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BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The night teenage Haaland 'killed' Lennon's Hibs
There is something rather surreal about looking at a picture of Efe Ambrose attempting to get heavy-handed with a teenage Erling now at English non-league side Workington, and Manchester City's Haaland, arguably the world's top striker, have seen their careers take different paths since they faced off in was the night the Norwegian phenomenon "killed" Hibernian, former manager Neil Lennon Leith side met Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Molde in Europa League qualifying and travelled to Norway with the tie in the balance after a goalless first leg in missed the Easter Road clash because of talks over a £9m move to Red Bull Salzburg, but he started the second leg with his future still in 18-year-old sensation delivered a bullish display against a Hibs defence consisting of Ryan Porteous and the experienced trio of Ambrose, Paul Hanlon and Lewis first goal came from a simple back-post header, before a blistering run in behind - one we've become so accustomed to seeing now - resulted in him turning provider for Fredrik Aursnes. The forward then rounded Adam Bogdan to seal a 3-0 win."Yeah, he killed us," Lennon tells BBC Scotland. "We were going well, 0-0 at home, and when he played in the second leg we were like: 'Who's this guy?'."He was 18 at the time, and funnily enough straight after he went to Salzburg. I said to Solskjaer: 'Could you not have sold him a couple of days earlier?'. He was amazing."Lennon took charge at Easter Road in 2016 and led Hibs out of the Championship in his first season - a feat he is now attempting to repeat with Dunfermline after signing a two-year deal to remain at the Pars, whom he joined on a short-term basis in March."I had a real happy time at Hibs. It was a fabulous couple of years, I loved it and I get the same feeling here although it's a different challenge because that Hibs team had the nucleus of a really good team," Lennon adds."We've got some good players in the building but we need to add a lot more to that, whereas the Hibs team had won the cup so there was still a feelgood effect there around when I came in. And we were more than enough quality to get out of the division once we added a few players to the team already."So that was a very happy time and I want to experience that again but you only do that by doing the work in the background and doing the hard yards."
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rhys Marshall reflects on career highlights as he hangs up his boots
Rhys Marshall says "a combination of things" has led him to call time on his footballing career. The 30-year-old Glenavon star announced on Thursday that he was retiring after making 299 appearances for the club. Marshall assured supporters there was no issue between himself and current boss Paddy McLaughlin saying it was "the right time" to hang his boots up as he reflected on some of his highlights for the Lurgan Blues. READ MORE: New stained glass window at Belfast City Hall honours pivotal moments in LGBTQ+ history READ MORE: Irish qualified Kiwi leaves Ulster as Richie Murphy signs Wallabies star 'There is no single reason for my decision. It has been in my mind for a while, but I think now is the right time,' Marshall told the Glenavon website. 'I have nothing but respect for Paddy. He has done a great job since he was appointed. However, I stepped back from full time to go part time, and an extra session was added which made things difficult. 'I have had one or two knocks in the last few years which have restricted my availability. Last season it was much harder to recover after training, let alone, games, than it was five or ten years ago. "That is another factor, but, as I have said, it is a combination of things.' Two Irish Cup wins with Glenavon and scoring on a famous night in Europe as they beat a Molde side featuring Erling Haaland are just some of the memories that will stick with Marshall. 'The two cup successes are the highlights of my career,' he explained. 'I was young and probably didn't fully appreciate how special those moments were. "There was also the fact that we were a top side at that time. It wasn't a big surprise when we defeated Linfield. But, looking back, to win two Irish Cups in three years was a great achievement. 'When I scored [against Molde], I didn't imagine that it would be the springboard for us to go on and win the match. It was an amazing performance and result.' Marshall paid a heartfelt tribute to his former boss Gary Hamilton and the late club chairman Adrian Teer and the rest of the board at Mourneview Park as he said his goodbyes. 'Gary gave me my debut. I am grateful to him for that,' he said. 'He worked out very early the type of person I am and how best to get the best out of me. He gave me the freedom to be more than a defender and get forward when I wanted to. That was a big part of my game. 'They were all good to me. I was always made to feel wanted. I am sorry that I cannot continue but I leave with some fabulous memories.'
Irish Independent
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
League of Ireland takeaways: Shamrock Rovers' second-half woes as Shels' frailty continues to hurt them
On the eve of the League of Ireland season – in the aftermath of the first leg of his team's Conference League tie with Molde – Stephen Bradley spoke about where Shamrock Rovers went wrong in the league in 2024.
