Locals help Republic of Ireland to Welsh victory
Two Mayo and two Sligo players featured on the Republic of Ireland schools side that overcame Wales last week.
Soccer: There was no shortage of local input into the Republic of Ireland Schools’ victory over Wales in the SAFIB Centenary Shield last Thursday night.
Rice College duo Conor Cannon and Conor Reynolds played the entire game, likewise Kyle McDonagh of St Attracta’s Community School in Tubbercurry. For Cannon, this was his first start of the four-match campaign.
In further representation for the west, Daire Patton of Sligo’s Summerhill College also lined out in defence – and scored –in what ended as a 3-0 away win at Briton Ferry.
It was the final game in the series which saw the Republic of Ireland win one, draw one and lose two. Derek O’Brien’s side will have mixed emotions having come very close to getting all three points against Scotland and Northern Ireland in Athlone but conceding goals from set pieces was their downfall over those two games.
The Irish got the perfect start against the Welsh with an own goal scored after 13 minutes. Carndonagh Community School netminder Óisín Cooney kept his side in front with a brilliant penalty before Summerhill’s Daire Patton netted ten minutes from the interval. The third goal came courtesy of birthday boy Hugh Parker from Greystones with a lovely finish on 55 minutes.
