Confidence was high in Dave Connell’s squad after topping their qualifying group in late 2014 and they built on that with a couple of friendly wins over Iceland before hosting three Elite Round qualifiers in Cork.
In face of heightened expectations they raise their level of performance to record three clean sheets, two draws, and one win to book a place at the UEFA Finals in Iceland – just the second Ireland team to do so in this age group.
While they prepared well and fought hard, luck simply was not on their side as they feel to defeats to France, Norway, and eventual winners Switzerland. Still, Ireland could be proud of their efforts.
That sense of pride was something that Dave Bell tapped into once he took over as Head Coach for the next campaign. He had previously worked alongside Connell so he knew the set-up and the talent available.
A few friendly games helped him to identify some new players, but it was his shrewd coaching that helped the new group to score 13 goals in three First Round qualifiers in Turkey – a magnificent achievement.
Both Connell and Bell can be proud of how the U17s performed in 2015 and their results indicate how well they did. Now, it’s all about getting back to another UEFA Finals and they are certainly making notable strides in that direction.
Results
Rep of Ireland 2-1 Iceland, Friendly, AUL Complex, 21 March 2015
Rep of Ireland 1-0 Iceland, Friendly, AUL Complex, 23 March 2015
Rep of Ireland 2-0 England, UEFA Qualifier, Turner’s Cross, 9 April 2015
Rep of Ireland 0-0 Netherlands, UEFA Qualifier, Turner’s Cross, 11 April 2015
Rep of Ireland 0-0 Hungary, UEFA Qualifier, Turner’s Cross, 14 April 2015
France 1-0 Rep of Ireland, UEFA European Finals, Reykjavik, 22 June 2015
Switzerland 1-0 Rep of Ireland, UEFA European Finals, Reykjavik, 25 June 2015
Norway 2-0 Rep of Ireland, UEFA European Finals, Reykjavik, 28 June 2015
Northern Ireland 0-2 Rep of Ireland, Friendly, Ballymena, 25 July 2015
Scotland 3-0 Rep of Ireland, Friendly, Edinburgh, 2 September 2015
Scotland 0-1 Rep of Ireland, Friendly, Edinburgh, 4 September 2015
Rep of Ireland 3-0 Ukraine, UEFA Qualifier, Izmir, 15 October 2015
Rep of Ireland 7-0 Andorra, UEFA Qualifier, Izmir, 17 October 2015
Rep of Ireland 3-0 Turkey, UEFA Qualifier, Izmir, 20 October 2015
Appearances
13 – Saoirse Noonan
9 – Lauryn O’Callaghan, Heather Payne
8 – Jamie Finn, Sarah McKevitt, Chloe Moloney, Eleanor Ryan Doyle
7 – Dearbhaile Beirne, Amanda McQuillan, Aislinn Meaney
6 – Evelyn Daly, Zoe Green, Courtney Higgins, Alex Kavanagh, Lucy McCartan, Roma McLaughlin, Niamh Prior, Tiegan Ruddy
5 – Niamh Farrelly, Leanne Kiernan, Tara O’Gorman, Jade Reddy, Leah Reybet-Degat
4 – Fiona Donnelly, Sadhbh Doyle, Lauren Homan, Lauren Kelly, Naoisha McAloon, Jessica Nolan
3 – Danielle Burke, Lynn Craven, Sophie Lenehan, Eimear Kiely
2 – Rachel Baynes, Chloe Connolly, Nadine Maher, Tara Mannix
1 – Zoe McGlynn, Danielle Murray, Nicole Plunkett, Niamh Sheehan, Caoimhe Walsh, Sophie Watters
Goals
3 – Lauren Kelly, Saoirse Noonan
2 – Alex Kavanagh, Leanne Kiernan, Heather Payne, Tiegan Ruddy, Eleanor Ryan Doyle
1 – Dearbhaile Beirne, Courtney Higgins, Lauren Homan, Leah Reybet-Degat, Niamh Sheehan
Clean Sheets
4 – Amanda McQuillan
3 – Naoisha McAloon
2 – Sophie Lenehan