This past week has been a busy period for the Republic of Ireland’s international teams with four participants in the UEFA Elite Round, the Under-21’s continuing their EURO 2019 campaign and various other sides in friendly action. 

Next week sees the Women’s U-19 side taking on Austria, Spain and Turkey in the Elite Round with Ireland’s three games taking place in Turner’s Cross, while Colin Bell’s senior team face crucial FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Netherlands on April 6 and 10 respectively in Tallaght Stadium. 

On the men’s side, player development has been discussed at length particularly with Colin O’Brien’s U-17 side qualifying impressively for a second successive European Championship Finals following a campaign that resulted in six wins from six and a top seeding spot at the Finals in May.

Established over 10 years ago, the FAI Emerging Talent Programme’s aim was to identify and develop talented young players around the country with a view to helping them progress onto the international stage in due course. 

With that in mind, the Senior squad along with the Under 21, 19, 18, and 17 panels selected for the games over the past week are illustrated below, as well as the list of the FAI Emerging Talent hubs each player came through. 

In additional to the Emerging Talent Programme, the newly established Transition Year Football Development course, taking place in conjunction with Fingal County Council, gives participants an opportunity to meet their educational requirements as well as developing their football skills. 

In just it’s second year, the course has already propelled players on to the international stage. U-17 goalkeeper Kian Clarke came through the programme last year, with current participants Brandon Holt, Harry Halwax and Cian Kelly were all members of Ireland’s Victory Shield-winning squad at U-16 level.

A full list of the women’s players that came through the FAI Emerging Talent Programme will be published following the conclusion of the upcoming games in April.  

Emerging Talent Programme Graduates

Republic of Ireland Under 17 squad – UEFA Elite Round qualifiers

Dublin South: Kian Clarke (Shamrock Rovers), Nathan Collins (Stoke City), James Furlong (Shamrock Rovers)

Dundalk;Jimmy Corcoran (Cherry Orchard), Oisin McEntee (Newcastle United)

Dublin North;Kameron Ledwidge (Southampton), Ray O’Sullivan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Sean Brennan (Southampton), Conor Grant (Sheffield Wednesday), Troy Parrott (Tottenham Hotspur)

Arklow;Max Murphy (Stoke City), Jason Knight (Derby County), Callum Thompson (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Limerick;Barry Coffey (Celtic)

Cork;Adam O’Reilly (Preston North End), Adam Idah (Norwich City), Tyriek Wright (Aston Villa)

Letterkenny;Marc Walsh (Swansea City)

Republic of Ireland Under-18 squad – Friendly games against Romania

Castlebar;Luke McNicholas (Sligo Rovers)

Dublin North; Ryan Burke (Birmingham City), Joe Redmond (Birmingham City), Thomas Caffrey (Celtic), Gavin Kilkenny (AFC Bournemouth)

Arklow;Aaron Bolger (Shamrock Rovers)

Cork;Rory Doyle (Cork City)

Waterford;Cian Murphy (Cork City) 

Mullingar;Andy Lyons (Bohemians)

Republic of Ireland U19 squad – UEFA Elite Round qualifiers

Dublin North;Brian Maher (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Jordan Doherty (Sheffield United), James Finnerty (Aston Villa), Dara O’Shea (West Bromwich Albion - on loan at Hereford), Daniel McKenna (Wolverhampton Wanderers - on loan at Bray Wanderers)

Dublin South;Mark Travers (Bournemouth)

Waterford;Lee O’Connor (Manchester United), Thomas O’Connor (Southampton) 

Kerry;Rian O’Sullivan (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Galway;Aaron Connolly (Brighton and Hove Albion)

Arklow;Aaron Dobbs (Shamrock Rovers - on loan at Wexford) 

Republic of Ireland U21 squad – Friendly against Iceland / UEFA qualifier against Azerbaijan

Cork;Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool)

Dublin South;Danny Kane (Cork City), Jake Mulraney (Inverness CT)

Arklow;Ryan Delaney (Rochdale AFC)

Dundalk;James Dunne (Burnley - on loan at Accrington Stanley), Jake Doyle-Hayes (Aston Villa)

Galway;Ryan Manning (QPR)

Letterkenny;Ronan Curtis (Derry City)

Republic of Ireland squad – Friendly against Turkey

Dundalk;Aaron McCarey (Ross County) 

Dublin North;Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Darragh Lenihan (Blackburn Rovers), Jeff Hendrick (Burnley), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United)

Cork;Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), David Meyler (Hull City), Alan Browne (Preston North End)

Waterford;Sean Maguire (Preston North End), Derrick Williams (Blackburn Rovers)

Records were broken by the Sports Direct FAI Summer Soccer Schools last year with more kids involved than ever before. And this summer promises to be just as popular!

