Milk Cup
24.07.2000 at 19:00 - Coleraine University
Ireland's youth supremo, Brian Kerr, has picked his squad for the Milk Cup u16 tournament which will be held in Northern Ireland in July. Kerr is making a strange move by bringing an international squad to a club tournament but the experience will do his young charges no harm.
Ireland have been drawn in Group two with Brondby, Derry and Manchester City. It will be a weird experience for two of Kerr's squad, Glen Whelan and Stephen Elliott, because they will be playing against their club side, Manchester City.
The Irish will travel north with a strong hand. Kerr has named a full-strength squad for the tournament including rising stars Stephen Bradley (Lourdes Celtic) and Robbie Shields (Cherry Orchard) who are off to Arsenal and Leeds United respectively for the start of the new season.
Both players were courted by nearly every team in England for their signatures, so much so that Shields has signed a five-year professional contract with David O'Leary's Elland Road side.
Darren Kelly (Cherry Orchard), Morgan Cranley (Belvedere); Pierre Ennis (Peamount), Glen Whelan (Man City), John Fitzgerald (St Josephs), Conor Kenna (Lourdes Celtic), David Burke (Cherry Orchard), Mark O'Brien (Belvedere), Ciaran Sharkey (Belvedere), Pierce Power (Ferrybank), Ian McGrane (Cherry Orchard), Stephen Rice (Lourdes Celtic), Stephen Bradley (Lourdes Celtic), Paul Keegan (Home Farm), Stephen Elliott (Man City), Robbie Shields (Cherry Orchard), Alan Kinsella (Leeds Utd), Joe Sammon (Lourdes Celtic).
Brian Kerr has been forced to make six changes to his squad for the prestigious Milk Cup tournament in Northern Ireland which starts today.
Manchester City, Leeds United and Wolves have withdrawn their players from the squad as they are all sending teams for the competition.
Manchester City have withdrawn Stephen Elliott and Glen Whelan while Leeds United have withdrawn Robbie Shields and Alan Kinsella and Wolves have withdrawn Ian McGrane. Kerr's other absentee is Coventry City's Conor McKenna, who is injured.
The Irish underage supremo has called up Nottingham Forest's Michael Byrne, Abbeyfeale's Denis Behan, Belvedere's Stephen Maguire, Tramore Athletic's Robert Milner, Home Farm's Killian Brennan and Dean Buckley of Cork schoolboy side Leeds.
Ireland kick off the tournament against Brondby at Coleraine University tonight at 7:00. Then they face Derry at Anderson Park, Coleraine, tomorrow and finish their group on Wednesday with a game against Manchester City which should see Stephen Elliott and Glen Whelan lining out against their country.
Ireland u16 squad: Darren Kelly (Cherry Orchard); Morgan Cranley (Belvedere); Pierre Ennis (Peamount), Killian Brennan (Home Farm), John Fitzgerald (St Jospehs); Robert Milner (Tramore Athletic); David Burke (Cherry Orchard), Mark O'Brien (Belvedere), Ciaran Sharkey (Belvedere), Pierce Power (Ferrybank); Michael Byrne (Nottingham Forest); Stephen Rice (Lourdes Celtic); Stephen Bradley (Arsenal), Paul Keegan (Leeds United); Denis Behan (Abbeyfeale); Stephen Maguire (Belvedere); Dean Buckley (Leeds, Cork); Joe Salmon (Lourdes Celtic).
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