Irish player tracker: Troy Parrott stars for AZ Alkmaar with brace in Eredivisie opener
Premier League
doesn't kick off until next Friday, the weekend saw plenty of Irish involvement across the English Football League, Championship and further afield in mainland Europe.
The Championship season began on Friday night with a strong Irish presence. Ipswich Town started with four Irishmen, including Dara O'Shea making his debut as club captain. Sammie Szmodics and Jack Taylor were also in the XI, while Chiedozie Ogbene returned after 287 days out with a ruptured Achilles. Ogbene was arguably Ipswich's brightest spark in the 1-1 draw at Birmingham City. Eiran Cashin, recently signed on loan, was an unused sub for the Blues.
Saturday's lunchtime fixtures saw Charlton Athletic's return to the second tier and Conor Coventry played the full game in midfield in a match decided in the fourth minute of stoppage time with Harvey Knibbs scoring a dramatic late winner for the Robins against Watford. Irish defender James Abankwah played 87 minutes for the Hornets, but Rocco Vata missed out with a minor hamstring issue.
The headline moment came at St Mary's. With Southampton trailing 1-0 against Wrexham in the 87th minute,
Gavin Bazunu
produced a world-class stop to deny Ryan Hardie. Three minutes later, Ryan Manning curled in a stunning free-kick before setting up the winner deep into stoppage time.
James McClean
came on late for Wrexham, while
Will Smallbone
missed out through injury and Eoghan O'Connell was an unused sub.
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Hull City's bench included Ireland Under-19 prospect Cathal McCarthy alongside John Egan for the 0-0 draw with Coventry City.
In League One, Luton Town's Josh Keeley and Millenic Alli helped secure a 2-0 win at Peterborough, with Keeley earning his second straight clean sheet. Cian Hayes and David Okagbue started for the hosts, with all four Irishmen completing 90 minutes.
Saturday's 3pm kick-offs brought mixed news. Jimmy Dunne missed QPR's game against Preston with a hip problem, while Robbie Brady is a major doubt for Ireland's September fixtures after a calf injury. Finn Azaz also remains sidelined for Middlesbrough.
Bosun Lawal in action for Stoke City under pressure from Derby's Ebou Adams. Photograph:On the pitch, Bosun Lawal impressed for Stoke City in a 3-1 win over Derby. Playing at centre half after a strong preseason return from a serious back injury, Lawal looked composed before his afternoon was cut short after a head knock, but he remains one to watch this season.
The final Championship action on Saturday came with Bristol City's surprise 4-1 win at Sheffield United, where captain Jason Knight was influential and Sinclair Armstrong featured off the bench, while Tom Cannon played the last half-hour for the Blades. On Sunday, Gabriel Otegbayo started in Sheffield United's 2-1 defeat to Leicester City, with Kasey McAteer coming on for the Foxes.
Elsewhere in the EFL, there was no shortage of Irish goals. Aaron Drinan struck for Swindon in their 3-2 win over Cambridge and Jaze Kabia grabbed a 92nd-minute equaliser for Grimsby in the 3-3 draw away to Harrogate to make it two goals in two games for the Corkman.
Veteran David McGoldrick showed his class with a 93rd-minute winner for Barnsley in their 3-2 win at home to Burton Albion. Ireland Under-21 international Jamie Mullins netted his first EFL goal for Wycombe in a 2-1 defeat to Stockport, while Stephen McLaughlin scored for Mansfield Town in a 2-1 loss to Doncaster.
Dylan Duffy curled home a 25-yard free-kick for Chesterfield in their 2-0 win over Cheltenham and Promise Omochere was also on target for Bristol Rovers in a 2-1 defeat to Fleetwood.
Irish involvement abroad also kicked off with success in the Netherlands. Anselmo García MacNulty played the full 90 in PEC Zwolle's 1-0 win over FC Twente, while
Troy Parrott
stole the show for AZ Alkmaar, scoring twice in a 4-1 win over Groningen – his second goal oozing with class.
In Scotland, it was a quieter weekend.
Adam Idah
and Liam Scales started for Celtic against Aberdeen, while Killian Phillips and Roland Idowu lined up for St Mirren in their 0-0 draw with Motherwell. Jamie McGrath provided an assist for Hibernian in their 2-2 draw with Kilmarnock.