The fun-filled camps are a fantastic way to introduce children to football and help them develop their skills.

The Sports Direct  FAI Summer Soccer Schools is the FAI's largest grassroots programme and one of the most important as it encourages children's involvement in sport, in a fun and friendly environment. Now in its 22nd  year, the summer camps had over 34,000 children from all around the country taking part last year - which was a new record with an increase of almost 3,500 children on the previous year!

Camps are priced at €65, with discounts available for siblings and multiple camp bookings, and aimed at children aged between 6 and 14 to football. The week-long camps come with a high standard of coaching and care delivered by Garda vetted FAI qualified coaches which is what sets them apart from other sports' summer camps. They begin on July 2 and run right through to August 24th  (Monday-Friday 10:30am to 3pm).

All camp participants receive a new fully branded Sports Direct FAI Summer Soccer Schools kit, football, backpack and certificate. All attendees will also receive 20% off all Sports Direct clothing, footwear and accessories in store.

For the last four years, the FAI and Sports Direct have used their partnership to raise funds for Temple Street Children's Hospital as their charity partner. Thousands has already been raised for the charity which will continue throughout 2018.

To book a place on our camps CLICK HERE!

Portlaoise AFC Football For All (FFA) held their first ever Easter Camp during the mid-term break and was attended by 13 children. Our footy parents must have made bonfires with the candles they lit in the hope for good weather and it paid off! Over 3 days players enjoyed a mix of working on their football skills, playing matches and of course fun.  

There were nail biting penalty shoot outs, shredded nerves on balance beams, accuracy shots through tunnels, football bowling and matches where the natural competition came out in the players and they had they opportunity to show off their brand new skills. Every day was finished with their favourite game of Duck Duck Goose and what was left of their energy was spent on the rainbow parachute.

Our Camp was very generously supported by George Percy of Disability Consultancy Services (DCS). George's company provides training in all aspects of disability awareness to both employers and their staff. They provide training courses for people with disabilities to empower them with the skills to be able to integrate into mainstream society and the workplace and they provide training courses for Architects and Planners to assist them when preparing plans so that all buildings are totally accessible to ensure access for people with disabilities. Thanks to DCS all players now have brand new rain jackets and beanie hats!

FFA was started at the Club almost 2 years ago and has grown to 15 members. We coach children with disabilities to play football in a pan disability environment thus bringing together children from different sections of our community who's paths might not normally cross. The Camp was organised by Manager Ger Brown and his assistant coaches Ciara Fogarty, Dylan Brown and Aaron Adams. However they could not have pulled it off without the assistance and coaching skills of Tristian Bergin and Gavin Molloy. By the end of the 3 days everyone involved was knackered and happy so our mission was accomplished.

We are always looking for volunteers and indeed more players. We train every Sunday at Portlaoise AFC from 10 to 11am so you are more than welcome to join us. We also have a Disability Workshop hosted by the FAI's Football For All Co-Ordinator Oisín Jordan, that will run over two evenings, on the 19th and 26th of April from 6:30pm to 9pm. The workshop is free to attend and would be of benefit to existing coaches, referees, teachers, SNA's or individuals interested in working with children with disabilities. If you would like to register for the Workshop please email ciarafogarty07@gmail.com.

The talented squad will take on Austria in Turner's Cross at 15:00 to set in motion what Head Coach Dave Connell hopes will a successful start to the final leg of qualifying for this year's tournament.

Connell does not have any injury concerns, which makes his job even more difficult to select a starting line-up from a roster made up of players who have impressed in the Emerging Talent Programme, Fota Island Resort Gaynor Tournament, and Continental Tyres Women's National League.

One of those to stand out has been Cork City WFC playmaker Saoirse Noonan. The fleet-footed attacker was part of Connell's U-17 squad that reached the European Finals in Iceland in 2015 and now wants to lead the U19s all the way.

Noonan - who appeared in the Club & Country video series - believes home advantage could be a key factor as each of Ireland's games against Austria, Turkey and Spain are in Cork. But they need to get off to a good start.

"I think it's every girl's dream to go to the finals and it's motivating the players that haven't been there to get there and experience that. That's where we want to be," Noonan told FAI TV.

"It's three tough teams. We went over and played Turkey two years ago and beat them 3-0 but I think they are going to be tough. Spain are the reigning champions so they are going to be our biggest task but we're going to focus on our first game and that's what's on our minds now.

"People in Cork always support soccer. Hopefully we can get a good crowd out and they can all come support us and put us through to the end."

Entry is free for all 2017/18 FAI Season Ticket holders.

