THERE WAS a joy and despair for a number of Irish stars in the Championship today.
Danny McNamara was among those left dejected. His Millwall side needed to win but suffered a remarkable 4-3 defeat to Blackburn, for whom Sammie Szmodics started and registered an assist.
But Blackburn were pipped to a top-six spot by Sunderland, who won 3-0 against a Preston side featuring Troy Parrott, Liam Delap and Tom Cannon.
Jayson Molumby started for a West Brom side that still had an outside chance of making the playoffs, but a 3-2 defeat to Swansea ended their hopes of going up.
Ryan Manning started and registered an assist in what is expected to be the out-of-contract Irish international’s last appearance for the Welsh club.
Coventry, for whom Luke McNally started, confirmed their place in the playoffs, drawing 1-1 against a Middlesbrough team that featured Darragh Lenihan and who had already booked their playoff place.
Louie Watson started for a Luton side who also had previously sealed a playoff spot and drew 0-0 with a Hull team that featured Sean McLoughlin and Irish underage international Harry Vaughan.
Luton now face a two-legged playoff against Sunderland, while Coventry meet Middlesbrough.
In League Two, it was a day to remember for former Drogheda United player William Hondermark.
The 22-year-old, a former Ireland U21 call-up, came on in the 75th minute, to help Northampton see out a 1-0 win away to Tranmere and seal promotion to League One, with his side finishing third in the table.
Ex-Ireland U21 international Lee O’Connor started for the hosts while veteran goalkeeper Joe Murphy was an unused sub.
Elsewhere in League Two, Ireland international Daryl Horgan started as already-promoted Stevenage sealed second place with a 1-0 win away to Barrow, for whom Niall Canavan started.
Shane McLoughlin was on the bench for a Salford side that breathed a sigh of relief — their 1-0 loss to Gillingham proved immaterial, as they scraped into the playoffs on goal difference.
Irish defender Conor Masterson, on loan from QPR, helped Gillingham earn a clean sheet, as they finished 17th.
Paddy Madden came off the bench and Neill Byrne was an unused sub for a Stockport side that missed out on automatic promotion and had to settle for the playoffs after a 1-1 draw with relegated Hartlepool.
Joining them in the playoffs will be Carlisle United, for whom ex-Ireland U21 international Corey Whelan started and Michael Kelly was on the bench as they drew 1-1 with Sutton United.
Mark Hughes’ Bradford complete the playoffs line-up who have the Irish quartet of Ciaran Kelly, Dara Costelloe (on loan from Burnley), Colin Doyle and Emmanuel Osadebe on their books, with Doyle on the bench and Osadebe coming on as a sub during today’s 1-1 draw with champions Leyton Orient, with Aaron Drinan, Kieran Sadlier and Shadrach Ogie all featuring for the visitors.
All of which meant disappointment for Mansfield, who missed out on the play-offs on goal difference, despite beating Colchester 2-0.
Ex-Irish international Stephen Quinn started for Nigel Clough’s side, while Fiacre Kelleher came off the bench for the hosts, who finished the season in 20th position.
Former Cork City player Jimmy Keohane was on target for already-relegated Rochdale, who drew 1-1 away to Harrogate Town, with Liam Kelly also lining out for the visitors.