Irish Examiner
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Teenage kicks - 10 of the best League of Ireland emerging stars
Brexit rules altered the landscape for the Irish footballing export market, raising the threshold from 16 to 18 for the age players can join UK clubs. That has resulted in budding talent remaining at home, unless they emulate the route Kevin Zefi and Cathal Heffernan took to the continent, and debate has swirled about whether gems are at a disadvantage. Only certain clubs can afford to enlist teens on professional contracts and offer full-time training. Here we look at 10 players in that age-bracket between 16 and 19 who are thriving in the League of Ireland and are worth a look in the flesh at venues nationwide this weekend. Mason Melia (St Patrick's Athletic) Mason Melia will join Tottenhmam Hotspur in January. File picture: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Officially Ireland's first €1m sale, the striker ended speculation about his next destination by agreeing a deal to join Tottenham Hotspur next January after he turns 18. He was blooded by St Patrick's Athletic as a 16-year-old debutant, won the FAI Cup in 2023, the same year he featured at the U17 Euros. Now in possession of the No 9 jersey, the responsibility rests easily on his shoulders, as he showed by opening the scoring against Shamrock Rovers last week. Michael Noonan (Shamrock Rovers) 16-year-old Michael Noonan became the Conference League's youngest ever scorer with his goal against Molde this season. St Pat's were planning for Melia's departure by chiselling out his successor with sporadic exposure for Noonan last year but he wasn't prepared to operate in his elder's shadow and so made the jump to their Dublin and title rivals over the off-season. Anyone thinking he'd be assimilated slowly into the team would have been shocked when he started and scored in the Conference League playoff away to Molde, creating history as the competition's youngest scorer. The 16-year-old was back at school the following morning and opened his league account last week against Bohemians. Cathal O'Sullivan (Cork City) Cathal O'Sullivan has been tiped for stardom since 14. File picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile Turner's Cross bore witness to the 18-year-old's sorcery on Monday when the creative spark turned the game in City's favour during the last five minutes. O'Sullivan has been tipped for stardom since the age of 14 and admirably recovered from an ACL rupture to revel in City's First Division title success. Tougher tests in the Premier this term have been passed with distinction and a move to the English top-flight in the summer looms. Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrímsson and U21 manager Jim Crawford have both watched the mercurial maestro over the past fortnight. Cillian Tollett (Galway United) Cillian Tollett scored against Derry City last week. File picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile Having been afforded his bow by John Caulfield and Ollie Horgan last October, the striker celebrated his 17th birthday in the run-up to this season kicking off in February. The forward from Oughterard at the gateway to Connemara has featured four times since, grabbing a goal in last week's clash against Derry City. He's also scored for Ireland and was part of the squad that recently clinched a place at the U17 World Cup this coming November. Owen Elding (Sligo Rovers) Owen Elding has scored five goals in 10 games for Sligo Rovers. File picture: Ben McShane/Sportsfile Another precocious striker, Elding has replicated his father Anthony by spearheading the attack of Sligo Rovers. Five goals in 10 matches so far this term for the division's bottom team is impressive for the man who only turned 19 last month. Elding was born in England but grew up in Ireland so should qualify through residency but has yet to be capped by his adopted home. On his current trajectory, that's an inevitability. Lewis Temple (Shelbourne) Shelbourne's Lewis Temple has repayed Damien Duff's trust. File picture: Andrew Conan/Inpho Breaking into a defence that conceded just 27 goals along their 36-match trail to the title was a task for the teenager but Damien Duff felt it was opportune this season. He's been around the Shelbourne set-up since Duff became boss senior boss in 2022, marvelling during last season's loan at FAI Cup semi-finalists Wexford, and was primed to freshen up the Reds defence. The strapping defender who was a karate black belt at the age of 12 and kicked into action with a man-of-the-match performance against St Pat's. A broken bone in his foot has only slowed, rather than curbed, his ascent. Cathal McCarthy (UCD) Cathal McCarthy (blue) will join Hull City in the summer. File picture: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile Another centre-back, McCarthy is on his way to Hull City on a two-and-a-half year deal in the summer after the Tigers tied up a double-deal with Hugh Parker. He's been allowed to remain with the Students on loan to facilitate the completion of his Leaving Cert and they'll require his presence to catch the front three of Dundalk, Bray Wanderers and Cobh Ramblers. Initially with Klub Kildare, he joined the Students in time to feature in the Uefa Youth Cup and developed into a cultured defender. Vinnie Leonard (Dundalk) Vincent Leonard is an old-school defender. File picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile Another member of the World Cup bound U17 Ireland squad, Leonard is a throwback defender, a bulky figure whose priority on clearing danger appetising to his various suitors. Ciarán Kilduff has leaned on a legion of teens to resurrect relegated Dundalk and Leonard is the bedrock in central defence. He's broken all manner of records, the youngest debutant at 15 last year and goalscorer seven weeks ago. Billy O'Neill (Bray Wanderers) Billy O'Neill has been training with Brentford but is attracting interest from European clubs. File picture: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile Six straight wins has Bray motoring and integral to their revival is a player who only hit his 17th birthday milestone last month. O'Neill's artillery from the wing has already seen him training with Brentford while a clutch of European clubs, including Juventus, are monitoring his progress in case he chooses to depart before he can do so to the UK at 18. Victor Ozhianvuna (Shamrock Rovers) Arsenal are reported to be in talks to secure a pre-contract deal for Victor Ozhianvuna File picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile Also 16, and on track to be at the World Cup in Qatar, Victor Ozhianvuna has been long spoken of as a standout among a talented Rovers underage team. He enjoyed a purple patch in June with involvement in the Conference League playoff against Molde and sub at Lansdowne Road against Bohemians. He was a whisker away from providing a precious equaliser. Likely to stick around until he's 18, Arsenal are in talks about securing a pre-contract deal, banking a €1m-plus fee for the Hoops.