Republic of Ireland WU19 Squad
Goalkeepers: Naoisha McAloon (Peamount United), Erica Turner (UCD Waves)
Defenders: Niamh Farrelly, Lauryn O’Callaghan (Peamount United), Danielle Burke (Cork City), Sadbh Doyle (Galway WFC), Tiegan Ruddy (Shelbourne Ladies)
Midfielders: Chloe Singleton, Sinead Donavon (Galway WFC), Alex Kavanagh, Lynn Craven (Shelbourne Ladies), Megan Mackey (Chelsea), Phobhe Warner (Aston Villa), Orla Casey (Wexford Youths WFC)
Forwards: Saoirse Noonan (Cork City WFC), Aoife Thompson, Lucia Lobato (Galway WFC), Kate Mooney, Alannah McEvoy (Shelbourne Ladies), Naima Chemaou (UCD Waves)

2017/18 UEFA Women's Under-19 European Championships Elite Round Fixtures
April 2: Republic of Ireland v Austria, Turners Cross, 15:00
April 5: Spain v Republic of Ireland, Turners Cross, 19:00
April 8: Turkey v Republic of Ireland, Turners Cross, 14:00 

Saoirse Noonan’s towering header at the beginning of the second half cancelled out a stunning finish from Austria’s Johanna Schneider and was enough to see Ireland begin life in Group 4 with a point.

Austria began the game the better side and they twice went close to grabbing the lead early on but both Johanna Schneider and Laura Krumbock failed to trouble goalkeeper Naoisha McAloon.

Ireland threatened to grab an opener in the 20th minute but after forcing a succession of corners, Shelbourne Ladies midfielder Tiegan Ruddy drove her effort well over the target.

And almost immediately following Ireland’s best spell in the match, Austria charged up the other end and broke the deadlock with Schneider finding the far bottom left corner with a superb lob from the edge of the box.

Austria finished the half strongly but they were punished for not taking their opportunities at the beginning of the second 45 as Noonan levelled terms, powering her header home at the back post from a corner shortly after the restart.

Both sides pressed for a winner and Lauryn O’Callaghan went closest for Ireland late on but after being played in by Noonan, the defender’s thunderous shot was saved by goalkeeper Milena Zink.

Next up for the U-19’s is a tough fixture against Spain at Turner’s Cross on Thursday evening.

Ireland Head Coach Dave Connell said: "First half we showed a little bit of nervousness and probably Austria shaded it without really dominating it. They caught us on the break for our own set-play so that was disappointing.

"We re-grouped at half-time, had a good chat and changed the formation slightly and I thought we dominated the second half which shows great testament to the character of the girls. Overall, we're a little bit disappointed we didn't win but we'll settle for the draw and it keeps us in the group.

"I think the character the team showed and the belief that's in the squad is something they can take into the next game."

Republic of Ireland: Naoisha McAloon; Lynn Craven, Niamh Farrelly, Sadhbh Doyle, Chloe Singleton; Alex Kavanagh, Tiegan Ruddy, Saoirse Noonan; Megan Mackey (Orla Casey 89), Alannah McEvoy (Naima Chemaou 57), Sinead Donovan (Lauryn O’Callaghan 57).

Austria: Milena Zink; Laura Wienroither, Magdalena Bachler, Laura Krumbock (Maileen Mossner 59), Yvonne Weilharter; Besijana Pireci, Melanie Brunnthaler, Lena Kovar, Katharina Fellhofer; Julia Mak, Johanna Schneider (Jana Scharnbock 66).

Referee: Justina Lavrenovaite (Lithuania).

The First Round tie between Drogheda United and St Mochta's has been fixed for United Park on Monday, April 9. This is how the fixture was originally set and has reverted back following a request from St Mochta's.

Also on Monday night, there are three Second Round games as Limerick take on Cobh Ramblers, St Patrick's Athletic meet Dundalk, and Waterford entertain Cork City.

The other outstanding tie from the Second Round sees Shamrock Rovers host Longford Town on Monday, April 23.

EA SPORTS Cup - First Round
Monday, April 9: Drogheda United v St Mochta's, United Park, KO 19:45

Second Round
Monday, April 9: Limerick v Cobh Ramblers, Markets Field, KO 19:45
Monday, April 9: St Patrick's Athletic v Dundalk, Richmond Park, KO 19:45
Monday, April 9: Waterford v Cork City, RSC, KO 19:45
Monday, April 23: Shamrock Rovers v Longford Town, Tallaght Stadium, KO 19:45

Jason Donohue's side played some impressive stuff against a technically-gifted opponent with many players standing out in a very open game.

It was the visitors who took the lead on 10 minutes when Filip Vecheta found enough space to smash in the opener from close range.

