilly (Cherry Orchard)

Nathan Collins (Cherry Orchard)

Kameron Ledwidge (St Kevin's Boys)

Jason Knight (Cabinteely)

Marc Walsh (Finn Harps)

Barry Coffey (Nenagh AFC)

Adam Idah (College Corinthians)

Sean Brennan (Belvedere)

Callum Thompson (St Joseph's Boys)

Connor O'Reilly (Bonagee United)

Oisin McEntee (Malahide United)

Mark McGuinness (Arsenal)

Adam O'Reilly (Ringmahon Rangers)

Tyreik Wright (Lakewood AFC)

Ryan Cassidy (St Kevin's Boys)

Ray O'Sullivan (St Kevin's Boys)

Luca Connell (Bolton Wanderers)

Ciaran Brennan (East End United)

Sean Mahon (Cherry Orchard)

FIXTURES

Victory Shield U16 Tournament

Sunday, October 30

Scotland v Northern Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh (2pm)

Wales v Republic of Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh (5pm)

Tuesday, November 1

Republic of Ireland v Northern Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh (1pm)

Scotland v Wales, Oriam, Edinburgh (4pm)

Friday, November 4

Northern Ireland v Wales, Oriam, Edinburgh (12.30pm)

Scotland v Republic of Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh (3.30pm)

The Group 10 leaders must overcome their final opponents of the Qualifying Round in order to progress as top seeds in their pursuit of a place in the UEFA European Championship finals.

Next summer's tournament will be staged in Czech Republic with only seven places up for grabs. However, Dave Bell's squad are only thinking about Turner's Cross on Halloween night and collecting the three points.

According to tricky winger Heather Payne, the celebrations from their victories over Faroe Islands and Belarus have been resigned to history. But they want to add one more fruitful chapter before closing the book on this round.

"We're happy that we have qualified but our focus is on beating Iceland, getting nine points and topping the group. That's all that matters," said Payne.

The Galway girl, who has been setting the Continental Tyres Women's National League alight in her debut season with Peamount United, has excelled in Ireland's two games so far.

Yet, she is quick to acknowledge that there is more work left to do. "Getting top spot or not getting it could be the difference of getting to the finals or not. We have a massive game against Iceland and we are going to treat it as if it is our first game," she said.

The professional attitude of this young team should not surprise anyone who has come across Bell - a vastly experienced coach who has been to two European Championships in the last three years.

Maintaining a steely determination, especially when the expectations rise, is not easy but it is something that has rubbed off on this Ireland squad. Take newcomer Alannah McEvoy as an example.

The Bray native may be a rookie at international level when it comes to minutes played in competitive games, but she has not allowed that to slow her down one bit. In fact, few defenders have been able to keep up with her. And what is clearly firing her up is a sense of pride.

"We are representing our country, so we want to make the most of it and make people proud of us. We also want to qualify for the tournaments for the likes of Heather (Payne) and Tiegan (Ruddy) because this is their last year at this level," said McEvoy.

Take it from a striker who puts team satisfaction before personal glory, this Ireland outfit are not finished yet. They have one big game to go and they are determined to come out on top.

Republic of Ireland Women's Under 17s
Goalkeepers: Erica Turner, Rachael Kelly (Shelbourne Ladies)
Defenders: Aoife Lynagh, Lucia Lobato (Salthill Devon), Lauryn Grier (Kentstown Rovers), Sadhbh Doyle (Galway WFC), Tara Mannix (Cork City WFC), Orla Casey (Wexford Youths), Sophie O'Donoghue (Shelbourne Ladies)
Midfielders: Tiegan Ruddy, Doireann Fahey, Chloe Singleton (Peamount United), Tyler Toland (Maiden City), Megan Mackey (Chelsea Ladies)
Forwards: Heather Payne, Carla McManus (Peamount United), Isibeal Carolan, Alannah McEvoy (Enniskerry)

Fixture
Monday, October 31: Iceland v Republic of Ireland, Turner's Cross, KO 19:00

Results
Wednesday, October 26: Republic of Ireland 6-0 Faroe Islands, Turner's Cross
Friday, October 28: Republic of Ireland 2-0 Belarus, Turner's Cross

Paul Osam's side produced a dominant display with Adam idah scoring twice while Nathan Collins and Ciaran Brennan also found the net to out the Irish top of the table on day one of the four-team tournament.

Ireland went 1-0 up after 74 seconds when Idah headed home at the back post after Collins nodded the ball back across goal from Max Murphy's free-kick from the right flank.

In the 13th minute Ireland had a great chance to increase that lead when Idah's low strike came back off an upright but Barry Coffey could not turn home the loose ball.