Irish Times
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
League of Ireland goalscoring rates on the rise as strikers like Mipo Odubeko and Moses Dyer hit form
Mipo and Moses are heating up. Warren Davis and Owen Elding have also found their groove. And watch out for the lethal Michael Duffy swinging off the left for Derry City. Goals galore in the Premier Division. Mipo Odubeko, the Shelbourne striker, has been sharpening his blades, scoring twice in three matches since Damien Duff left him out of the starting line-up against Bohs earlier this month. Odubeko came off the bench to settle that match with a goal that his manager felt was made of equal parts 'emotion, relief and 'f**k off Duffer.'' READ MORE Dropping the 22-year-old lit a fuse under him. What jumps out from Odubeko's statistics is a whopping 47 shots in eight Premier Division starts. Only 15 hit the target. Three found the net. Besides Duffy's 32 efforts for Derry – 16 on target – nobody else comes close. 'It's fairly simple,' Odubeko explained, 'the more I shoot the more chance I have of scoring goals. It's just instinct.' Odubeko grew up with Robbie Keane's cousins, played for Keane's club Crumlin United and nowadays he is managed by the record Ireland goalscorer's supplier-in-chief. 'When we are doing extra finishing after training [Duff] is always banging on about the side foot [finish] – he calls it 'the Robbie Keane'.' Seán Boyd and Odubeko tend to start matches together up front, or finish them whenever Shels are chasing a winner. The older centre forward has contributed two goals and two assists so far this year, with the rangy pair racking up 89 touches in the box, which makes Friday night's Dublin derby in Tallaght, against the gladiatorial Shamrock Rovers defenders Pico Lopes and Daniel Cleary, unmissable television (live on Virgin Media Two). The quiet star of the show for Shelbourne has been attacking midfielder Evan Caffrey, with three goals and two assists while creating 18 chances and drawing 15 fouls. Much has been made about Rovers' inability to replace Johnny Kenny's 20 goals in 2024, with manager Stephen Bradley leaning towards 16-year-old Michael Noonan over the 35-year-old veterans Aaron Greene and Rory Gaffney. Uefa Conference League: Shamrock Rovers' Michael Noonan exploded on the scene with a goal on debut to secure a 1-0 away win against Molde of Norway. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Noonan exploded on the scene with a goal on debut to secure a 1-0 away win against Molde of Norway before his 50-yard dribble and neat finish appeared to sink Bohs in Tallaght on Easter Monday, although Colm Whelan had other ideas. Odubeko aside, efficiency is the name of the game. Moses Dyer is having a career renaissance at Galway United with five goals, including a spectacular strike to beat Bohemians at Dalymount Park. The other front runners on five goals are Davis (20) for league leaders Drogheda United and English teenager Elding for relegation-threatened Sligo Rovers. Davis, like Duffy, is a left winger but Drogs manager Kevin Doherty has nudged him up alongside Thomas Oluwa with the result being four goals in his last five games. On Friday night at Eamonn Deacy Park, it is Davis versus Dyer to see who can take the outright lead on the scoring list. The other striker on five goals, Aidan Keena, has a hamstring injury but the 25-year-old's electric start to the season had Mason Melia playing second fiddle at Richmond Park. Away to Tottenham Hotspur in January, Melia is beginning to shine for St Patrick's Athletic, with an acrobatic finish in last Friday's 2-2 thriller against Rovers. It is also worth noting the special attention his reputation guarantees, winning 18 fouls in 11 appearances, according to . St Pat's visit Dalymount, where victory could send them top of the table if they squash the tentative revival of Bohemians under Alan Reynolds. Much was understandably made of 18-year-old Rhys Brennan's winner in Tallaght on Monday , but Bohs only began to turn the tide when Whelan came off the bench. The former Ireland under-21 striker has been cursed since he bagged 32 goals for UCD over two seasons in the First Division. Still only 24, Whelan's back-to-goal assists for Ross Tierney and Brennan have completely changed the narrative around Reynolds's time in Phibsborough. Last season's top scorers, Pádraig Amond (37) and Pat Hoban (33), who both finished on 14 goals, deserve a mention. The veterans might come good when their teams, Waterford and Derry, start performing. They meet tonight at The RSC. Hoban is already an all-time League of Ireland marksman, having also topped the charts in 2014, 2018 and 2020. And don't forget Cork City sharpshooters Ruairí Keating, who recently ruptured his Achilles tendon, with three goals already banked, and their hamstrung Ireland international Seán Maguire. The recent reward for scoring the most goals in the Premier Division is a transfer to places like Lincoln City for Jack Moylan, Carlisle United for Georgie Kelly and the Dutch second tier for Jon Afolabi. Up Next Mason Melia's €1.9 million transfer record for a League of Ireland player, when he agreed terms with Tottenham in February, is set to be bettered with Rovers manager Stephen Bradley revealing that talks with clubs, including Arsenal, to buy Victor Ozhianvuna (16) are right down to 'financials'.