Ireland hit back on 20 minutes through a superb solo effort from Clarke as he spun past his marker, turned inside and shifted the ball onto his left foot to slot in.

Enjoying a period of dominance, Ireland took advantage as Crowe made it 2-1 on 39 minutes after finding himself unmarked at the back post to score.

Czech Republic levelled matters on 58 minutes when Urica got his second of the game - this time ghosting in at the back post to rifle in a shot following a goalmouth scramble.

Ireland had a couple of chances to win the game and finished as the side in control, especially with the driving runs of substitute Bosun Lawal, the tireless running of Calum Kavanagh and the industry of Clarke.

The two teams will meet again on Thursday in St Kevin's Boys FC ground at 13:00.

Republic of Ireland: Patrick McGarvey; Gavin O'Brien (Fionnan Coyle 67), Oisin Hand, Anselmo Garcia MacNulty, Ronan Kilkenny; Billy Vance (Len O'Sullivan 63), Kyle Conway (Ben McCormack 62), Colin Conroy (Bosun Lawal h-t); Oran Crowe (Kailin Barlow h-t), Calum Kavanagh, Sami Clarke.

Czech Republic: David Ivanic; Filip Prebsl (Martin Vitik 50), Sebastian Novak (Roman Fukala 57), David Jambor, Lukas Endl; Krystof Danek (Tobias Cohla 63), Martin Kudela, Matej Hadas (Ondrej Sprinz 50); Adam Karabec (Daniel Langhamer 50), Filip Vecheta, Filip Urica (Jan Jelen 57).

Referee: Mark Houlihan.

The award is based on best practice in the governance, management and administration of a club.

Three clubs have already completed the first stage of the Club Mark and representatives from Mayo's Achill Rovers, Donegal's Gweedore Celtic (pictured above) and Waterford's Park Rangers were presented with their awards at the official launch by FAI Chief Executive John Delaney. 

Speaking at the event, Delaney said the introduction of the FAI Club Mark was the latest step in helping grassroots clubs around the country achieve their full potential.

"The FAI Club Mark will help lead to the improvement of standards in our clubs. We will recognise the great work done by the clubs in their communities, and taking it to another level.

"We've over 2,000 clubs in the country of different sizes. The FAI Club Mark will help assist the clubs to improve their standards off the pitch."

Tony Fitzgerald, President of the Football Association of Ireland, was joined by Dundalk goalkeeper and three-time FAI Cup winner Gary Rogers along with David Vaz, Circulation Manager for the Irish Daily Mail to perform the draw.

20 teams entered the Qualifying Round, with four team receiving a bye to the First Round. The remaining 16 teams will play eight games, with the winners entering the First Round.

All ties are scheduled to take place on the weekend ending Sunday, April 22nd. 

Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup Qualifying Round Draw
CIE Ranch v Letterkenny Rovers
Inchicore Athletic v Crumlin United
Maynooth University Town v Everton
Dublin Bus v Firhouse Clover
Avondale United v Pike Rovers
Kilnamanagh v Skerries Town
Leeds v St. Michael’s
North End United v Cherry Orchard

Byes: Home Farm, Cockhill Celtic, Newmarket Celtic and Blarney United.

How the draw works

Hosts England are placed in position 1 of Group A. The seven best elite round section winners, including Colin O'Brien's Republic of Ireland side, are in Pot 1 and drawn to fill the remaining positions 1 and 2 in the four finals groups. The remaining teams (the other elite round group winners and the seven best runners-up) are in Pot 2 and fill positions 3 and 4.

Pot 1: Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, Serbia, Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Pot 2: Sweden, Germany, Portugal, Denmark, Italy, Israel, Spain, Belgium

• The top two in each group progress to the quarter-finals.

Calendar
Group stage: 4/5, 7/8, 10/11 May
Quarter-finals: 13/14 May
Semi-finals: 17 May
Final: 20 May

Knockout system
Quarter-final 1: Winner Group A v Runner-up Group B
Quarter-final 2: Winner Group B v Runner-up Group A
Quarter-final 3: Winner Group C v Runner-up Group D
Quarter-final 4: Winner Group D v Runner-up Group C

Semi-final 1: Winner quarter-final 1 v Winner quarter-final 3
Semi-final 2: Winner quarter-final 2 v Winner quarter-final 4

Final: Winner semi-final 1 v Winner semi-final 2

The 16-year old made her international debut in the 2-0 win over Northern Ireland at the start of the campaign after stepping up from the Women's Under-17s team.

Toland went on to start in the 2-0 win over Slovakia and the 0-0 draw against the Netherlands but will now miss the next two qualifiers with a fractured wrist.

