el insider
31/07/2003, 9:47 PM
Longford set to sign Paisley - report
Irish under-21 international Stephen Paisley could be about to join Premier Division side Longford Town, according to reports this morning.
Paisley, who captained Ireland to fourth place in the European under-19 Championship finals in Norway last summer, was released by Manchester City this summer.
The young Dubliner, who turned 20 earlier this week, made his under-21 international debut against Georgia back in March, but was left out of Don Givens’s squad for three matches in June, against Georgia, Albania and Germany.
Paisley has been training with Longford for the best part of three weeks in a bid to prove his fitness to manager Alan Matthews.
If he is kept on at Flancare Park, he would expect to challenge for the role alongside captain Barry Ferguson, which is currently being manned by Brian McGovern, who is due to stay at the club on a loan deal from St Patrick’s Athletic for the remainder of the season.
Paisley is not the only Irish youngster to have failed to make the grade at Manchester City: under-19 goalkeeper Brian Murphy was also released by Kevin Keegan, but he has managed to gain a contract at Third Division Swansea, while Paisley’s central defensive partner at last summer’s European finals, Paddy McCarthy, left Maine Road to join Boston United earlier this year.
www.eleven-a-side.com 31/7/03
Irish under-21 international Stephen Paisley could be about to join Premier Division side Longford Town, according to reports this morning.
Paisley, who captained Ireland to fourth place in the European under-19 Championship finals in Norway last summer, was released by Manchester City this summer.
The young Dubliner, who turned 20 earlier this week, made his under-21 international debut against Georgia back in March, but was left out of Don Givens’s squad for three matches in June, against Georgia, Albania and Germany.
Paisley has been training with Longford for the best part of three weeks in a bid to prove his fitness to manager Alan Matthews.
If he is kept on at Flancare Park, he would expect to challenge for the role alongside captain Barry Ferguson, which is currently being manned by Brian McGovern, who is due to stay at the club on a loan deal from St Patrick’s Athletic for the remainder of the season.
Paisley is not the only Irish youngster to have failed to make the grade at Manchester City: under-19 goalkeeper Brian Murphy was also released by Kevin Keegan, but he has managed to gain a contract at Third Division Swansea, while Paisley’s central defensive partner at last summer’s European finals, Paddy McCarthy, left Maine Road to join Boston United earlier this year.
www.eleven-a-side.com 31/7/03