Irish keeper Kian Clarke made some routine saves from strikes from distance before Kameron Ledwidge forced a corner with a long range free-kick in the 31st minute.

Ledwidge then fired over the corner and Collins headed home from eight yards out to extend Ireland's lead.

Wales had a big chance to pull one back in the 36th minute when Keenan Patten played in Neco Williams but the striker fired over with the goal at his mercy. Two minutes later Idah had a header held by the keeper following a Ledwidge cross.

Idah then made it 3-0 when he poked home after his header in the 38th minute from a Tyriek Wright cross was only parried by keeper Dan Barden.

Clarke made a decent stop to keep out a strike from Terry Taylor from the edge of the box in the 48th minute then Ireland broke down the other end and after a scramble Idah saw a flicked effort hit an upright.

Ireland went 4-0 up in the 76th minute when Ciaran Brennan showed good pace and rounded the sub keeper Luke Burton before slotting home after a clever pass from Barry Coffey.

Ireland will meet Northern Ireland at the same venue in their second game on Tuesday afternoon. Scotland beat Northern Ireland 2-0 in their opener.

"We were very good. It was a very good performance all across the team. We had our game plan and it worked out well. There are lots of areas we can improve upon but the players applied themselves really well," said Osam.

"We were an attacking threat and our wide players did very well. The players are constantly learning at this level and we're trying to build up their library of knowledge. They've been great all week. We'll turn our heads to the next game against Northern Ireland.

"I felt it was very important to keep the clean sheet. The defence was excellent. We didn't let our concentration levels drop. Scoring four was excellent but keeping a clean sheet was also very pleasing."

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: K Clarke, Murphy, Collins, Ledwidge (K O'Reilly 71), Knight, Coffey (Connell 76), Idah (C Brennan 71), S Brennan (A O'Reilly 63), Thompson, McEntee, Wright (Cassidy 63).

RESULTS & FIXTURES

Victory Shield U16 Tournament

Sunday, October 30

Scotland 2-0 Northern Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh

Wales 0-4 Republic of Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh

Tuesday, November 1

Republic of Ireland v Northern Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh (1pm)

Scotland v Wales, Oriam, Edinburgh (4pm)

Friday, November 4

Northern Ireland v Wales, Oriam, Edinburgh (12.30pm)

Scotland v Republic of Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh (3.30pm)

Ireland beat Wales 4-0 on Sunday thanks to an Adam Idah double plus goals from Nathan Collins and Ciaran Brennan while their Northern Ireland counter-parts lost 2-0 to hosts Scotland.

Idah has recovered from a hand injury sustained against the Welsh while Marc Walsh is fit after picking up a knock in training on Friday.

"We're looking forward to tomorrow's game. This age group is about development and we want to make sure we give all the players an opportunity so we'll change the line-up for this game," said Osam.

"I expect that it'll be a tough game as Northern Ireland lost their first game and will want to bounce back. We looked at that game and there was actually very little between the two sides. It's always a challenging game being a derby match but we feel we have players who can face that.

"Our performance on Sunday was very good but we know we can find areas of improvement. We had unit meetings with the players and the staff and we went through the aspects of the Welsh game that we felt they need to concentrate on. They are intelligent boys who are clever enough to recognise where they can improve themselves."

Live coverage:

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND:

Kian Clarke (St Kevin's Boys)

Harry Clarke (Cherry Orchard)

Max Murphy (St Joseph's Boys)

Kevin O'Reilly (Cherry Orchard)

Nathan Collins (Cherry Orchard)

Kameron Ledwidge (St Kevin's Boys)

Jason Knight (Cabinteely)

Marc Walsh (Finn Harps)

Barry Coffey (Nenagh AFC)

Adam Idah (College Corinthians)

Sean Brennan (Belvedere)

Callum Thompson (St Joseph's Boys)

Connor O'Reilly (Bonagee United)

Oisin McEntee (Malahide United)

Mark McGuinness (Arsenal)

Adam O'Reilly (Ringmahon Rangers)

Tyreik Wright (Lakewood AFC)

Ryan Cassidy (St Kevin's Boys)

Ray O'Sullivan (St Kevin's Boys)

Luca Connell (Bolton Wanderers)

Ciaran Brennan (East End United)

Sean Mahon (Cherry Orchard)

FIXTURES

Victory Shield U16 Tournament

Sunday, October 30

Scotland 2-0 Northern Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh

Wales 0-4 Republic of Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh

Tuesday, November 1

Republic of Ireland v Northern Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh (1pm)

Scotland v Wales, Oriam, Edinburgh (4pm)

Friday, November 4

Northern Ireland v Wales, Oriam, Edinburgh (12.30pm)

Scotland v Republic of Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh (3.30pm)

Dave Bell's side occupied pole position going into the last of three Qualifying Round games but it was never going to be easy to saunter through to the Elite Round as top seeds. It required a huge effort.