The WNT trained at the FAI National Training Centre this morning, their final training session before they face Slovakia at Tallaght Stadium tomorrow, with kick-off at 5pm.

"It's another huge blow for us as Tyler has been an influential member of the team since she made her debut at the start of the campaign," said Republic of Ireland WNT Head Coach Colin Bell.

"Her performances against Slovakia and the Netherlands were fantastic but now we've got to make plans for these two fixtures without her. It will give someone else in the squad an opportunity to step up and we've got to look forward now.

"The players have trained brilliantly all week and they're ready for another tough test. The whole squad are incredibly excited to play in front of our home crowd for the first time this campaign and we've got to direct that energy into a positive result."

Shelbourne Ladies full-back Niamh Prior was called up to the squad earlier in the week to replace Peamount United defender Claire Walsh who has been ruled out through illness.

The WNT are already missing Stephanie Roche, Megan Campbell, Harriet Scott and Heather Payne through injury but Head Coach Bell believes in the quality of his squad.

"We've been challenged at every stage of the campaign. We had Aine and Steph injured during the first game of the campaign and then Megan was injured after the Slovakia win," Bell said.

"Add Harriet, Heather, Claire and Tyler to that list and we're missing a number of players but I believe in the quality throughout my squad and they've proven they can adjust during the campaign.

"It is just another challenge for us to get through but the players have to take on that responsibility. We've got a lot of quality in the squad and I'm sure whoever comes into the team and represents their country tomorrow will be up for the challenge."

Republic of Ireland WNT Squad

Goalkeepers: Marie Hourihan (Manchester City), Amanda Budden (Cork City), Amanda McQuillan (Shelbourne)

Defenders: Sophie Perry-Campbell (Brighton and Hove Albion), Diane Caldwell (SC Sand), Louise Quinn (Arsenal), Niamh Fahey (Bordeaux), Niamh Prior (Shelbourne).

Midfielders: Megan Connolly (Florida State University), Karen Duggan (Peamount United), Denise O'Sullivan (NC Courage), Roma McLaughlin (Shelbourne), Amy Boyle-Carr (Sion Swifts).

Attackers: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Leanne Kiernan (Shelbourne), Amber Barrett (Peamount United), Isibeal Atkinson (Shelbourne), Ruesha Littlejohn (Celtic), Aine O'Gorman (Peamount United), Claire O'Riordan (Wexford Youths), Dearbhaile Beirne (UCD Waves)

Following a 2-2 draw at FAI National Training Centre earlier in the week, Jason Donoghue's squad regrouped and faced the same opposition again - with a few changes made.

One of the tweaks saw Calum Kavanagh - son of former Ireland senior international Graham - take on the captain's armband, while Oisin Hand repaid faith in him starting by netting the opening goal.

With less than 10 minutes played, Hand found himself in the right area to smash in the goal that brought the game to life and secured an early advantage for the hosts.

Czech Republic tested and stretched Ireland throughout the game by displaying their swift counter-attacking style. But Ireland stood strong with a number of players impressing.

The win was sealed late on when Oran Crowe scored his second goal of this series deep into added time - much to the delight of the home crowd.

Republic of Ireland: Daniel Rose; Anselmo Garcia MacNulty, Oisin Hand, Calum Kavanagh, Ben McCormack, Oran Crowe, Bosun Lawal, Kailin Barlow, Fionn Mooney, Fionnan Coyle, Len O'Sullivan.

Czech Republic: Radek Vitek; Filip Prebsl, Sebastian Novak, Tobias Cohla, Matej Hadas, Adam Karabec, Ondrej Sprinz, Martin Vitik, Roman Fukala, Jan Jelen, Daniel Langhamer.

Referee: Dylan Carolan.

Paul Breen's side have been drawn with hosts Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Denmark and Germany for the tournament which takes place in July and August.

Group B consists of Paralympic and World Champions Ukraine, England, Russia, Finland and Spain. The top-two from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.

In last year's IFCPF CP Football World Championships, Ireland finished in sixth position and with only three European teams placing higher. Those three teams (Ukraine, Russia and England), have all been drawn in Group B for the forthcoming European Championships, and Breen says the draw has been kind to his team.

"It's been a favourable draw. To avoid the Ukranians and Russians who are the big-two in European football and England, who aren't far behind them has been great. Ourselves and the Netherlands would be quite happy with that daw, along with the other teams in Group A."

"We beat the Netherlands last year in the World Championships, but they will be far stronger this year. Playing in their own back yard will make them a different animal."

With a favourable draw, Breen has said the team's aim is to get out of Group A and to reach the semi-finals.

"Getting past Russia and Ukraine would be a real challenge. It we get out of the group it's more than likely we will face one of them."

