Ardee Celtic, Walshestown, Blackbull and Termonfeckin all extend promising runs in North East League
Drogheda Independent
Today at 11:30
Division 1
ARDEE Celtic cruised to a 6-1 win at Navan Town Cosmos on Saturday to climb to second in Division 1, a point behind league leaders Robinstown with a game in hand.
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The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Adam Idah learns on the job as Heimir Hallgrimsson highlights tougher demands of Republic of Ireland role
ADAM IDAH has been told it's not easy being green with his role as a striker for Ireland more demanding than it is as Celtic. In Friday night's Advertisement 2 Adam Idah led the line for Republic of Ireland against Senegal on Friday night 2 Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says the Celtic star is finally grasping the hard graft needed up top in green Doubts over Evan Ferguson's ability to ast 90 minutes- plus Idah's winner off the bench against Bulgaria in March - helped convince the Icelander to ask him to lead the line. Although he did not get a sniff of goal - berating scorer And he reckons the penny has dropped that his duties for Ireland are far more onerous than they are for Celtic, for whom he scored 20 times in all competitions this season. Asked how Advertisement READ MORE ON FOOTBALL 'He's been sharp in training and I think you saw when he came on he was sharp. We've been really happy with him in the sessions. 'Whether he was ready for 90 minutes, we were not sure and Adam deserved to start. 'And he did a solid performance, his workrate was I thought better than often before.' Advertisement Most read in Football Live Blog Video Hallgrímsson said: 'No, I saw he took the job seriously on Friday. 'It's not been an issue but I think in his club it's just so different a role it's difficult to switch. 'Don't say that on camera' - Nathan Collins' admission about Caoimhin Kelleher's move leaves Heimir in stitches 'Because we need a lot of defending from our strikers and he's just not used to it at Celtic when they have their possession at say 60/70/80 percent in games. 'So the space he needs to work on in games is small. It's a switch and hopefully players are learning more and more and he is growing. He knows what we expect so that's a positive sign.' Advertisement But he could be dropped for Tuesday's match against Luxembourg Hallgrímsson said: 'When a player is sick, we're not doing him a favour playing him if he's 80 percent. 'We would obviously like to play him fully fit and give him the chance to show himself when he is fully fit. 'He was OK. Probably he would have come into this game were it not for the injury to Robbie Brady in the end but we will see him play in two days.' Advertisement
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Ireland almost leave you wanting more as shadow boxing nears end
What's rare isn't always wonderful but Friday night's friendly stalemate with Senegal in Ballsbridge, the Republic of Ireland men's senior team's first game against African opposition in just over 15 years, almost left you wanting more. The Republic had played Celtic and a Tuscan XI since June of 2010. There had been seven meetings with Georgia, six with Gibraltar and Denmark. Even three games against the mighty Oman in the space of just six years. This kind of challenge was overdue. It was Algeria who provided the opposition back in 2010, at the RDS of all places. Current Ireland assistant manager John O'Shea started at the back. Robbie Keane and Damien Duff have walked the same path to the dugout. Others, Kenny Cunningham and Kevin Doyle, are spending some of their retirement in the TV and radio studios. So, lots of water under the bridge, then, as Heimir Hallgrimsson's lads went about this end-of-season box-ticker down by the banks of the Dodder. Novelty factor wasn't the only attraction to Senegal. This was a side ranked inside the world's top 20 and replete with a rake of players who were plying their trade in the Premier League, or had in the past, and a supporting cadre from leagues around Europe and the Middle East. The pity was that the likes of Idrissa Gueye of Everton, Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson, and Ismaila Sarr, who was so central to Crystal Palace's FA Cup win last month, all started on the bench. Probably with an eye on their game against England in Nottingham next Tuesday. Still, that spelled opportunity. Hallgrimsson had framed the terms of this engagement neatly on Thursday when admitting he would have little issue with losing here and in Luxembourg on Tuesday if it meant two wins from their opening two World Cup games in September. It was hard to argue, but even ghost games like this can, in theory, serve a value in and of themselves and not just because a win here would have made it the first time that the Boys in Green had won three on the trot since 2016. That was a hat-trick of World Cup qualifiers, no less, starting with Georgia in Dublin, continuing on through to a 3-1 against Moldova in Chisenau, and ending with a 1-0 victory over Austria in Vienna courtesy of Harry Arter. Repeat that in the autumn and Ireland will have accounted for Hungary in Dublin and sacked the citadels of Armenia and Portugal. Hey, a nation can dream, and Hallgrimsson hasn't been in town long enough to pick up the Irish art of self-effacement. 