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23.01.2015 at 15:00 Celtic Park, Killarney
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Attendance: |
THE Republic of Ireland U15 side went down to a 3-1 loss to an impressive Scotland in an entertaining friendly international at Celtic Park, Killarney, this evening.
U15 team v Scotland.jpg
23rd Jan 2015
Republic of Ireland 1-3 Scotland
Scotland took the lead in the 11th minute when Elliot Watt produced a stunning free-kick from 20 yards that smashed in off the underside of the Irish crossbar.
The visitors pressed Ireland relentlessly early on and their pressure play made it hard for the Irish to get a foothold on the game.
Despite that Ireland were unlucky not to level in the 17th minute when Luke Nolan made an excellent burst forward and his low cross was knocked back across the face of goal by Jack Owens. A Scottish defender stuck out a leg to clear but diverted the ball onto his own post before it was eventually scrambled to safety.
Ireland were undone once again in the 21st minute when Kieran Freeman made a strong burst down the right wing and sent a low ball right across goal for Glenn Middleton to tap in at the back post.
Middleton was one of the most impressive players on display for the visitors, who were coached by ex-Nottingham Forest star Scott Gemmill.
Ireland fell 3-0 down in the fourth minute of the second half when Jack Aitchison found the net with a low strike from the edge of the box.
Two minutes later Glen McAuley pulled one back for the home side when he converted from the penalty spot after Aaron Connolly had been fouled. McAuley was an impressive performer for the Irish.
Jordan Doherty was unlucky to head over from a Charlie Barry corner in the 51st minute then McAuley saw his low shot saved by keeper Josh Donaldson after a good run down the left flank in the 65th minute.
Four minutes later excellent play by Nolan found Connolly but he shot wide at the near post and two minutes from time Sultan Owolabi shot over from close range after the ball bounced around the Scottish penalty area.
The sides will meet at Listowel Celtic\'s Pat Kennedy Park on Sunday afternoon (12pm).
\"It was an excellent experience for our guys. A lot of them wouldn\'t used to being pressed the way they were from Scotland tonight,\" said Irish head coach Colin O\'Brien.
\"Scotland had eight players who from their development academy involved tonight and you can see how that has helped their development. They are an excellent side.
\"Our lads were playing their first home game in an Irish shirt and you could tell that it was a daunting experience for some of them. It is something they can learn from.
\"The good thing is that we meet again on Sunday. We\'ve an excellent staff here and we\'ll work with the lads to prepare for that game and we will be looking to see how they learn from this game.\"
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Lorcan Callaghan, Luke Nolan , Lee O’Connor, Dominic Peppard, Thierry Baba, Joe Dwyer, Glen McAuley, Mark Kelly, Aaron Connolly, Jack Owens, Charlie Barry. Subs: Jordan Doherty for Kelly 47 mins; Sultan Owolabi for Owens 69.
SCOTLAND: Josh Donaldson, Kieran Freeman, Jack Thomson, Lewis Mayo, Scott Gray, Elliot Watt, Christian Antoniazzi, Kristi Marku, Jack Aitchison, Zak Rudden, Glenn Middleton. Subs: Jordon Houston for Gray 41; Stephen Kelly for Antoniazzi 41; Sebastian Ross for Marku 64; Logan Chalmers for Rudden 69; Stephen Welsh for Freeman 69; Jack Paterson for Aitchison 73. |
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