1997 U20 - Squad

[Torn-Ado]

I remember getting up early midweek to see the Ireland Argentina match. Ireland put up a great show. Third in the world was some achievement.

[Dave77]

that was a great time for irish football, was it in the argentina game that robbie ryan went on a mazy run from left back not sure if it was argies or ghana

[stojkovic]

They havent proven the clubs wrong have they. I think that team was exceptionally well managed by a world class manager in the way Greece were. The players were average (with the exception of Duff)

Had they been kept by their clubs who knows what would have happened. Clubs have made mistakes releasing players who drop down a league and come back up and go on to play in World Cups etc. However many Irish players take the 'easy' way out and come home.

[Rocky77]

Derek O'Connor is still in England but not playing anymore from what i heard... Grew up in the Ballyfermot too. Nice guy. Shame it didn't work out for him..

Yeah he became a landscape gardiner I think.

Kilkenny, last I heard.

I think he gave up and is a guard somewhere.

I remember watching the games and if you would have told me that three of the team would go on to play for Longford Town I doubt I would have believed it.

Ironic that Hawkins is at Coventry now as he was then considering he spent 10 years away from the club in between.

[Ordinary Fan]

Mick McCarty would'nt allow Kerr pick David Connelly or Iam Harte for his squad because they had played with the senior team.

They trained in Limerick before hand and wore bin-liners as part of their kit to prepare for the humity.