Championship results:
Birmingham 1 Sheffield United 2
Burnley 3 Cardiff 0
Huddersfield 2 Reading 0
Luton 0 Hull 0
Middlesbrough 1 Coventry 1
Millwall 3 Blackburn 4
Norwich 0 Blackpool 1
Preston 0 Sunderland 3
QPR 0 Bristol City 2
Swansea 3 West Brom 2
Watford 2 Stoke 0
Wigan 0 Rotherham 0
Championship playoffs:
Saturday 13 May: Sunderland v Luton Town (5.30pm)
Sunday 14 May: Coventry City v Middlesbrough (12pm)
Tuesday 16 May: Luton Town v Sunderland (8pm)
Wednesday 17 May: Middlesbrough v Coventry City (8pm)
Championship Play-off Final – Saturday 27 May: Sunderland or Luton Town v Coventry City or Middlesbrough (4.45pm)
League Two results
Barrow 0-1 Stevenage
Bradford City 1-1 Leyton Orient
Colchester United 0-2 Mansfield Town FT
Grimsby Town 1-0 AFC Wimbledon
Harrogate Town 1-1 Rochdale
Newport County AFC 2-2 Crewe Alexandra
Salford City 0-1 Gillingham
Stockport County 1-1 Hartlepool United
Sutton United 1-1 Carlisle United
Swindon Town 2-1 Crawley Town
Tranmere Rovers 0-1 Northampton Town
Walsall 2-1 Doncaster Rovers
League Two playoffs
Saturday 13 May: Salford vs Stockport (7.45pm)
Sunday 14 May: Bradford vs Carlisle (7pm)
Saturday 20 May: Stockport vs Salford (12.30pm)
Saturday 20 May: Carlisle vs Bradford (3pm)
League Two Play-Off final – Sunday 28 May: Stockport or Salford vs Carlisle or Bradford (1.30pm)
The League of Ireland is in a sorry state. This carry on is is not going away. As a Drogheda United we know more than most what its like when ones club chases the rainbow. How any player in the lower echelons of League of Ireland think its a good idea to be a footballer in Ireland is beyond me. All of these players will be out of contract at the end of the season, claim the dole and then go back to earning peanuts again. Its hardly a long term career plan. The FAI should use the their competition as a measure of how they as an association are performing….well its failing miserably. I’d love to see it get better, even to see it get to a Scottish standard with stadiums, facilities and televison deals would be enough but we are light years away from that.
@Patrick McHugh: so long as we keep ploughing our money into the EPL and the plastic paddy’s up north then we will never have a decent domestic league. Always love coming on here and seeing guys who proclaim to be Irish fans but will then on an EPL thread announce themselves as fans of UTD or Liverpool. The FAI don’t help though that much is true. If ever proof we’re needed then just look at the photos of Delaney or Mo’N in Inchicore poring over plans for the Richmond Bowl and on TV saying how good it will be for the game here. Oh, wait you can’t, Because they don’t exist!
@David Lawlor: Hi David, what do you mean by ‘ploughing money into the EPL and the plastic paddy up north’?
@Sean McFadden: Spending millions on trips to England and Glasgow Celtic. Non Irish teams.
@David Lawlor: Ok I get the EPL connect. The other part a reference to Hoops supporters from the North in particular?
@Sean McFadden: where does it say anything about people from the North? Very clearly talking about Celtic being north of England
fai imposes stoopid faux “licencing” bs scheeme on clubs wastes money on junkets 4 blazers & psuedo corporate fluff stuff (eg. Consultants) organization needs complete restructure & repurpose. Ireland’s soccer set up is unsustainable for long term ignoring grass roots development & proper investment in & development of local LofI &subsidiary league clubs & structures.
All our senior clubs have faced financial crises in recent times. The dundalks corks rovers etc included all hv faced financial catastrophe. FAI top brass response 2 ongoing recurring situations is 2 further distance itself from domestic scene.
Soccer is no.1 sport in ireland in terms of active players and reach, yet unlike other orgs like gaa irfu fai is appalingly run wthout proper strategic leadership or direction
When will the FAI realise that you can’t sustain a two division league system in this country and how many more teams have to go out of business for them to realize this and how do many of them get a licence year on year .Have one league with 14/ 16 teams but we all know its about money from UEFA ????????
@James Kelly: I think there’s some stipulation that you have to have at least 2 leagues to allow teams qualify for European competitions. I think
@Zossima: Nah, Gibraltar (the obvious one I could think of!) only have one division.
Love to see what that chancer Fran Gavin has to say about this.
It’s sad when this happens a club . Players have to be paid at the end of the day ! Some junior players are getting paid and they hold down jobs also , this is a stumbling block also to the clubs , why would a guy bother playing and travelling all around the country to train and play ! FAI have a lot of work to do when they get their heads out of the sand