This group of girls, however, continue to prove that they have the right combination of courage and skill needed to fight back from difficulties, such as Hlin Elriksdottir's opening goal on 23 minutes.

Carla McManus set them on the way when she netted on 39 minutes with a sweet finish - bringing her tally to five goals in three appearances - while an own goal on 50 minutes gave Ireland the advantage.

Then Megan Mackey popped up with a late brace - firstly a superb volley on 69 minutes and then a neat finish on 75 minutes - to wrap up the three points and a perfect ending to the group.

Credit should go to Bell, and his backroom staff, for applying a sense of professionalism within this talented squad because it is one thing setting high expectations, it quite another delivering them.

They started on a bright note with a 6-0 victory over Faroe Islands and followed it up with a 2-0 win against Belarus, but there are clear signs that there is even more to come from this Ireland team.

Opting to start Rachael Kelly between the posts, Bell ensured that every one of his 18 squad members saw some minutes on the pitch. And Kelly proved her worth with an excellent save late on.

This was a performance that highlighted many of Ireland's strengths and they played some excellent football. But the sweetest thing of all will be the fact that they finished as top seeds.

The next target will be the Elite Round in early 2017. By then, the message will have spread around Europe that this is a team very much to fear in the shake-up for a spot at next summer's finals in Czech Republic.

Iceland: Gudlaugsdottir; Fjolnisdottir (Vilhjalmsdottir 75), Sigurbjomsdottir, Steinarsdottir, Gudnadottir; Ragnarsdottir (Jack 61), Johannsdottir; Eiriksdottir, Jonsdottir, Johannesdottir; Einarsdottir.

Republic of Ireland: Kelly; Doyle, Ruddy, Grier; Mackey, Toland, Casey (Singleton 79); Payne, McEvoy, Carolan (Mannix 72); McManus (Lynagh 80).

Referee: Meliz Ozcigdem (TUR).

The draw in full is: 

Swords Celtic v Crumlin United

St Mary's v Skerries Town

St Patrick's CY v Ballymun United

Portmarnock AFC v Riverstown FC

Killester United v Blarney United

Drumcondra FC v Bangor Celtic

Everton AFC v Wayside Celtic

Cobh Wanderers v Sacred Heart

Bluebell United v Tullamore Town 

Edenderry Town v Bonagee United

Glenville v Douglas Hall 

College Corinthians v Cockhill Celtic

Ballincollig v Ringmahon Rangers

Liffey Wanderers v Rockmount AFC

Cherry Orchard v Malahide United

Firhouse Clover v Greystones United AFC

Fixtures to be played on or before 27th November 2016.

Paul Osam’s side followed up their 4-0 win over Wales on Sunday with a 2-1 victory thanks to goals in either half from Kameron Ledwidge and Barry Coffey.

Marc Walsh looked dangerous from the off and the Finn Harps winger curled narrowly wide in the ninth minute after spotting the Northern Ireland keeper off his line.

Walsh then played a role in the opening goal in the 28th minute when he cut the ball back to Sean Brennan from a right wing free-kick. The Northern Ireland defence got in a muddle dealing with Brennan’s delivery and Ledwidge was well placed to slot the ball into the unguarded net.

Tyriek Wright was unlucky to see a powerful effort blocked down by a Northern Ireland defender in the 33rd minute when Ciaran Brennan nodded the ball down from another right wing cross by Walsh.

Northern Ireland came close to grabbing a dramatic equaliser just before half-time with a long range effort from Jordan McEneff rattled Harry Clarke’s crossbar.

Sean Brennan was unlucky not to extend the Irish lead in the 54th minute when he flashed a strike across the face of the Northern Ireland goal.

Less than a minute later it was 2-0 when Coffey robbed the ball in midfield then burst through the Northern Ireland defence before flicking the ball past the advancing keeper for a fine individual goal.

Coffey turned provider for Wright in the 62nd minute but the striker’s effort was deflected narrowly wide. From the resulting corner Sean Brennan took possession and crossed for Coffey to head goal-wards but keeper Paul McLaughlin saved.

Harry Clarke showed his quality when he brilliantly parried a powerful volley from Ethan Galbraith in the 66th minute and 60 seconds later Clarke was extended by a long range blast from the same player and saved once more.

Northern Ireland pulled one back in the 81st minute after a short corner routine saw Caolan McLaughlin head home at the back post but Osam’s side held on to make it six points from their opening two games.

