Encouraging start for him at a good level, especially considering he's playing in a struggling team.
Yeah a couple goals to his name already means he should continue to start the next couple of games.
Minutes is the most important thing for a player his age. Pleasantly surprised when he got a championship move and now he's managed to establish himself early on in the side.
Hopefully he can continue to knock them in and secure himself a loan to a bigger championship club next season.
Goal for him today in injury time. Played the last 20 mins. Great to see after his return! Think it’s his third goal in 10.
That settles it.
The second-half sub Mark O'Mahony picks up a clearance and breaks through the middle of the pitch before slotting it home to wrap up the points.
Fair play to Portsmouth for sticking with him. Probably between there and Brighton for the recovery. A hip injury for that extent of time must be tough going at that age. Great for him to get going on the goals again. A few more and a clean bill of health will have him primed for next season.
Good physical specimen, which never hurts if you have the mobility / dexterity as well ~ ~ Great first touch and finish, excellent goal.Originally Posted by Olé Olé
U21s will have a couple of these lads with Melia and Noonan big lads for their ages and getting experience at senior level against physically developed and experienced defenders. O'Mahony, Melia, and Noonan, not sure who else there is that will be pushing for U21s inclusion.
Tommy Lonergan, Adrien Thibaut and Jad Hakiki were called up to the last camp.
Off the top of my head, those who are also in the age group include Nathan Fraser, Eoin Kenny, Luke Pearce, Caden McLoughlin, Patrick Casey and Billy Brooks (who is now playing 9th tier football)
Think it's safe to assume that O'Mahony will be our first choice CF for the U21s. Will be interesting though to see who from the LOI cohort that Crawford will go with as his back ups.
Fraser's career hasn't went the way he thought it would after rejecting an U21s call up. Fair enough the one in March he was the only fit CF at Wolves which is understandable.
You wouldn't blame a lad saying I'd rather chance getting minutes at Wolves than warm the bench against San Marino. Not the friendlies in June though. Wonder if he'll suddenly feel Irish enough again now that his stint in Belgium's second tier flopped.
I think, at least until the 19s have finished their campaign (either this march or in summer) - I'd have O'Mahony as first choice, Fraser if he's willing as second choice and one of Eoin Kenny, Adrien Thibaut or Tommy Lonergan as third. I thought both Thibaut and Lonergan did well in the last camp and Kenny was excellent for Dundalk at the end of last season, basically a one man mission to keep them up. I didn't see a lot of Sligo, so I'd be curious for Sligo fans to say how Luke Pearce did. I saw him playing excellently for our u18s during covid and I don't think he's appeared for us since.
Pearce scored a couple early and looked good but didn't score enough. Definitely is one who could kick on and had something but not the finished article.
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