'Our broader ambition is to not only qualify for the World Cup next summer, but also to be fully prepared to compete against diverse styles of play from teams around the globe when we get there. 'Facing a talented Senegalese side provides us with an excellent opportunity to test ourselves against a different type of opposition and to continue developing,' the Ireland boss wrote in his match programme notes. The game itself? Surprisingly good. Hallgrimsson has Ireland playing to a type. His type. They were aggressive without the ball and disciplined and regimented as a collective at the back. And they can be good to watch at times, too. Maybe we can dare to have our cake and eat it. Take out a red pen to the starting teamsheet here and you were left with maybe five players – Caoimhin Kelleher, Nathan Collins, Dara O'Shea, Matt Doherty and Robbie Brady – who would likely start come the serious stuff in the autumn. With Finn Azaz, Josh Cullen and Mikey Johnston given the week off, it was Kasey McAteer, goal and all, who made the most of the doors this opened. And Caoimhin Kelleher showed why the £12.5, rising to £18m, Brentford paid for him this week is a steal. Senegal were better after the break, more direct, and that created problems for Ireland. Even Kelleher couldn't deny them forever, Ismail Sarr squeezing in a rebound after Cork's finest kept another one out with an outstretched foot. We even had the sight of two teams losing the rag in the dying moments in a more or less meaningless summer friendly. And the good news is that all this shadow boxing is almost over. Finally. It's two years since Stephen Kenny's Ireland lost 2-1 to Greece in the Agia Sophia Stadium – despite a nine-day acclimatization camp in Turkey – and the team's Euro 2024 qualifying hopes went south with six group games still to play. This was Ireland's 20th game since then. That's a whole lot of filler: academic qualifiers, Nations League placeholders and friendly make-dos. Only one more to go, against Luxembourg on Tuesday, before Hungary come to Dublin in September. Win or lose in four days' time, we're coming to the end of this two-year cruise.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland player ratings as Caoimhin Kelleher shows his quality in Senegal draw
CAOIMHIN KELLEHER: He could have had a nap during the first-half as Senegal failed to register a shot on target, but he showed his class with a wonderful stop in a busier second 45. 8 MATT DOHERTY: An inadvertent contribution to Ireland's opener and plenty of attacking play from the Wolves man, who made way in the 66th minute. 6 NATHAN COLLINS: His header teed up McAteer for Ireland's opener, but not a lot to do at the other end in the first-half. He defended well in the second as Senegal pushed forward. 8 DARA O'SHEA: O'Shea was solid, aside from two lucky escapes when he almost put the ball past his own goalkeeper. 7 ROBBIE BRADY: Came forward at every opportunity and was strong in defence against a team that had hoped to exploit spaces in the wide attacking areas. 6 KASEY McATEER: Was bright from the very first minute, eager to get on the ball and run at defenders, who were clearly terrified of the Leicester man, who marked his first Ireland start with his first goal. 7 JASON KNIGHT: Another solid display by the Bristol City man, who nipped at the ankles of his opponents and was effective once again in his distribution. 7 WILL SMALLBONE: A surprisingly deep role for the Southampton man, but he did a fine job breaking up attacks and throwing his weight around at the other end. Should have scored early in the second-half. 7 RYAN MANNING: Provided a delightful ball back into the box for Ireland's opener and came close to scoring himself during a productive 66 minutes on the pitch. 7 JACK TAYLOR: A shock choice for the advanced role that most expected Smallbone to play, but he made a nuisance of himself. Had chances with a mistimed header and a blocked shot. 6 ADAM IDAH: An often frustrating evening for the Celtic man. At times he could be seen throwing his arms in the air when his runs weren't spotted. 6 SUBS: Evan Ferguson (for Taylor 58): Tried to freshen up the attack. 6 Killian Phillips (for Doherty 66): Conceded a late free in a dangerous position. 6 Jake O'Brien (for Manning 66): Was involved in a busy spell for the Irish defence. 6 Festy Ebosele (for McAteer 80): Not on long enough to rate Andrew Moran (for Smallbone 80): Not on long enough to rate Liam Scales (for Brady 85): Not on long enough to rate SENEGAL: Yehvann Diouf 7; Antoine Mendy 7, Abdoulaye Seck 6, Abdou Diallo 7, Ismail Jakobs 6 (El Hadji Malick Diouf 85); Habib Diarra 7, Mamadou Camara 6 (Cheikh Sabaly 77), Krepin Diatta 7 (Lamine Camara 63); Abdallah Sima 6 (Ismaila Sarr 63, 8), Boylaye Dia 7 (Cherif Ndiaye 77), Iliman Ndiaye 6.