"It was a good win. It was a different kind of game to the Wales match and maybe the performance level wasn't the same as against Wales but we made eight changes to the starting line-up and that's part of this process too," said Osam.

"We knew Northern Ireland would be fired up and flying into tackles and that's how it started. We coped well with the early pressure and then we got a bit of a foothold. We got a goal and from then got a decent hold of the rest of the first half.

"With the staff, we work on the players' development and their tactical awareness - managing games, keep doing the things that got you where you are rather than going down the route of making flicks and tricks for no good purpose. The best players know to keep their discipline in terms of game management.

"We may have allowed them to get back into the game and we would have liked to keep a clean sheet but in fairness to Northern Ireland they kept battling away.

"Getting the win was very good for our players' confidence. We've used all 22 players in the squad now so we'll prepare for Friday's game against Scotland."

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Harry Clarke, Ray O‘Sullivan, Kevin O’Reilly, Mark McGuinness, Kameron Ledwidge, Sean Brennan, Adam O’Reilly, Sean Mahon, Marc Walsh, Ciaran Brennan, Tyriek Wright. Subs: Barry Coffey for Mahon 52 mins; Adam Idah for C Brennan 52; Callum Thompson for Walsh 52; Conor O’Reilly for O’Sullivan 71.

FIXTURES

Victory Shield U16 Tournament

Sunday, October 30

Scotland 2-0 Northern Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh

Wales 0-4 Republic of Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh

Tuesday, November 1

Republic of Ireland 2-1 Northern Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh

Scotland v Wales, Oriam, Edinburgh (4pm)

Friday, November 4

Northern Ireland v Wales, Oriam, Edinburgh (12.30pm)

Scotland v Republic of Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh (3.30pm)

The Rebel Army are set to host the Italian giants in the UEFA Youth League after they recorded a fantastic 1-0 victory over Finnish side HJK Helsinki in the first round of the Domestic Champions path.

Cork are the first side from Ireland to compete in Europe’s elite competition and are set to host a big crowd at Turner’s Cross tomorrow evening.

Bermingham believes the UEFA Youth League has proven how good under-age football in Ireland is and wants his players to be at their very best. 

The Cork Under 19 coach said: “The preparation for the game is going well. It took the players a few days to recover from the last game and you could see it towards the end.

“They showed an incredible effort to get over the line against Helsinki so we let the players recover but now we’re fully in preparation mode ahead of tomorrow’s game.

“I think the UEFA Youth League has proven how good our players here at Cork and across Ireland are. People stood up and took notice of the result against Helsinki and it’s great that the club and the league is being recognised now.

“We’ve done a lot of work behind the scenes with a great staff and this is a great reward for everyone. It is going to be great to have Roma play at Turner’s Cross but it’s important we play to our very best in the evening.”

AS Roma recorded an impressive 9-1 aggregate win in the first round against Cypriot side APOEL Nicosia and have only lost one game so far this season in the Nazionale Primavera.

Cian Coleman, Conor McCarthy and Chiedozie Ogbene have all recently featured for John Caulfield’s side against Wexford Youths and Bray Wanderers, and Bermingham wants his players to take advantage of the ‘opportunity of a life-time’.

He added: “The players have given everything for moments like these. When they’ve grown up, the players will be able to look back fondly on what has been a great experience.

“It is the opportunity of a life-time to test themselves against one of the best teams in Europe. They won their league last year and recently beaten the likes of Juventus, AC Milan and Inter.

“They’re well organised and strong. We’re under no illusions but I want the players to believe in themselves and display everything they’ve got. 

“We’ve got an excellent under-age structure and we’ve done a lot of work with the Cork Schoolboy League who have produced some great players in Cork. It’s going to be a great night, we’re loving every minute.”

Currently joint-top of Group D, after three games played, Ireland will play their third away qualifier of the campaign against a team sitting 30th in the FIFA World Rankings.

Injury has ruled out Rob Elliot, Alan Judge, Daryl Murphy and Shane Long, while several players will be assessed by the FAI medical staff once they report for duty on Monday, November 7.

There are first senior call-ups for Dundalk duo Andy Boyle and Daryl Horgan, who recently helped the club retain the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division and have excelled in the UEFA Europa League.

Also included in the provisional squad is goalkeeper Colin Doyle, who earned his only senior cap against Ecuador in May 2007, and has recorded six clean sheets for Bradford City so far this season.

The Ireland squad will train at the FAI National Training Centre before departing for Vienna on Thursday, November 10.