This Sunday, is the fourth and final National Trial to take place around the country, as Breen looks to add to his squad ahead of the European Championships.

After previous trials in Charleville, Sligo and Mullingar, Breen hopes to see the level of quality continue this weekend at the FAI National Training Centre.

"We're relying on players who play in mainstream football, and some of the team we want the players to come to us"

"Coaches and players tip me off on where these players are. Bringing the trials around the country has been about raising awareness of the team. We hope to unearth a few players as a result of the trials.

Players like Dillon Sheridan (pictured above) and the Football For All International Player of the Year Gary Messitt play mainstream football, and Breen feels that is beneficial to the make-up of the side.

"We want players playing in mainstream football. It'll be more challenging and helps development."

The final National Trial take place on Sunday, April 8th at the FAI National Training Centre from 12pm-4pm.

For more information on the trials, please contact oisin.jordan@fai.ie

Colin O'Brien's Republic of Ireland Under 17 team learned their UEFA Under-17 Championship Finals fate this evening at the draw conducted in St George's Park. 

Ireland will open their campaign against Belgium, followed by meetings with Denmark and Bosnia & Herzegovina. 

The tournament, to be held in England, kicks off on May 4 but Ireland will have to wait until the following day to get their campaign underway when they take on Belgium. 

Speaking following the draw, Ireland Head Coach Colin O'Brien said: "We're delighted to be here, we knew we were going to get tough opponents and that is exactly how it has turned out. We know our opponents now and we can start planning and preparing for the start of the tournament over the next four weeks.

"The players have tough club programmes coming up, fingers crossed all players come in fit and fresh. To play in a major competition is a huge honour and we're looking forward to the challenge." 

UEFA Under 17 Championship Group C 

Republic of Ireland v Belgium, May 5, Loughborough University Stadium
Republic of Ireland v Denmark, May 8, St George's Park (Note change from provisional venue)
Bosnia & Herzegovina v Republic of Ireland, May 11, St George's Park 

Shelbourne striker Leanne Kiernan opened the scoring mid-way through the second-half before Slovakia equalised through a Marie Hourihan own goal. However, substitute Amber Barrett fired home with three minutes remaining with Ireland set to host the European Champions the Netherlands on Tuesday.

A windswept Tallaght Stadium made chances few and far between during the first 45 minutes as captain Katie McCabe came closest with a header over the bar in the 23rd minute.

Roared on by a fantastic 3521 crowd at Tallaght Stadium, the WNT were much improved in the second-half and their mounting pressure saw the home side take the lead. With just over 20 minutes remaining, Cavan-native Kiernan was able to collect the ball before she turned her defender and fired the ball home.

Three minutes later, spirits were dampened as goalkeeper Marie Hourihan scored an unfortunate own goal but Colin Bell's side continued to press forward and wouldn't be denied.

Substitute Amber Barrett latched onto a Karen Duggan lofted-ball forward and found the bottom corner to cue wild scenes as Ireland secured a vital win. 

Republic of Ireland WNT Head Coach Colin Bell said: "We're delighted to come away with the victory in the end. It was a difficult game and you've got to give credit to the opposition who defended well.

"Two fantastic goals from two home-based players which I think says a lot about how the game is growing here in Ireland and producing the talent we need for the international stage. 

"I'd like to thank all of the supporters who turned up to support the team today. They really drove the team on in the final stages and helped us get those three points."

Republic of Ireland: Hourihan (GK), Perry, Caldwell, Quinn, Duggan, Fahey, Connolly, O'Sullivan, McCabe (C), Littlejohn (Barrett 77), Kiernan. 

Played in Lesser Hampden in Glasgow, the game was hampered by driving rain but that didn't stop the two teams from wanting to play attacking football.

Andy Noonan was able to select a strong squad that included players from his own Bluebell United, as well as Greystones United, St Mochta's, Newbridge Town, Killester United, Crumlin United, and Firhouse Clover.

The goals flew in early on with the scores level at 1-1 after 22 minutes as Bluebell striker Shane Stritch scored for the Irish outfit. That would prove to be the only goal for the visitors.

In what was the 19th staging of this game, Scotland edged it to move onto 10 victories overall. They were made to work hard for it but the game was played in a competitive spirit and they were worthy winners.

FAI CEO John Delaney was present to hand over the Graham Harkness Memorial Trophy to Scotland captain Andrew McGown.

Photos courtesy of Herald Striker

It will be the first game for the team since representing Team Ireland at the 2017 Summer Universiade in Chinese Taipei last August.

The last two encounters between the sides have brought victory for the Irish with an inspired performance from University of Limerick graduate Garbhan Coughlan delivering a 6-1 victory in Edinburgh last year.

