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22.09.2000 at 20:00 Bescott Stadium Walsall
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Attendance: |
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England |
3 - 1
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Ireland Under 16 |
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Referee: |
Friendly / PROG-match |
Pidgeley (Chelsea),
Arndale (Bristol Rovers), McKie (Tottenham),
Johnson (West Ham),
Taylor (Manchester United), Welsh (Liverpool),
Schumacher (Everton), Donnelly (Blackburn Rovers), Westcarr (Nottm Forest),
Bent (Ipswich Town),
Peters (Liverpool). |
Morgan Cranley
Kiaran Sharkey
Pierre Ennis
John Fitzgerald
Eddie Keyes
Conor Kenna
Stephen Bradley
Robbie Shields
Glen Whelan
Denis Behan
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England 3 Rep of Ireland 1
Ireland Under 16 manager Brian Kerr expressed himself satisfied with his team's performance against England in Walsall, despite the 3-1 scoreline.
It was a first get-together for this year's crop ahead of next month's European qualifiers and Kerr could at least be happy that a raft of second-half substitutions produced a marked improvement.
England took the lead in the 23rd minute when Darren Bent latched onto a Mark Peters through ball and finished clinically. Ipswich Town already value Bent at £1 million and it was easy to see why.
Ireland might have equalised minutes later when Paul Keegan failed to connect when just a touch was needed. Glen Whelan fired over from 18 yards and Kevin Sharkey and Stephen Bradley were both wide from long-range shots, before Bent lost his marker again and promptly made it 2-0.
Minutes later, Ireland were 3-0 down as Peters, provider of the first, was on hand to score from close range.
Kerr threw on no fewer than seven substitutes in the second half and it was one of those, Charlton's Niall McCafferty, who inspired the Irish fightback with a cracking goal after 70 minutes.
McCafferty had only been on the pitch three minutes when he struck, unleashing a 25-yarder that rose all the way to the top corner.
Ireland gave as good as they got after that. Belvedere's Eddie Keyes was unlucky with another long-range piledriver; Gerard Rowe of Sunderland was a gnat's cock away from connecting with a diving header from close range; and Ian McGrane of Wolves looped a header onto the crossbar from a corner in the dying moments.
England: Pidgeley (Chelsea), Arndale (Bristol Rovers), McKie (Tottenham), Johnson (West Ham), Taylor (Manchester United), Welsh (Liverpool), Schumacher (Everton), Donnelly (Blackburn Rovers), Westcarr (Nottm Forest), Bent (Ipswich Town), Peters (Liverpool)
Subs: Samba (Millwall) for Bent 60, Beck (Everton) for Schumacher 64, Murphy (Middlesbrough) for Taylor 75, Moogan (Everton) for McKie 75.
Ireland: Cranley (Belvedere), Kenna (Coventry), Keyes (Belvedere), Ennis (Aston Villa), Fitzgerald (Blackburn), Sharkey (Belvedere), Whelan (Manchester City) capt., Bradley (Arsenal), Keegan (Leeds United), Behan (Abbeyfeale), Shields (Leeds United)
Subs: McGrath (Liverpool) for Fitzgerald 45, McGrane (Wolves) for Kenna 45, Rowe (Sunderland) for Behan 45, McCafferty (Charlton) for Bradley 67, O'Sullivan (Arsenal) for Shields 67, Rice for Sharkey 77, Cox (Reading) for Cranley 78
Ireland squad: Morgan Cranley (Belvedere), Simon Cox (Reading), Kieran Sharkey (Belvedere), Pierre Ennis (Aston Villa), John Fitzgerald (Blackburn) Chris McGrath (Liverpool), Conor Kenna (Coventry), Eddie Keyes (Belvedere), Glen Whelan (Man City), Ian McGrane (Wolves), Stephen Bradley (Arsenal), Wayne O'Sullivan (Arsenal), Paul Keegan (Leeds United), Niall McCafferty (Charlton), Robbie Shields (Leeds United), Denis Behan (Abbeyfeale), Gerard Rowe (Sunderland). |
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