March 2006
U17s crash out of Europe...31/03/2006
Ireland never recovered from conceding a poor goal after 40 seconds of their match tonight. Irish discipline was sadly lacking as 3 players were dismised. Serbia & Montenegro ran out winners by 3 goals to nil.
Dynamic Dixon saves Ireland…29/03/02
An equalizing goal, two minutes into added time by Terry Dixon, kept alive the European Championship hopes of the Republic of Ireland U17 side. Israel were within seconds of winning the Elite Group when Dixon pounced to maintain Irish hopes of reaching the finals in Luxembourg. Republic of Ireland 1 v 1 Israel.
Superb 4 nil start for Elite U17s …27/03/2006
Sean McCaffrey’s U17 team overcame very blustery conditions to score four second-half goals against Romania in their opening game in Dalymount Park tonight. In the other group game, Israel scored an injury-time penalty to defeat Serbia & Montenegro by 2-1. Ireland’s next game is against Israel in Richmond Park on Wednesday at 7.00 pm.
Surprise visit by Stephen Staunton…24/03/2006
RISSC (London) members attending this evening’s monthly club meeting were uplifted by the surprise appearance of international team manager Stephen Staunton. The committee and members of the club are hugely appreciative of the effort made by Stephen, who found time in his hectic schedule, to attend the gathering and meet supporters.
John Delaney visits RISSC (London)…24/03/2006
John Delaney, Chief Executive of the Football Association of Ireland attended the Republic of Ireland Soccer Supporters Club (London) meeting this evening. John was accompanied by Director of Corporate Affairs Pat Costello and Honorary Secretary, Michael Cody.
RISSC (London) disappointed by Plymouth…22/03/2006
The management and players of RISSC (London) suffered major disappointment this morning when news broke that their scheduled penultimate league match opponents Plymouth Argyle SC are unable to field a team. The match is awarded to RISSC (London) on a 3-0 scoreline, in accordance with competition rules. Manager Paul Franklin echoed the feelings of all when he expressed his huge dismay that the team will not have the opportunity to play the match and achieve their goals on the pitch.
Carey testimonial for RISSC (London)…22/03/2006
Following the cancellation of their scheduled league fixture, RISSC (London) have arranged to meet perennial rivals Glasgow Rangers SC to mark the contribution made to the Club over a period of time by full back Jon Carey. The game will take place at the LPR Sports Ground, Sudbury Hill at 2.00pm on Sunday next 26 March 2006. The Club invites all, to come along and enjoy the occasion and perhaps share a post match drink with Jon and the boys in the clubhouse.
Drogheda in Setanta semi-final…21/03/2006
FAI Cup holders Drogheda United joined Cork City in the semi-finals of the Setanta Cup 2006 with a successful 2-1 visit to Stangmore Park, Dungannon this evening. Goals from Declan O’Brien and Stephen Bradley secured victory for Drogheda. In the other Group 1 fixture, Cork City maintained their position at the top with a comfortable 3-1 home victory over Portadown.
Setanta Group Two wide open…20/03/2006
With two series of matches to go in Group Two of the Setanta Cup 2006, only two points separate all four sides. Glentoran scored a 1 nil victory over Derry City at the Oval tonight to climb back into contention while their great Northern rivals Linfield secured a scoreless draw in Dublin against Shelbourne to remain in pole position.
Stalemate in United Park…18/03/2006
Drogheda United and Cork City, two of the favourites for the Eircom Premier League title, fought out a dour scoreless draw in their first encounter of the season at United Park, Drogheda on Saturday night. Another of the favourites, Shelbourne were held to a scoreless draw at home to Longford Town while St Patricks Athletic scored a 1 nil success in a ‘Dublin Derby’ against UCD in Belfield Park. First division champions Sligo Rovers got their campaign off to a good start with a 1 nil victory over Bohemians.
Dublin City deny Derry…16/03/2006
An own goal from Ruaidhri Higgins, twenty minutes into the second half allowed newly promoted Dublin City to take all three points from Derry City in the second series of Eircom Premier League fixtures. In the other Premier game played this evening, an equaliser three minutes into added time gave Waterford United a share of the points with visitors Bray Wanderers.