Head Coach Greg Yelverton has recalled eight of the twenty-man squad that travelled to the island of Taiwan last summer, including DCU striker Alan O’Sullivan who narrowly missed out on tournament top goalscorer with five goals.

Yelverton, who was confirmed to be staying on in the role until 2019 last November, is excited of the prospect of locking horns again with the Scots. “It is the beginning of a new cycle towards the 2019 University Games. It is another opportunity for players to represent their country. The players know that from now they are competing to be on the plane to Italy. We were excellent against Scotland last year but we cannot rest on that performance as the Scots will be eager to even the score. I am hopeful that with the experience this squad has developed with me in the past two years and the additions of some excellent first year students we can come out on top once again.

The game kicks off in Oriel Park at 4pm.

Colleges & Universities squad
Goalkeepers: Matthew Connor (Waterford IT/Waterford FC), Lee Steacy (Dublin IT/Shelbourne).
Defenders: Maurice Nugent (NUI Galway/Galway United), Ross Taheny (DCU/Ballinamallard United), Liam Scales (UCD/UCD AFC),Sean O’Mahony (UCC/UCC AFC), Tristan Noack-Hoffman (DCU/Longford Town), Conor Kane (Maynooth University/Drogheda United), Shane Elworthy (IT Blanchardstown/Longford Town), Adrian Delap (Letterkenny IT/Derry City).
Midfielders: Conor Barry (NUI Galway/Galway United), Daire O’Connor (UCD/UCD AFC), Jason McClelland (UCD/UCD AFC), Shane Daly-Butz (UCC/UCC AFC), Darragh Noone (Dublin IT/Bray Wanderers), Danny O’Connell (Cork IT/Avondale United), Jamie Hollywood (IT Blanchardstown/Longford Town), Jonny Bonner (IT Carlow/Crusaders).
Forwards: Alan O’Sullivan (DCU/Warrenpoint Town), Shane Barnes (IT Carlow/Wexford).

Second-half goals from Kader Hancar and Esra Manya was enough to see Turkey secure the three points and inflict a second defeat in three games for Ireland in Group 4.

Turkey started the game the better side but they were restricted to having shots from distance with Ece Turkoglu missing the target from range on five occasions during the opening half.

Ireland twice went close to breaking the deadlock before the half-time interval through Saoirse Noonan but after firing a shot straight at the keeper from the edge of the box, the Cork City WFC striker also had a header denied by Gamze Yaman.

Turkey finally took the lead at the beginning of the second period when Hancar headed Nursen Yaprak’s superb cross past Erica Turner at the back post.

And as Ireland pressed for an equaliser, with Noonan and Lucia Lobato both going close to snatching it, Turkey sealed the victory on the break late on when Manya found the far bottom left corner of the net from the edge of the box

Head Coach Dave Connell said: "We started off well against Austria, a great performance against Spain even though we lost the game and we started off brightly against Turkey, but we just didn't convert any of the chances we created. It's a disappointing result and a disappointing end for a lot of the players.

"There are 11 players in this group who qualify for us again, so we will try and get them in as soon as we can, along with some of the Under 17s that are gone over age for that group.

"We have two friendly games organised against Austria later in the year ahead of the First Round qualifiers in Lithuania in October, so we'll prepare for those. It's been a disappointing end to this campaign, but we'll start preparing for the next one."

Republic of Ireland: Erica Turner, Lynn Craven, Niamh Farrelly, Sadhbh Doyle, Alex Kavanagh, Saoirse Noonan, Megan Mackey, Phoebe Warner (Alannah McEvoy 45), Lucia Lobato (Aoife Thompson 78), Naima Chemaou, Orla Casey (Sinead Donovan 45).

Turkey: Gamze Yaman, Ayse Sevval Ay (Rabia Civan 75), Cansu Nur Kaya, Kader Hancar (Busra Becerikli 82), Esra Manya, Ece Turkoglu, Nursen Yaprak, Irem Yildirim, Derya Arhan, Sumeyra Kivanc, Sedanur Incik.

Referee: Lucie Sulcova. 

The WNT face the Netherlands at Tallaght Stadium as they look to take more points off the European Champions after their 0-0 draw in November.

Ireland are currently unbeaten in their qualifying campaign, second in the Group Three table, and level on points with tomorrow's opponents after the 2-1 win over Slovakia on Friday.

There was a record 3501 attendance for the win over Slovakia at Tallaght Stadium and Head Coach Bell hopes the crowd turns out once again to get behind the team.

"It is going to be tough, no question about that. They're the European Champions and despite the result in November, you look at their results over the past year, it is a huge task," said Bell.

