Irish U-23 latest

[monutdfc]

Agree with your point, but Ireland weren't playing that kind of game.

OK; well-written piece btw, thanks for it

[Poor Student]

What's the criteria for selection for the Northern Irish team in this tournament?

[feo123]

whens the norn iron game on?

[CollegeTillIDie]

This Under 23 development could have longer term significance.
Given the lack of interest, if not downright antipathy of the Bigger clubs, such as the
G 14 group in the concept of International football, it is conceivable that at some future point, all National teams will be made up solely( if not largely) of players based in domestic Leagues . i.e. Once a player moves to one of the so called Elite clubs of the World(i.e. English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A etc) they will no longer be released.
So England will be Championship based players.
Scotland will feature eligible Scottish players based in SPL clubs other than the Old Firm.
And here in the Republic it will be ELOI players and up North it will be Irish League and ,maybe in both cases, lower Division Brit club based players may be allowed play for their countries, purely to raise their profiles and increase their transfer fees.

[Réiteoir]

Finland C 0-2 England C
Michael Morrison 34, Matt Tubbs 58

International Challenge Trophy
Wednesday 14 November 2007
Finnair Stadium, Helsinki

England C proved comfortable winners in Finland on Wednesday night, when goals either side of the break from Cambridge United defender Michael Morrison and Salisbury City striker Matt Tubbs propelled Paul Fairclough’s side to this International Challenge Group A Trophy victory.

On a night that Italy grounded Wales 4-2 on their own soil in the section’s other clash, Fairclough’s collection of primarily Blue Square Premier players held a fest of excuses to fail in an encounter played on a synthetic surface and Artic-like conditions in Helsinki.

A brutal coastal gust had plummeted the temperature to six degrees below freezing in the Finnish capital – winter arrives during the British autumn in the land that gifted vodka and mobile phones to the world.

Three days of snow flurries had given Fairclough food for contemplation – influential Oxford United destroyer Matthew Day no more than a spectator on the bench after a freak training injury on Monday.

With England fielding six new caps at this level in their starting eleven and with the testing conditions in place, it was a fine performance as the Three Lions stretched their unbeaten run to 14 competitive matches.

Fairclough, also chief at League Two side Barnet, hasn’t tasted a meaningful defeat at this level since May 2004 and the silver-haired Scouser relished the latest triumph with Stewart Lewis, one of the debutants, sparkling in a central midfield role alongside Aldershot schemer Lewis Chambers.

“If I was honest, I would have accepted a draw here – to get the victory is sensational, particularly when you consider that most of my lads wouldn’t have ever seen such difficult conditions,” he said.

“I don’t like picking out individuals for special praise, it’s not my way of course, but you have to say our central midfield was quite outstanding – Chalmers and Lewis were magnificent. Everything good came through that pair.”

Confident England should have been ahead in the sixth minute when Erkan Okay’s clever ball released Tubbs. He rounded Finland keeper Anssi Jaakkola before spearing his angled drive into the side netting.

Yet the visitors grabbed a vital lead in comic-cut fashion on 34 minutes. Russell Penn’s right-sided corner sparked mass confusion in the Finnish box, home defender Joni Aho deflecting against his own bar, before teammate Mehmet Hetemaj’s panic allowed Morrison to score from two yards.

Ebbsfleet stopper Lance Cronin’s brilliant twisting save thwarted Finland substitute Jarno Parikka six minutes after the hour mark, but this game had been wrapped up on 58 minutes, with Tubbs clinically lifting Penn’s slanted pass into the roof of the net.

England: Lance Cronin (Ebbsfleet United), John Brayford (Burton Albion), Liam Brownhill (Witton Albion), Lewis Chalmers (Aldershot Town), Ronnie Henry (C) (Stevenage Borough), Michael Morrison (Cambridge United), Russell Penn (Kidderminster Harriers), Stuart Lewis (Stevenage Borough), James Constable (Kidderminster Harriers), Matt Tubbs (Salisbury City), Erkan Okay (Histon)

Subs: Adam Bartlett (Blyth Spartans), Gleeson, Shaun Harrad (Burton Albion), Nathaniel Knight-Percival (Histon), Matt Day (Oxford United).

[Réiteoir]

And the attendance for that game was the princely total of 179

[feo123]

And the attendance for that game was the princely total of 179

more than what it would have been had our game been in slovakia

[Sniffer]

whens the norn iron game on?

No date confirmed as yet, but expected to be around March

[sligoman]

Finland C 0-1 England C
Michael Morrison 34, Matt Tubbs 58

1 goal but 2 goalscorers? Are you Aertel?

[Réiteoir]

that was copied from the FA Website earlier on - since been corrected

must be too busy riding Luton rock solid to get it correct initially

[superfrank]

No date confirmed as yet, but expected to be around March

Anyone know if the NI team will have a similar kind of set up to the Irish one?

[Sniffer]

Anyone know if the NI team will have a similar kind of set up to the Irish one?

Yep, squad taken from the Irish Premier League. The 'keeper Paul Murphy is from Dundalk though; not sure what the story is there.

Goalkeepers
Paul Murphy
Dwane Nelson

Defenders
Jim Ervin
Kris Lyndsay
Albert Watson
Adam McMinn
Barry Holland
David Ogilby

Midfield
David Scullion
Sean Ward
Richard Clarke
Ryan McIlmoyle
Jamie Mulgrew
Niall McGinn

Forwards
Andrew Waterworth
Stephen Garrett
Thomas Stewart
Mark McAllister