Republic of Ireland Provisional Squad
Goalkeepers: Darren Randolph (West Ham United), Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday), Colin Doyle (Bradford City), Ian Lawlor (Manchester City), Danny Rogers (Falkirk*)

Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Cyrus Christie, Richard Keogh, Alex Pearce (Derby County), John O'Shea (Sunderland), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle United), Paul McShane (Reading), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), Andy Boyle (Dundalk), Stephen Ward (Burnley)

Midfielders: Aiden McGeady (Preston North End*), James McClean (West Bromwich Albion), Jeff Hendrick (Burnley), James McCarthy (Everton), Stephen Quinn (Reading), Glenn Whelan (Stoke City), Harry Arter (Bournemouth), Eunan O'Kane (Leeds United), David Meyler (Hull City), Stephen Gleeson (Birmingham City), Conor Hourihane (Barnsley), Robbie Brady, Wes Hoolahan (Norwich City), Callum O'Dowda (Bristol City), Jonathan Hayes (Aberdeen), Daryl Horgan (Dundalk)

Forwards: Jonathan Walters (Stoke City), Adam Rooney (Aberdeen), Kevin Doyle (Colorado Rapids), David McGoldrick (Ipswich Town)

*Indicates player is currently on loan

The game was hosted in the Camp Field of Collins Barracks, Cork, with the home side winning 1-0 thanks to a goal scored in the first period of extra time by Gunner Eddie Nolan, who also plays his football with Cobh Wanderers.

Winning captain Cpl Dave Sweeney, who plays his football with Ballincollig, was delighted to be presented with the Cunningham Cup by Lieutenant Colonel John O'Neill, who is the acting Executive Officer of 1 Brigade based in the Headquarters in Cork.

All roads lead to the Aviva Stadium this weekend as Cork City look to avenge last season's extra-time defeat to a Richie Towell inspired Dundalk side. In Towell's absence, Dundalk have become even stronger with unprecented success on the European front this season as well as securing the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title for a third consecutive year. 

Cork themselves have already created history in getting to this stage as they become the first side in the club's history to reach back-to-back Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup finals.

Their talisman this season has been Sean Maguire who was the league's top scorer firing in 18 goals in a sensational campaign. FAI TV sat down with Maguire to get his thought's ahead of Sunday's decider.  

Kevin O'Connor is another in-form player for the Leesiders. The Wexford native, who was part of last season's team defeated at the Aviva Stadium, has continued to impress on the domestic front and was rewarded with winning his first cap for Noel King's Republic of Ireland Under-21 side this season.

O'Connor is adament that City will be going out this weekend to right the wrongs from last year's cup final defeat. Watch the full interview below: 

Tickets for Sunday's Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup Final are available through participating clubs now and also from Ticketmaster.ie HERE

The Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup Final at the Aviva Stadium will be Dundalk's final game domestically in what has already been a momentous campaign. The Lilywhites renew their rivalry with John Caulfield's Cork City, in a repeat of last season's decider.

Forced off through injury in that extra-time win for Dundalk, Sean Gannon is keen for the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division Champions to carry this season's form into Sunday's big game. The full exclusive interview with the Dundalk defender can be viewed here: 

Ronan Finn has continued to be an integral part of Stephen Kenny's team this season. Watch the full interview below where Finn reflects on the season so far, the UCD influence within the panel, and what to expect on Sunday:

Tickets for Sunday's Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup Final are available through participating clubs now and also from Ticketmaster.ie HERE 

Tickets will be on sale from the window at turnstiles block Q & R from 11.00hrs on match day. FAI ticket collections will be available from Lansdowne Rugby Club from 01.00hrs.

Ticketmaster

Two outlets will be located on the corner of Lansdowne Road & Northumberland Road. Both outlets will be open from 12.00hrs.

There is FREE Premium Level entry for all 2016/17 FAI Season Ticket holders. Simply present scan your season ticket at the Premium Level turnstiles to gain entry. 

As part of the FARE campaign (Football against Racism in Europe), clubs, leagues, players, coaches and officials across Europe have come together to make a stand in support of this major anti-racism and discrimination initiative. Some of the most high-profile personalities have joined the cause with t-shirts, banners and TV adverts displayed during FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA Europa League games.

Closer to home, SSE Airtricity League and Continental Tyres Women's National League clubs have also gotten involved, while the Republic of Ireland Women's Under 17s supported the campaign ahead of their recent UEFA European Championship Qualifiers in Turner's Cross.

The Football Association of Ireland are strong advocates of the campaign with the Late Nite Leagues in Limerick using 'No To Racism' apparel and an online survey created to encourage people from all levels to get involved in kicking racism out of football.

As part of the FAI’s continued support of this campaign, and to help us better understand what can be done to deal with racism/discrimination, the national survey has been added to the FAI website and you can contribute by clicking here

Minister of State Patrick O'Donovan, FAI CEO John Delaney, Limerick City and County Council CEO Conn Murray, and Mayor of Limerick Cllr Kieran O'Hanlon were present at the announcement in Rathkeale on Friday morning.