Cork qualify for Setanta semi-final…14/03/2006
Eircom League champions Cork City became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the Setanta Cup 2006 with tonight’s 1-0 away victory over Dungannon Swifts. FAI Cup winners Drogheda United had a 4-0 home success over Portadown and look well set to join Cork in the semi-finals.
Derry and Linfield in Setanta wins…13/03/2006
Group Two of the Setanta Cup 2006 reached the half way stage tonight with comfortable home victories for Derry City and Linfield by 3-1 and 2-0 over Glentoran and Shelbourne respectively. Tonight’s victors are now joint top of the Group on five points each with Shelbourne one point behind.
Last gasp Coffey secures points…12/03/2006
A diving header in added time from leading goalscorer Mick Coffey, secured a dramatic 2-1 win for RISSC (London) in a taut climax to the game against Hull City SC this afternoon. The victory sends RISSC two points clear at the top of the League with two games to play…More>
Double disappointment for U16s…11/03/2006
The Republic of Ireland U16 squad faced their rivals from Northern Ireland in a double header at Oriel Park, Dundalk this afternoon. Vincent Butler’s boys went down to a 2 nil defeat in the opening ‘B’ game. A penalty, converted by Conor McCormack, enabled the ‘A’ team to come from behind and earn a 1-1 draw with their Northern counterparts.
Mexican draw for Irish women…11/03/2006
Noel King’s senior women’s team played out a 0-0 draw with Mexico in their second game of the prestigious Algarve Cup this afternoon. The Irish team dominated the match and were unlucky not to take all three points. The point gained, however, was sufficient for Ireland to progress to the knock out stage of the competition which is scheduled to be televised on Eurosport next week.
Eircom champions Cork City win opener…10/03/2006
A disputed penalty on five minutes, converted by George O’Callaghan, was sufficient for Cork City to collect all three points when they opened the defence of their Eircom Premier League title against Dublin City tonight…More>
Irish Schools get off to good start…10/03/2006
The FAIS Boys team scored a 1 nil victory over the Scottish Schools in Terryland Park, Galway tonight. A 70th minute strike from Palmerstown’s Declan Carroll won the points for the Irish team as they seek to win the Centenary Cup for the third year in succession.
RISSC team enter home straight…10/03/2006
The RISSC (London) football team enter the final stages of their league season when they travel to Barn Elms on Sunday afternoon. RISSC face third place Hull City SC, in what is likely to be the pivotal game of their season. Hull recently held current league leaders Manchester United SC to a draw, which created the opportunity for RISSC to win the League. Victory over Hull, followed by success in their final two home fixtures will guarantee the title. The club played a warm up friendly against the Belmullet, Greenford last weekend and goals from Karl McGee, a spectacular forty yard effort, and Johnny Flynn secured victory.
Irish Women open with victory…09/03/2006
The Republic of Ireland Senior Women’s team secured an excellent win over hosts Portugal in the opening series of matches in the prestigious ‘Algarve Women’s Football Cup 2006’ this afternoon. A goal in the 29th minute from Laura Hislop, who is on a scholarship at Franklin Pierce University and plays her league football with New Hampshire Phantoms, proved the winner. Ireland, will meet Mexico on Saturday in their second Group C game.
Eircom League kicks off tonight…10/03/2006
The 2006 Eircom League commences tonight with defending champions, Cork City opening their campaign with a home fixture against promoted Dublin City. Last season’s runners up, Derry City also have home advantage and will entertain UCD at the Brandywell. The Dublin area sees Bohemians welcome FAI Cup holders Drogheda United to Dalymount Park while Waterford United will make the trek to Inchicore to face St Patricks Athletic. Shelbourne make the short trip down the coast to meet Bray Wanderers. The remaining Premier League fixture takes place on Saturday evening when last year’s Division One Champions Sligo Rovers travel to Flancare Park to play Longford Town.
