It's been a quiet week in the SSE Airtricity League with the mid-season break but here's a quick round-up from the league and five things we've learnt. 1. Gerard Lyttle and Harry Kenny excited for Scottish IRN-BRU Cup test next year Following UE
It's been a quiet week in the SSE Airtricity League with the mid-season break but here's a quick round-up from the league and five things we've learnt. 1. Gerard Lyttle and Harry Kenny excited for Scottish IRN-BRU Cup test next year Following UEFA approval, Sligo Rovers and Bray Wanderers will take part in the 2017/18 IRN-BRU Cup. Ranked as the two highest non-European participants in the SSE Airtricty League in 2016, both teams will now face off against Scottish Championship, League One and League Two sides. Both team’s respective managers Gerard Lyttle and Harry Kenny are looking forward to the overseas challenge. Read what they had to say here. http://www.sseairtricityleague.ie/news/sligo-and-bray-welcomed-to-spfl-… 2. Baraclough wins first game in charge of Northern Ireland U21 team Former Sligo Rovers manager Ian Baraclough won his first game in charge of the Northern Ireland U21 international team last week against Estonia in a Euro 2019 qualifier. The former Bit O’ Red boss guided his team to their first win since November 2013 thanks to to a Liam Donnelly injury time penalty. Sligo fans will remember Baraclough’s time at the Showgrounds fondly. He brought them immediate success upon his arrival, sealing the SSE Airtricity League title in 2012. His Northern Ireland U21 team will go on to face Albania, Iceland, Slovakia and Spain as they look to progress from their group. 3. EA Sports Cup semi-final dates confirmed The EA Sports Cup semi-final dates were confirmed late last week, with both fixtures taking place on Monday, August 7th. League champions Dundalk will travel to Eamonn Deacy Park to take on Galway United, while Shamrock Rovers will host league leaders Cork City at Tallaght Stadium. Stephen Kenny’s side were cup winners in 2014, while Galway reached the final in 2015 only to lose on penalties to St. Patrick’s Athletic. That game kicks off at 4.00pm. Shamrock Rovers will be hoping to replicate their 2013 cup final success but they will face the red-hot Cork City in the later kick-off at 7.00pm. 4. Neil McDonald chuffed with goal-scoring exploits after eight goal thriller Following Limerick’s 5-3 win at Markets Field, manager Neil McDonald spoke of his satisfaction of recording his first home win since arriving at the club. It was Limerick’s first home victory since they beat Drogheda 3-0 back in April. They currently sit 6th position in the league standings with 23 points. They travel to Turners Cross for their next game where they will be massive underdogs against runaway leaders Cork City. Read what McDonald had to say here. http://www.sseairtricityleague.ie/news/mcdonald-upbeat-after-victory-ov… 5. Former Cork City Kevin Doyle adds to his Colorado Rapids goal tally Kevin Doyle wasn’t selected for the Republic of Ireland squad in either the Austria or Uruguay games, but he scored a crucial goal for Colorado Rapids in their last fixture. Doyle scored his third goal of the season for Rapids to help them secure three points in their MSL clash with Columbus Crew. The Wexford native has been a great servant for the Boys in Green, winning over 60 caps and scoring 14 goals during his international career. Despite the win, Doyle’s Rapids team are bottom of the MLS table, but they have three games in hand on their nearest rivals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXmZkcDcDL8
