Irish Abroad 2011/2012

[Yard of Pace]

Alan Lee with a hugely important winner for Huddersfield against Jeff Stelling's favourite team tonight. 6 goals this season now, which is about treble his tally from last year.

[tetsujin1979]

Jamie Devitt sparked some ugly scenes at Valley Parade after Accrington scored tonight, celebrating in front of the home fans, and bench.
He posted this on twitter after the game
first this: https://twitter.com/#!/jamiedevitt20...80016415739904

Apologies4way i reacted after the goal tonight nobody knows what went on at bradford wit me and i was gettn so much stick behind me #sorryyy

and then afterwards https://twitter.com/#!/jamiedevitt20...86333427646464

Also people who bring family into it shud be ashamed i have massive respect for bradford fans well most of the fans anyway #badgamebytheway

[Charlie Darwin]

It's hard to take him seriously after he got relegated three times in the same season.

[liamoo11]

Mason and murray on scoresheet tonight. 2 excellent young players who hopefully will offer us something fun at senior level

[gastric]

Mason and murray on scoresheet tonight. 2 excellent young players who hopefully will offer us something fun at senior level

It was good too as Lawrence played a full game for Cardiff. Murray looks to be one to keep a close eye on.
.

[Olé Olé]

Graham Cummins got the first for Preston tonight on 12 mins. Tranmere have since levelled matters. That's Cummins' second league goal for Preston.

[TrapAPony]

Alex Pearce scored for Reading v Doncaster

[nigel-harps1954]

Graham Cummins got the first for Preston tonight on 12 mins. Tranmere have since levelled matters. That's Cummins' second league goal for Preston.

Just waiting for the Ireland call up now. Since he's good in England he must be good enough for the Irish squad.

[tetsujin1979]

all updates on the Irish Abroad twitter feed this weekend will be as Gaelige: https://twitter.com/irish_abroad
because I can

[theworm2345]

Aston Villa reserves will be playing at Manchester United reserves on Thursday so I think it should be live on MUTV. Villa reserves have won their last 5 matches and have only conceded one goal in those 5.

[CraftyToePoke]

Peterborough United 3 Reading 1

I went to this earlier with the prospect of a few Irish lads on view and a bit of nice weather combining to get me back to London Road for the first time in a while and witnessed a full blooded and really enjoyable game. For a nice change, it was very well refereed, no bookings despite a game played aggressively, but in a good spirit also with heavy but well timed challenges in the middle throughout, and good football also.

For Peterborough, Kearns was on the bench but didn't feature and ex B squad player Lee Frecklington played on the left of a narrow four man midfield, he played o.k., didn't stand out creatively but neither did he do anything obviously wrong. His best period was in the second half where his grafting, tracking, closing down and several blocks as his side soaked 20+ minutes of sustained intense pressure was admirable.

The real interest was in Reading who started with Pearce, Harte and Hunt on the field and Tabb on the bench and it was Hunt who showed a cool head to open the scoring in this match, first on the scene after the keeper had blocked with his feet, he turned and shot across goal into the net as players chased to cover. This was his only sight of goal on the 90 and he took his chance, the rest of his evening was spent being a nuisance and difficult to mark, while trying to feed off the efforts of his strike partner Jason Roberts, but he didn't carry a goal threat again.

Pearce played CB and had good moments, cool in his distribution and did have passages where he looked a bit of quality, mopping up and picking a nice pass, however, two of Peterborough's goals were from set piece deliveries, one was a shot into the roof of the net after a ball hadn't been cleared, the other a header from a corner/free by the main target striker right in front of the goal. Not saying either was purely his fault though.

To Ian Harte, all game long, Peterborough targeted him on the deck and over his head, down the right side, all game long his side backed him up with numbers quickly. He misplaced a couple of defensive headers badly, but his left foot never gave the ball away, whether picking a pass along the ground, or being forced long into a channel, he always securely found a shirt and his set piece delivery, one ballooned effort apart was excellent without yielding a goal, he also clipped two lovely first time passes into his strikers in the box from open play. Little flashes of real quality. Then, late in the game, as his side chased an equalizer which looked like it must be close as his side had owned the ball for over 20 minutes, there was a long clearence up field which Harte was the last man back for. He had a huge head start, so much, I remember thinking the striker may not even chase it, but he did, and as he gained on Harte the crowd began to rise to their feet. It happened right opposite where I was sitting and although an impressive burst of pace, it was difficult to see how any defender would come out second here. Then he not only caught Harte, but overtook him, left him for dead and finished past the keeper to kill the game.

Afterward, Harte's body language said it all, but he spoke to the other defenders a fair bit as the Peterborough celebrations went on and they seemed to be apologizing as much as he was for leaving him exposed.

[Closed Account]

Samir Carruthers on the bench for villa today.

[tetsujin1979]

Samir Carruthers on the bench for villa today.

best of luck to the lad, he started with Arsenal as an academy player

[SkStu]

Hogan Ephraim, on loan from QPR, grabs a cheeky goal for Bristol City today.

[theworm2345]

Congratulations to John Sheridan and Chesterfield on winning the Johnstone's Paint Trophy today. A rare positive though as they're still rock bottom of League One.

[theworm2345]

Watched Luton vs York today...wasn't paying that close attention and was going between that and Shamrock Rovers - Bohs but Keith Keane and Lanre Oyebanjo both played the full match. Keith Keane was in the middle of a three man midfield and didn't make much of an impact, at least in the parts when I was paying attention. Oyebanjo was on the right hand of a three man midfield (didn't know he could play outside of defence) and I thought did pretty well including a great effort that came back off the post. Towards the end he did seem to move back to his usual position of full back. Still surprised he has never made the jump to the Football League.

[tetsujin1979]

Was in Skibereen for the weekend on a stag, and we hired a mini bus to take us around a few of the surrounding villages for a pub crawl. Got talking to the driver at one point and she told me her nephew is U17 player Stephen McCarthy and he's been over for trials with Wolves

[liamoo11]

Was in Skibereen for the weekend on a stag, and we hired a mini bus to take us around a few of the surrounding villages for a pub crawl. Got talking to the driver at one point and she told me her nephew is U17 player Stephen McCarthy and he's been over for trials with Wolves

That lad signed for sunderland a few days ago he is a striker/wide player. His dad is mick mccarthy who was a savage Gaa player but was unfortunately killed in a traffic accident. Best of luck to the lad

[tetsujin1979]

sorry, it was Sunderland, not Wolves. Not sure why I said Wolves. The two days straight drinking in the People's Republic may or may not have had something to do with it.
There was a report in the Examiner last Friday about him signing for Sunderland too: http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/s...hy-188930.html

[Olé Olé]

Just spotted that Jon Daly's brace for Dundee United over the weekend has moved him to the top of the SPL scoring charts and he is now on 17 goals for the season, one ahead of "£6million" striker Gary Hooper.