McGann replaces Conor Nestor, who was a very successful Development Officer in Limerick for the past eight years, and moves into the position which has been co-funded between the FAI and Limerick City and County Council since 2008.

The role strives to increase participation of football in the area through coordination and implementation of various FAI programmes that are in line with Limerick City and County Council objectives.

Football has proven to be an excellent tool to engage with a broad number of communities, and this facilitates positive social inclusion.

The role of the Football Development Officer is to assist the FAI and Limerick City and County Council achieve specific targets through the delivery of football development programmes across the community while developing partnerships and coordination between the relevant stakeholders and maximising their involvement in the development of football in Limerick - from grassroots to elite levels.

Welcoming the announcement Minister Patrick O'Donovan said: "I would like to wish Barry well in his new role as FAI Football Development Officer for Limerick. Barry has a wealth of experience and I am sure he will build on the great work done by his predecessor Conor Nestor. The work of the FAI Football Development Officers is hugely important in the coaching and promotion of football in Limerick and throughout the country. And hopefully Barry's appointment will lead to increased participation and more success for our clubs in Limerick in the future."

FAI CEO John Delaney said: "We are delighted with this announcement to continue the strong partnership with Limerick County and City Council. Barry will join three other FAI Football Development Officers in Limerick City - Barbara Bermingham, Jason O'Connor and Declan Considine - who assist, through coaching and promotion of football, with the development of local communities, in this great sporting part of the world."

The Mayor of the City and County Limerick Cllr Kieran O'Hanlon said: "Barry McGann will be an excellent addition to the FAI team here in Limerick. He joins a very strong team in helping to develop football across the city and county. The future stars of the game need to have their talent nurtured and the programmes undertaken by the FAI Football Development Officers in Limerick follow a holistic approach, which also focuses on personal development, which is crucial."

Limerick City and Council Chief Executive Conn Murray said: "The work carried out by Limerick City and County Council and the FAI is a perfect example of how cooperation between different bodies can lead to real change. The Football Development Officers carry out important work both on and off the pitch. The work that they do has very important social outcomes, which impacts positively on entire communities. The unveiling of Barry reaffirms the commitment shown by the local authority and the FAI to the Football Development Officer programme across Limerick."

Barry McGann is from Galway and has been coaching 2009, where he has worked with the FAI Emerging Talent Programme in both Galway and Kerry. Previously a coach and analyst for Galway United, he also coached the Galway & District League and Girls Academy. A stint with the Chelsea FC Foundation saw McGann work across all programmes in their Community Foundation and with their scouts and managers.

A holder of the UEFA B Coaching Licence, McGann is a graduate of the Institute of Technology, Tralee with a BSc in Health and Leisure Studies. He headed the FAI Summer Soccer Schools programme in his region and has also worked on projects with Primary Schools, FAI/Croi Walking Football, and RAPID.

McGann said: "I've been very lucky to work across many great communities in my time as a coach and to take up this exciting role is a real honour for me. Limerick is renowned for its love of sport and I'm really looking forward to working with the great people in the county to help promote football within Limerick's fabulous sporting communities."

Limerick enjoys a strong and rich relationship with football, through its Desmond and County Leagues where around 5,000 players are registered, and is currently experiencing great success on the national stage with Limerick FC winning the SSE Airtricity League First Division this season.

The home ground, Markets Field, for Limerick FC was recently named as the SSE Airtricity League Pitch of the Year and it successfully hosted the EA SPORTS Cup Final in September.

Football remains a strong pull in Limerick, evidenced by the staging of the International Champions Cup game between Celtic FC and Inter Milan, and also the annual hosting of the Kennedy Cup and Gaynor Cup competitions in the University of Limerick.

Paul Osam's side produced an energetic second half display to take control of the game and an Adam Idah finish was followed up by a Callum Thompson double to seal the win.

The first half was a tense affair with plenty of endeavour but little by the way of early chances.

Ireland's first major attempt on goal came in the 33rd minute when Sean Brennan played a one-two with Barry Coffey then produced a strike from 25 yards that the Scottish keeper Archie Mair did well to push wide.

The Irish had a half-chance in the 47th minute when a Nathan Collins header from a corner dropped to the feet of Mark McGuinness but the Arsenal defender failed to threaten the goal with his strike.

Ireland had a big chance in the 49th minute when Jason Knight slipped through Tyriek Wright but keeper Mair was out brilliantly to save at the substitute's feet.

The Irish took the lead in the 53rd minute when Idah raced onto a ball over the top from Knight then showed tremendous composure to round keeper Mair and poking into the empty net.