"They will be gunning for us as well. We saw them put seven past Northern Ireland on Friday and they've got so many threats all across the park.

"We've got to be in the game though. We need the crowd to come out once again and get behind every tackle and every shot for the entire 90 minutes. They were brilliant on Friday and we'll need them once again to get a result tomorrow."

The WNT Head Coach faces a selection headache as both Leanne Kiernan and Amber Barrett scored against Slovakia on Friday. Aine O'Gorman trained with the squad at Tallaght Stadium today but won't be match fit for tomorrow's game due to illness.

"We're extremely stretched at the moment. We've got very few options with the injury situation but the players proved on Friday that they can cope with it," Bell continued.

"We've got a couple of variations on how we are going to play and I'll have to look at it tonight to see what we will start with. I've been extremely impressed with the players in training as it has been a long week for them with the two games.

"They've got to recover and ready for the game as we can have no passengers tomorrow. They are the best team in world women's football at the moment so every player has to leave everything out there on the pitch to potentially cause a sensation."

TEAM NEWS: Aine O'Gorman and Claire O'Riordan won't be fit for the game with illness. Galway WFC winger Aislinn Meaney has been brought into the squad to replace Tyler Toland who fractured her wrist earlier in the week. 

Republic of Ireland WNT Squad

Goalkeepers: Marie Hourihan (Manchester City), Amanda Budden (Cork City), Amanda McQuillan (Shelbourne)

Defenders: Sophie Perry-Campbell (Brighton and Hove Albion), Diane Caldwell (SC Sand), Louise Quinn (Arsenal), Niamh Fahey (Bordeaux), Niamh Prior (Shelbourne).

Midfielders: Megan Connolly (Florida State University), Karen Duggan (Peamount United), Denise O'Sullivan (NC Courage), Roma McLaughlin (Shelbourne), Amy Boyle-Carr (Sion Swifts), Aislinn Meaney (Galway WFC).

Attackers: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Leanne Kiernan (Shelbourne), Amber Barrett (Peamount United), Isibeal Atkinson (Shelbourne), Ruesha Littlejohn (Celtic), Aine O'Gorman (Peamount United), Claire O'Riordan (Wexford Youths), Dearbhaile Beirne (UCD Waves)

FIFA 2019 World Cup Qualifying Group Three - Fixtures

April 10: Republic of Ireland v The Netherlands, Tallaght Stadium, KO 7pm

An early goal from Daire O’Connor proved enough to see the Irish Colleges and Universities maintain a three year unbeaten record against the Scottish Universities in their latest meeting at Oriel Park.

O’Connor had the home side in front after ten minutes with a clinical finish from close in.

The UCD man stated the move himself when he linked up with Shane Day-Butz who went on to find Darragh Noone and he then played the ball into O’Connor’s path for the midfielder to fire past Callum Davison for the only goal of a closely fought game.

The Irish were the dominant side throughout and they create a couple of other chances to add to their total efforts. But Alan O’Sullivan, Shane Day-Butz and O’Connor all failed to find the target.

While Adrian Delap hit the base of the upright with another great chance.

The Scots always posed a treat in counter attacks and Robbie McGlade and Anton Dowds tested Matt Connor in the home goal but they failed to make the breakthrough and grab an equaliser.

Speaking after the game, Head Coach Greg Yelverton was delighted with how his side contained the away side. "It was the first time we've had this group in together. We had some regular faces mixed in with a lot of new inclusions. It was important for us that we could communicate the principles we set to achieve our objectives. This was the strongest Scotland squad that I have faced and it is a testament to the players that they executed the game plan to perfection and picked up the victory. The experience of being in the squad and picking up the key points was hugely positive and will be of great benefit when we prepare for the challenges against the Defence Forces and France."

Ireland: Matthew Connor (Lee Steacy 79); Shane Elworthy (Maurice Nugent 55), Sean O’Mahony, Ross Taheny (Liam Scales h-t), Conor Kane (Tristan Noack-Hofmann 61); Jonny Bonner, Darragh Noone (Jamie Hollywood 55); Shane Daly-Butz (Adrian Delap h-t), Daire O’Connor (Danny O’Connell 70), Jason McClelland (Conor Barry 61); Alan O’Sullivan (Shane Barnes 70).

Scotland: Callum Davidson (Alexander Cadzow 85); Calum Windram (Alexander Webb 83), Max Verkaik, Conor Morgan, Max Condie; Robbie McGale, Finn Daniels-Yeoman, Ross Kellock (Rafael Calbacho 60); Kieran Hall (Maksim Bolotov 72), Anton Dowds, Lewis Hunter (Embrik Skjaeveland 66).

Referee: J Dyas