Trim duo feature in Republic of Ireland UEFA win
Trim duo Cian Lee and Dominic Peppard both played of the Republic of Ireland yesterday as they won the UEFA under-16 Development Tournament in Hungary with a 2-0 win in their third game of the week.
Cian Hughes from Ratoath is also a member of the panel.
Managed by Paul Osam the panel performed well over the week and the manager had every reason to heap praise on the squad after they beat Slovakia 2-0.
An opening victory over the hosts, Hungary in which Peppard scored the winning goal was slightly deflated by a narrow loss to Austria on Wednesday, but the players picked themselves up to finish the tournament on a high.
Goals from Jordan Doherty and Rowan Roache ensured Ireland secured the three points, but Osam was enthused primarily by the attitude of his players and how they executed his game-plan in what was a tricky encounter in hot conditions on Friday morning.
'It was an early kick-off and the first half was a little scrappy with not much good play, but we improved in the second half and I thought we were very good,' said Osam.
'We took the lead through a free-kick from Jordan Doherty and we looked very dangerous from there on in. We created a few more excellent chances and Slovakia didn't really trouble us.
'We then got the second goal through Rowan Roache after good work by Luke Nolan and we stayed in control of the game after that. It was a good way for us to end the tournament as we won two games in three days.
'I'm really pleased with how the week has gone. The player have taken onboard what we have asked of them and all of the staff have been instrumental in that. There is still room for improvement, but I'm very pleased with the progress that we've made,' he concluded.
Republic of Ireland - Brian Maher; Cian Lee, Lee O'Connor, Joe Redmond, Dominic Peppard (Ledwidge 71), Aaron Bolger, Jordan Doherty (Connolly 54), Conor Coventry (Rowan Roache h-t), Marc Walsh (Luke Nolan h-t), Adam Idah (Cian Murphy 61), Callum Thompson (Richie O'Farrell 71).
UNDER-18
Luke Wade-Slater from Dunshaughlin has been included in the Republic of Ireland u-18 panel by manager Tom Mohan for a friendly against Germany on Wednesday next.
Mohan played under-age in the North Easetrn Counties Schoolboys' League in the 1990s for Monaghan side Oriel Celtic who were managed by Sean McCaffrey - a former FAI u-18 manager.
Republic of Ireland Under 18 Squad
Goalkeepers: Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (Unattached)
Defenders - Corey O'Keefe (Birmingham City), Jonathan Lunney (Preston North End), Declan Rice (West Ham United), Dara O'Shea (West Bromwich Albion), Robert McCourt (West Bromwich Albion), Canice Carroll (Oxford United), Luke Wade-Slater (Stevenage)
Midfielders - Conor Levingston (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Liam Brady (Stevenage), Connor Ronan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Conor Masterson (Liverpool), Daniel Mandriou (Brighton & Hove Albion), Zachary Elbouzedi (West Bromwich Albion)
Forwards - Josh Barrett (Reading), Trevor Clarke (Shamrock Rovers), Ronan Hale (Birmingham City)
Wednesday, May 11
Under 18 International Friendly
Germany v Republic of Ireland, Stadion Am Sommerdamm, Rüsselsheim am Main (10.00am Irish time)