Player of the week: Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar)
Troy Parrott was the standout this week, scoring twice on Sunday in a superb Eredivisie opener for AZ Alkmaar. The striker had already netted a brace against Vaduz in Thursday's Conference League win, taking his tally to seven goals in all competitions since the start of European qualifiers.
Goal of the week: Ryan Manning (Southampton)
Ryan Manning, That is WORLD CLASS🚀🇮🇪
— Rep of Ireland Player Tracker (@reptracker)
Ryan Manning was the clear winner after scoring a world-class free-kick to equalise for Southampton in the 90th minute against Wrexham, before providing a key pass for the winner. Manning's goal is already being called a goal of the season contender.
Stat of the week: Jamie Mullins (Wycombe) first EFL goal
Jamie Mullins's first goal as a Wycombe Wanderers player!🇮🇪
Mullins has taken to life in Wycombe excellently and will only get better. Serious player!
— Rep of Ireland Player Tracker (@reptracker)
Jamie Mullins scored his first EFL goal on Saturday, delivering a standout performance despite the defeat to Stockport. The midfielder joined the club permanently in the summer from Brighton and has shone in his first two games. A magnificent talent, he capped his display with a lovely goal and looks set to build on this bright start.
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The youngster has a contract at Wolves until 2028, though he still appears to be well down the pecking order and is expected to make another loan move this season. Seamus Coleman A hugely respected figure at Everton, but despite a total of 428 games for the Toffees and a one-year contract extension awarded to him last June, it seems the 36-year-old's days as a regular starter are over. Coleman made five Premier League appearances last season, only three of which were starts and the most recent led to his withdrawal in the 18th minute due to injury. He made a total of 12 appearances the previous season, and the odds are against the Donegal native getting into double figures this term. But his influence around the club as long-time captain is ostensibly the reason why he has been kept on, and it would be no surprise to see the Toffees legend graduate to a coaching role eventually. Mark Travers Another Irish Evertonian, Travers joined the club from Bournemouth for €4.6 million in the summer. However, the Maynooth native is not expected to displace Jordan Pickford as first-choice and will likely have to settle for a role as back-up goalkeeper. The 26-year-old had a similar status for most of his time in the first team at the Cherries (he spent nine years there in total), making four Premier League appearances last season in addition to 18 on loan at Middlesbrough in the second half of the campaign. Alex Murphy Since joining from Galway United in 2022, the 21-year-old has made two Premier League substitute appearances for Newcastle in the 2023-24 campaign. The defender also played 13 times on loan in the second half of last season at Bolton, as they finished a few points off the League One play-off places in eighth. Murphy is not expected to break into Newcastle's star-studded team this campaign, so another loan move might be his best option, though the fact that he signed a new long-term contract with the Magpies last year suggests the club rate him highly. Andrew Moran One of Ireland's most promising youngsters, Moran has already made one Premier League appearance for Brighton, coming off the bench in the January 2023 win over Everton. In the last two seasons, the midfielder has made 70 Championship appearances in respective loan spells at Blackburn and Stoke City. This form has seen him rewarded at international level, with Moran winning three Ireland caps — one under Stephen Kenny and two since Heimir Hallgrímsson took charge. It is still a big ask for the 21-year-old to break into a Brighton side with considerable depth, so he may be on the move again before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. Michael Obafemi Memorably contributed a goal and assist in Ireland's 3-0 June 2022 Nations League win over Scotland, but it's fair to say that it hasn't worked out as hoped for player and country alike since then. The striker has 12 caps in total, but has only featured once since 2023, largely owing to injury and form-related issues at club level. The 25-year-old did appear twice in Burnley's 2023-24 Premier League campaign, but has not worn the club's colours in almost two years, while he has not made a single league start for the team since joining from Swansea in January 2023. In the last two seasons, he has had relatively underwhelming loan spells in the Championship with Millwall and Plymouth, scoring four goals in 43 appearances. Another exit — either temporary or permanent — is expected, with a move to the Turkish side, Kasimpasa, already falling through during the summer.