Success for U15s against Slovenia…09/03/2006
Vincent Butler’s Republic of Ireland U15 side gained sweet revenge for their defeat on Tuesday evening with a comfortable 2 nil victory over Slovenia at Whitehall this evening. Ireland were in control throughout, as indeed they were on Tuesday, but on this occasion removed the defensive lapses from their game. The opening goal came five minutes before half time, when a shot from Conor Clifford was blocked by the goalkeeper but the alert Karl Shephard was on hand to stab home the rebound. A stunning twenty yard shot from Greg Cunningham seven minutes from time put the seal on a fine performance.
U15s slip up to Slovenia…07/03/2006
The Republic of Ireland Under 15 side managed by Vincent Butler, went down to a disappointing 1-2 defeat to Slovenia in the first of two meetings this week. Ireland dominated possession throughout the match and created numerous goalscoring opportunities but their only return was a second minute goal from Crumlin United striker Darragh Satelle. Two second half goals on the break from the visitors, the first a penalty, led to defeat. The Irish team will seek to redress the balance when the two sides meet again at Whitehall on Thursday evening.
Cork City clear in Setanta Cup...7/03/2006
Following completion of the third series of Setanta Cup matches, Cork City extended their lead at the top of Group One with a comfortable 2-0 win over Dungannon Swifts in Turner Cross tonight. A fine volley from John O’ Flynn on 40 minutes and a superb 25 yard free kick by George O’Callaghan two minutes after the interval, secured the points. In this evening’s other Group One tie, Drogheda United travelled north to Shamrock Park and secured a worthy point in a no score draw with Portadown.
International Awards Ceremony a success…05/03/2006
RISSC (London) was well represented at the Eircom International Soccer awards ceremony held at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin on Sunday 26 February 2006. Among the guests were the new International Team Manager, Stephen Staunton, Team Consultant, Bobby Robson together with coaches Kevin MacDonald and Alan Kelly. The government was represented by Finance Minister Brian Cowen…More>
Eoin Hand delights RISSC audience… 05/03/2006
Stalwart servant of Irish football, Eoin Hand, was the guest speaker at the February meeting of RISSC London. Eoin gave an outline of his current role as Careers Guidance Officer with the FAI. He then regaled his audience with several anecdotal stories of his football and management career...More>
La Manga success for U19s…05/03/2006
A talented Ireland Under 19 squad won the La Manga tournament in Spain with a 4-2 success over Finland in the final game. A superb hat trick from Arsenal star Anthony Stokes was the catalyst for victory. Newcomer Ross Gaynor of Millwall scored the other goal. Ireland opened the tournament with a hard fought 1-1 draw against old rivals Scotland with James O’Brien of Glasgow Celtic scoring the goal. Team captain John Paul Kelly of Bohemians scored the only goal of the second game against Norway. Manager Sean McCaffrey and Coach Tony McGuirk were pleased with the performance of the squad, which was missing several of the players who had shone in the successful European Qualifying Group victory in Cork last October
U17s recover with successive victories…04/03/2006
The Republic of Ireland Under 17 team managed by Special Merit Award winner, Sean McCaffrey, recovered from their opening one nil defeat by France, to score well merited victories over hosts Portugal and Holland and finish as runners up in the Algarve Tournament. A goal from Norwich City starlet Michael Spillane ensured success over Portugal while Cavan’s Cillian Sheridan scored the decisive winner against Holland. Irish goalkeeper, Shane Redmond of Nottingham Forest was named player of the tournament.
Butler's Boys enjoy mixed fortune…03/03/2006
Vincent Butler's Republic of Ireland Under 16 squad travelled the long road to Tel Aviv where they faced an emerging Israel in two challenge matches. Goals from Craig Duggan and Conor McCormack gave Ireland a 2 nil success in the first encounter with goalkeeper Kieron Thorp having an excellent game. Israel redressed the balance with a one goal victory in the second game played two days later. Manager Butler was happy with the performance of his young charges and believes the experience will stand them in good stead in the future.