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Irish Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Irish player tracker: Silver lining beckons for Jason Knight
The EFL playoff semi-finals have now wrapped up and we know which Irish players will be walking out at Wembley next weekend. Unlike most weeks in Irish football, this one has brought a welcome wave of positivity – both on and off the pitch. Performances have improved, and there's a growing sense of optimism surrounding Heimir Hallgrímsson 's recent Ireland squad selection. The early part of the week was dominated by the playoffs. On Monday night, Sheffield United comfortably finished the job against Bristol City with a 3-0 win at Bramall Lane to seal a 6-0 aggregate victory. Tom Cannon started for the hosts and played 62 minutes, while both Jason Knight and Max O'Leary completed the full 90 minutes for City. READ MORE For Knight, many believe it may have been his final appearance in a Bristol City shirt with Premier League clubs linked to his signature. United will meet Alan Browne and Sunderland in the play-off final after the Black Cats edged past Coventry City in extra-time on Tuesday. Browne remained an unused substitute on the night. The League One playoff semi-finals also contained plenty of interest from an Irish viewpoint. Leyton Orient's dramatic win over Stockport County saw Ollie O'Neill score early, before Josh Keeley became the shoot-out hero (again) – on the same day he received his first senior Ireland call-up. Orient will now face Charlton Athletic in the final. Conor Coventry was outstanding in Charlton's win over Wycombe, with Alex Gilbert also starting, while Kieran Sadlier featured for the opposition. Meanwhile, in League Two, a strong Irish presence will be on show in the playoff final as Walsall booked their place with a win over Chesterfield. The Saddlers boast a promising Irish core, including David Okagbue, Oisín McEntee, Ronan Maher, and Evan Weir. They'll face James Furlong's AFC Wimbledon, who overcame Notts County in their semi-final. County were without the injured David McGoldrick for the second leg. It was a brilliant week for the three Irish players at Celtic, especially Johnny Kenny. While Celtic celebrated lifting the trophy at home on Saturday, it was Wednesday's 5-1 win over Aberdeen that truly excited Irish fans. Kenny made his first start for the club and scored a memorable header – a moment he'll never forget. Liam Scales played the full 90 minutes in both matches, while Adam Idah also found the net on Wednesday – his 20th goal of the season. In the Premier League, Seamus Coleman had the bittersweet honour of captaining Everton for the final time at Goodison Park. Both he and Jake O'Brien started the match, but unfortunately Coleman's outing was cut short after just 18 minutes due to injury – a disappointing end to his time at the stadium. Meanwhile, Kasey McAteer enjoyed a standout game for Leicester, hitting the post and scoring his first Premier League goal to help secure a 2-0 win over Ipswich. Dara O'Shea played the full 90 minutes for the visitors, with Jack Taylor coming on for the final 20. Nathan Collins also played 90 minutes for Brentford in their loss to Fulham, while Evan Ferguson was once again an unused substitute for West Ham. Andrew Omobamidele (right) endured a nightmare cameo appearance for Strasbourg in the final game of his loan move. Photograph: Frederick Florin/AFP/Getty Images In France, it was a nightmare end to the season for Andrew Omobamidele and Strasbourg. In what was his final game on loan at the club, Omobamidele came off the bench in the 88th minute, only to be sent off in injury time after conceding a penalty – a costly error that saw Strasbourg miss out on Europa League qualification. They now need PSG to beat Stade de Reims in the French Cup final to secure a spot in the Conference League. As for Stade de Reims, John Patrick and his side will play in the relegation playoff due to La Havre picking up three points. Player of the Week – Kasey McAteer (Leicester City) Kasey McAteer's first Premier League goal!🇮🇪 — Rep of Ireland Player Tracker (@reptracker) It was another strong week for Kasey McAteer at Leicester City. On Wednesday, he was recalled to the Ireland squad following a string of impressive performances. He's back in the starting XI regularly and capped off the week by scoring his first Premier League goal in a standout display against Ipswich. He even struck the post earlier in the game. A massive confidence boost for McAteer as he looks to become a regular for club and country. Goal of the Week – Graham Carey (St Johnstone) Graham Carey's left foot is a wand!🪄 St Johnstone lost the game 2-1 with Carey and Sam Curtis (on loan) sadly being relegated to the Scottish Championship. Should the 35 year-old come home? — Rep of Ireland Player Tracker (@reptracker) Graham Carey scored a stunning goal for St Johnstone, showing he's still got it at 35. With his trademark left foot, he curled a brilliant long-range strike from a dead ball into the top corner. There's still life left in the old dog. Stat of the Week – Adam Idah's 20th goal of the season Adam Idah reached the coveted 20-goal mark on Wednesday in Celtic's win over Aberdeen, capping off what has been a standout season. Since the start of 2025, he's developed into a key figure for the Hoops, delivering consistently up front. With the Scottish Cup final still to come, Idah will be hoping to add to his tally and finish an already impressive campaign on an even higher note.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Wellens hails 'special group' after Orient reach play-off final