Ireland went two up just under a minute later when Thompson burst in from the right and fired home from an acute angle.

Scotland hit the crossbar in the 61st minute when a cross from the right flew over the Irish defence but less than a minute later Thompson grabbed his second goal when he led a counter-attack and slotted home.

Overall it was a brilliant week for the Irish players and staff with three wins from as many games.

"Scotland were the best team we played here. We knew they would be and they have really good players who spend a lot of time together as their set-up has them in school together," said Osam.

"They have excellent rotation and movement up front which comes from being together a long time. Their manager Brian McLaughlin has them playing in the right manner and they are a very good team.

"We knew we had to play well on the counter. People forget that defending is a key part of the game. Despite all their possession they didn't really hurt us and didn't really create many chances. They pressed us high as we expected and I felt eventually chances would open up and we could play them on the counter.

"After defending well in the first half we got three excellent goals. Being hypercritical maybe we could have kept the ball better late on to see the game out but everybody was excellent.

"Looking at the tournament as a whole, I'm very pleased. We conceded just one goal in extra-time against Northern Ireland and scored nine goals which was excellent from everybody involved.

"Winning the tournament is a huge amount of credit to the players and staff for all the work put in. We'll try get the players together again in the coming months so that we can work on their further development.

"It's a great credit to everybody involved in the development of these players - clubs and Emerging Talent Programme - that they're able to take as much on board as they do considering the time we have with them is limited and the other nations have so much more contact hours with their players than we have."

IRELAND: K Clarke, Murphy, Collins, McGuinness, Ledwidge, Knight, Coffey, Idah, S Brennan, Thompson, Cassidy. Subs: Tyriel Wright for Cassidy 41 mins; Adam O'Reilly for S Brennan 41; Luca Connell for Coffey 60; Conor O'Reilly for Murphy 72; Ciaran Brennan for Idah 72; Ray O'Sullivan for McGuinness 78; Marc Walsh for Thompson 78.

RESULTS

Victory Shield U16 Tournament

Sunday, October 30

Scotland 2-0 Northern Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh

Wales 0-4 Republic of Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh

Tuesday, November 1

Republic of Ireland 2-1 Northern Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh

Scotland 2-2 Wales, Oriam, Edinburgh

Friday, November 4

Northern Ireland 2-3 Wales, Oriam, Edinburgh

Scotland 0-3 Republic of Ireland, Oriam, Edinburgh

The Irish will meet the Netherlands on Friday, November 11 (4.00pm Irish), then meet Germany on Sunday, November 13 (12.00pm Irish) in the first fixtures since Crawford's appointment to the U18 role this summer.

"It's a great opportunity for the players to show what they can do at this level," said Crawford.

"We've seen before that Tom Mohan isn't afraid to bring up players from the younger age-group up to the U19s as we saw with their games against Austria and in the qualifiers last month.

"These games are a great barometer of where they are in their development. We're playing two class teams that reached the semi-finals of the UEFA U!7 Championships last season. I've seen a lot of footage of the Dutch and the Germans and both these sides will test our players, which is what we want.

"You never have too much time to play with when working with international teams so the challenge for us as a staff to get our message across in the time that we have is big and that's what we'll be looking to do with these games."

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND:

Edward McGinty (Sligo Rovers)

Mark Travers (Bournemouth)

Canice Carroll (Oxford United)

James Finnerty (Aston Villa)

Ryan Nolan (Inter Milan)

Aaron O’Driscoll (Southampton)

Dara O’Shea (West Bromwich Albion)

Rian O’Sullivan (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Thomas Byrne (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Jack Clarke (Aston Villa)

Daniel McKenna (Wolves)

Stephen Mallon (Sheffield United)

Thomas O’Connor (Southampton)

Kian Flanagan (Crystal Palace)

Cory Ngaba (Ipswich Town)

Anthony Scully (West Ham United)

Aidan Keena (St Patrick’s Athletic)

Aaron Dobbs (Shamrock Rovers)

FIXTURES

U18 International Friendly

Friday, November 11

Netherlands v Republic of Ireland, Futbol Salou, Sapin (4.00pm Irish)

Sunday, November 13

Germany v Republic of Ireland, Futbol Salou, Sapin (12.00pm Irish)

Tickets for Sunday's FAI Cup Finals will be on sale on matchday outside the stadium. 

Tickets are available through participating clubs now and also from Ticketmaster.ie HERE 

Tickets will be on sale from the window at turnstiles block Q & R from 11.00hrs on match day. FAI ticket collections will be available from Lansdowne Rugby Club from 10.00hrs.

