FESTY EBOSELE DECLARED himself “over the moon” after scoring for Derby County in Saturday’s 1-1 draw away to Millwall.
With his first goal in senior football, Ebosele gave his side the lead in the Championship fixture as the Rams continued their efforts to move away from the foot of the table.
It was a special moment for the 19-year-old from Enniscorthy, who made his first-team breakthrough last season.
“It was probably the happiest moment of my career so far,” said Ebosele, who links up with the Ireland U21 squad this week for the European Championship qualifiers against Italy and Sweden.
“I just started running everywhere, I was so happy. The lads were telling me to calm down because the game was still going on.”
Manager Wayne Rooney believes Ebosele is capable of going on to have a successful career with Derby, who he joined from Bray Wanderers at the age of 16.
Having initially emerged as a full-back, the Wexford youngster has recently been used in a more advanced role on the right side of midfield.
Great work from Sam Baldock and Tom Lawrence to put it on a plate for Festy Ebosele...
— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) November 7, 2021
And 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 a moment for the youngster! 🤩#DCFC pic.twitter.com/VfSBwOroia
“Festy is difficult to play against – he is raw, quick and strong,” said the former Manchester United star. “He will make mistakes on the pitch, we know that, he is a young player, but I thought he was very good, always a threat and it was a nice finish from him as well. I was really pleased for him because he has put a lot of work in.
“I spoke to Festy at the end of last season, he was playing at right-back. I just felt with his attributes he can be very dangerous playing higher up the pitch.
“So we spoke to him and watched videos with him, and have done a lot of work with him trying to make him a more attacking player. I think you have seen it in teams with Michail Antonio at West Ham and Adama Traore at Wolves changing positions.
“Festy has got the ability to cause teams problems. If he keeps working and keeps improving, he can be a big player.”
Mad to think Denmark scored more in the Aviva than South Africa in the rugby
Though there were mistakes throughout by management, anyone who thinks the solution is to bring in a new messiah and to try and play attacking football is not looking deep enough. Of any of the fifty or so possible starters for an Irish team, the only one who could play that style is arter.
Dublin has a much lower population of GAA players than soccer, yet produces Diarmuid Connolly and Ciarain Kilkenny, both players who are wonderful passers of a football, with vision and attacking creativity. Soccer in Dublin produces no such players.
Irish soccer needs an overhaul similar to the one Belgium had in 2000, Spain had in 94, and Germany had in 2002. The style has to change from the age of six. Otherwise, it’s a long freewheel downhill from here
@Chucky Arlaw: the FAI have an awful lot to answer for. Useless
@Chucky Arlaw: are u saying the only player in the panel capable of playing good football is Arter?? Is that correct or have I misunderstood something?
So if McCleans shot goes in and the dynamics of the game change, and we hold on for an hour, we have no such problems in our game anymore? Give it a rest you bore it’s one game we got smashed cos of 2 sloppy goals in 3 minutes which was effectively the game ender. Put the fossil brush and magnifying glass away you pretentious aul eejit.
The North were brave when they appointed Micheal O’Neil and were rewarded. A league of Ireland manager who was progressive, on an upward curve in his career not winding his career down.
Why not take a punt on Stephen Kenny, he’s shown that he can coach players of a certain standard to perform well past expectation and win games against teams with vast superior resources.
The lack of preperation and lack of belief in the players ability means its time for a change at the helm. Would give anything to see Chris Hughton given a go
The north and south join up now stop this silly politics
@Aidan O: pour one bucket of muck into another bucket of muck, you just end up with a big bucket of muck.
@Aidan O: We already have players from the North; Duffy, McLean, O’Kane etc
European championship failure!
Not to worry. We still have John Delaney.
More failure on other international stages.