Richie Wellens says his Leyton Orient side are a "special group" after they reached the League One play-off O's beat Stockport County 4-1 on penalties at Edgeley Park after the sides had drawn 1-1 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate. Orient will face either Charlton Athletic or Wycombe Wanderers at Wembley for a place in the Championship. "I think they're a special group. Not just of footballers, and they've got the talent and some of them will grow, but I think they're special people," the Orient boss said."I didn't want a group of special people for their last game to be at Edgeley Park, I wanted it to be at Wembley."Ollie O'Neill gave Orient a third-minute lead but they were pegged back when Tanto Olaofe's excellent back-heeled flick made it 1-1 with 16 minutes leftAfter a goalless period of extra timem Ethan Galbraith struck the winning penalty after goalkeeper Josh Keeley had saved from Hatters winger Jack Diamond and Ryan Rydel struck the post."We gave too many chances away," Wellens told BBC Radio London."When we played we weren't sharp enough, we could have switched the ball and the team was too expansive and they can play it through you."So I'm disappointed in our overall play, but when you get to stages like this - I played a big game away [for Leicester] at Cardiff to get to the Premier League and we were outstanding on the day but we got beaten on penalties and no-one cares. "When you play in these games you want to play well and you want it to all go rosy, but it's not necessarily the case all the time. You need to show character." Wellens also hopes that if the club can gain promotion it will allow them to keep hold of some of their more in-demand likes of Charlie Kelman, Jamie Donley and Keeley have all impressed since joining the O's on loan. "I've got a lot of love for this football club and I want to get to the Championship with Leyton Orient - it would be an unbelievable occasion," said Wellens."We're not a Championship club - the stadium isn't big enough, the training ground isn't good enough, we're not a Championship club - but if we get there it will accelerate."The new ownership have plans to get there. It means we can maybe keep some of the players that are out of contract or are on loan, so it opens up a lot of doors."
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Leyton Orient stun Stockport in shootout to reach League One playoff final
Leyton Orient held their nerve in a penalty shootout to reach the League One playoff final after a gripping semi-final battle with Stockport. Jack Diamond and Ryan Rydel missed from 12 yards as Orient prevailed 4-1 on spot-kicks after an absorbing tie had ended 3-3 on aggregate following a breathless 1-1 draw at Edgeley Park. Ollie O'Neill had fired Orient ahead after just three minutes but Stockport claimed a deserved equaliser with a superb flick from Isaac Olaofe 16 minutes from time. Olaofe spurned a gilt-edged chance in the closing minutes of normal time and the Stockport suffered further anguish as Odin Bailey hit the post late in the second extra period. They paid the price for those misses as Josh Keeley saved from Diamond and Rydel struck the post in the shootout. After the controversy over the first of Charlie Kelman's two goals in the first leg, it will be a further bitter pill for County, who dominated large spells of the game. Yet while their dream of a fourth promotion in seven seasons is over, Orient are now within a game of a returning to the second tier for the first time since 1982. The drama began early on as Orient caught the home defence napping to grab the lead. Ethan Galbraith lobbed a free-kick into the area and Irish winger O'Neill held off Owen Moxon to lash past Corey Addai from a tight angle. Orient fans knocked over an advertising hoarding in the celebrations but the County supporters were hardly silenced as they attempted to roar their side back into the contest. Stockport responded well with Ibou Touray shooting at Keeley and Olaofe heading across goal. Captain Fraser Horsfall went closer as he headed against the post and put another chance wide after Olaofe nodded over. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Kelman went close to doubling Orient's lead just before the interval with a header that bounced down off the underside of the crossbar. He also had the first opening of the second half as he raced on to a through-ball but saw his attempted lob palmed over by Addai. Driven forward by the energetic Ollie Norwood, Stockport battled on and were rewarded for their persistence when Olaofe flicked them level. Keeley looked to have Diamond's initial strike covered but the keeper was wrong-footed by Olaofe's clever backheel. Olaofe should have settled the contest in stoppage time but failed to hit the target after charging into the area. Stockport had the better of the chances in extra time but Horsfall's glancing header was pushed away. Keeley then produced a stunning save to keep out a low shot from Horsfall and Bailey thought he had snatched victory in the dying moments only for his effort to strike the post. Orient punished the hosts with four perfect penalties and will face Charlton or Wycombe at Wembley.