Ticketmaster

Two outlets will be located on the corner of Lansdowne Road & Northumberland Road. Both outlets will be open from 12.00hrs.

There is FREE Premium Level entry for all 2016/17 FAI Season Ticket holders. Simply present scan your season ticket at the Premium Level turnstiles to gain entry. 

Fixtures

WFAI Continental Tyres Senior Cup Final - Wexford Youths WFC v Shelbourne Ladies. Kick-Off 12:05

Irish Daily Mail FAI Senior Cup Final - Cork City v Dundalk, Kick-Off 15:40

In a re-match of last year’s cup final where reigning league champions Wexford lift the cup after a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

“It’s a privilege to lead out such a successful group of players into the Aviva Stadium,” declared Wexford Youths WFC boss Gary Hunt.

“It’s unique and a credit to the FAI in how they promote the club and women’s game to have this match in the Aviva Stadium and hopefully the game will be a cracker for the fans.

“It’s a big week for club with the men’s team in the SSE Airtricity League promotion/relegation playoff and the cup final has created a different level of excitement.

“Our team has players from well beyond Wexford as well as the county. We have players from Carlow, Waterford and Kilkenny and it’s been great to be getting best wishes from those areas.” 

While the occasion is something special, Hunt has set his eyes set on Wexford retaining the Continental Tyres Women’s FAI Cup.

“It’ll be very different this year,” explained Hunt who acknowledges the size of the Aviva Stadium pitch brings a new dimension between the two sides.

“Obviously we’ll get on it early for the warm up and we train on an astro-pitch, which will mimic the surface of the Aviva. But the game will be a lot more tactical.

“In my opinion both teams will target to makes chances from minute one to minute 90 and into extra-time. A last minute pounce may very well decide it.”

Shels boss Mark Leavy is brimming with pride ahead of Sunday’s show piece, Leavy having had a life long association with Shelbourne.

“I’m delighted to get there, I’m Shels through and through and it’s a very proud moment for me and the club to get to the Aviva Stadium.

“I was involved with Trim Celtic and I was approached by Shelbourne Ladies five years ago to become involved, I’m still very proud to be involved with both clubs.

“We’ve prepared well and we're focused but we go in as underdogs.

“I hope it’s not a repeat of last year for everyone involved and the game gets resolved in 90 minutes,” added Leavy.

“Wexford might be missing one or two but they have some strength in depth. Even though we won in Ferrycarrig park, it could easily have been a draw if not for some super saves from Amanda McQuillian.”

Wexford are without the suspended Kylie Murphy, Vice-captain Nicola Sinnott will have the armband on Sunday. Amy Walsh and Lauren Dwyer face late fitness tests.

While Shels are without injured pair Rebecca Creagh and Aoife Lennon.

Wexford Youths WFC v Shelbourne Ladies

Aviva Stadium, Sunday November 5

Kick off: 12.05pm

Ticketing Information

Tickets for Sunday's FAI Cup Finals will be on sale on matchday outside the stadium.

Tickets are available through participating clubs now and also from Ticketmaster.ie HERE 

Tickets will be on sale from the window at turnstiles block Q & R from 11.00hrs on match day. FAI ticket collections will be available from Lansdowne Rugby Club from 10.00hrs.

Ticketmaster

Two outlets will be located on the corner of Lansdowne Road & Northumberland Road. Both outlets will be open from 12.00hrs.

There is FREE Premium Level entry for all 2016/17 FAI Season Ticket holders. Simply present scan your season ticket at the Premium Level turnstiles to gain entry. 

Wexford held a slight advantage from the first leg in Ferrycarrig Park, but the loss of Lee Chin hurt their chances. And then they came up against a Drogheda side that was fired up.

Local boy Sean Brennan got things started for Drogheda when he smashed in a long-range effort that Wexford goalkeeper Graham Doyle could do nothing about.

Injuries to Brennan and Lloyd Buckley should have set Pete Mahon's team back, but it appeared to thrust them forward as they continued to pile the pressure on their visitors.

A header from substitute Kevin Farragher boosted their chances before Drogheda earned a penalty that another replacement, Sean Thornton, stepped up to slot in.

Some brave defending was needed late on, but Drogheda had done enough to win the tie and reclaim a place in the top flight.

Drogheda United: McGuinness; Deasy, Gallagher, Buckley (Farragher 20), Dunne, Brennan (Thornton 55), Purdy; Wixted (Ashe 89), Hyland, McCaffrey; Griffin.

Wexford Youths: Doyle; McCabe, Delaney, Grace, O'Connor (Dempsey 85); Whittle (Friel 85), Kenny (Dunne 85), Bonner, Kennan; Murphy, Furlong.

Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork).