rebpublic of Ireland u21 futsal squad announced
The following is the Republic of Ireland Under-21 Futsal squad for the forthcoming UEFA Under-21 Futsal Championship matches in Andorra from 8-11th April 2008.
John Perkins
Shamrock Rovers
Lloyd Massey
Bray Wanderers
Mark Langtry
Shamrock Rovers
Neil Harkin
Derry City
Brendan Dawson
Shelbourne
Shane O'Neill
Bray Wanderers
Dane Massey
Bray Wanderers
Alan Lynch
Longford Town
Philip McDonagh
Bohemians
Ian Byrne
Bohemians
Cathal Lordan
Cork City
Keith Gallagher
Bluebell United
Craig Duggan
Cork City
Cian McBrien
Galway United
The Qualifying matches to be played in Andorra are as follows:
Tuesday April 8th 2008:
Holland V Republic of Ireland
Wednesday April 9th 2008:
Andorra V Republic of Ireland
Friday April 11th 2008:
Republic of Ireland V Azerbaijan
The squad recently completed a warm up tour to Barcelona where they recorded two victories, most notably a 2-0 win over FC Barcelona senior B team.
FAI Futsal Coordinator, Derek O’Neill said:
“This tournament is a journey into unchartered waters for us in many respects. It is the first ever UEFA Under-21Futsal tournament and the Republic of Ireland’s first ever appearance at an official Futsal competition. The teams we’ve been drawn with such as Holland and Andorra have a comparatively long Futsal tradition. Azerbaijan is one of the new emerging Futsal nations and their recent results have been impressive.
Our players are relatively very new to the game of Futsal and this competition represents an opportunity to gauge the progress we have been making over the last year or so. While it will be a tough task to qualify as group winner for the finals in Russia later this year, I’m quietly optimistic that the players have the required technique and mentality to make a positive impression in Andorra.”
The group winner will qualify for the UEFA Under-21 Futsal Finals in St. Petersburgh, Russia in December 2008.
