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Donegal Boston Win Third Boston SFC In A Row

Donegal Boston retained the Boston Senior Football Championship and won their third title in a row with a victory over Connemara Gaels.

The side’s latest win means that they will now progress to the 2021 USGAA finals at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton next weekend.

Their opponents, Connemara Gaels, put them to the sword in their final game of the Championship but it was not enough to stop the defending champions.

The match was back-and-forth for much of its timespan with both sides taking the lead throughout the game.

The Gaels started well and edged themselves into the lead early on before Donegal got their first goal of the game through Shane Carthy.

Connemara reacted well and fought their way back to level the scoring before a spree of Donegal Boston scores had the defending champions up by four.

Shane Carthy added a second goal for his side and a second individually on the day, with the Gaels only being able to decrease the lead to four by the end of the half.

The 2-3 to 0-5 scoreline was indicative of the champions’ ability to take control when the pressure was starting to stack against them.

Buncrana man Padraic MacLaughlin’s title holders started the second half strongly and increased their lead to five before the Gaels woke up.

Connemara’s Jack Bambrick inspired a second wave from his side but the Donegal defence kept them from stealing the lead.

Carthy popped up with two late points to seal the win for his side and earn them a third Boston SFC title in a row.

Donegal Boston advance to the semi-finals of the USGAA Men’s Senior Football playoffs where they will face Philadephia club Kevin Barry’s on Friday, August 20th at 8 pm Irish Standard Time.

Connemara Gaels will face the loser of the first semi-final in the second one, with the winners of both advancing to the final.

Greatest Irish footballers to play for Arsenal

Nowadays, Arsenal’s side is full of the usual mixture of Spaniards, South Americans, and Englishmen but before the club used to be a stronghold for Irish talent

Although the Gunners do not have modern heroes such as Robbie Keane from Spurs in the ranks, they have some legends of the past. Judging by their recent run of form, manager Mikel Arteta would not hurt his squad by trying a few Irish players again.

Here is a list of the top five greatest Irish players to ever play in the Red side of London for Arsenal.

Niall Quinn

Quinn was not a legend at Arsenal, only just a bit-time player that later discovered his form and Manchester City and especially Sunderland. Spending seven years at the club starting in 1983, he only managed 67 appearances.

He never set Highbury alight but he did score 14 goals in his stay. Unfortunately he never qualified for a Premier League winners medal in the seasons where the club dominated England.

Frank Stapleton

Now to a striker that the club wishes they could have back. Stapleton made 300 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 108 times. This good goalscoring record made him Arsenal’s top scorer for three seasons in a row.

He started at the Reds in 1974 and played there for seven years. His crowning moment was one of the FA Cup Final winning goals he scored in 1979. He later moved onto Manchester United for six more years.

Pat Rice

The Belfast right-back started his playing career at Arsenal in 1967 and he would stay there for 13 years. He did it all for the club, winning FA Cups, English Leagues, playing in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.

He also captained the team in 1977 for three years until moving to Watford. He would later return to Arsenal in a managerial role at the youth level before becoming the right-hand man to Arsene Wenger.

He was their assistant manager throughout their greatest years from 1996 until 2012.

David O’Leary

A reliable defender by Jack Charlton’s standards, he never reached his potential with Ireland but does own credit to our greatest moment. The ball-playing center-back started at the club in 1975, becoming their record appearance maker over 18 years.

With 772 registered caps he is now ranked in the top 15 greatest Arsenal players of all time. Irish fans will still remember him better for slotting the penalty against Romania in 1990.

Liam Brady

The greatest of them all, Brady was a maestro in midfield for Ireland. He was a once-in-a-generation player that owned the Gunners’ pitch for seven years.

With his left foot, he could find any player on the pitch with dangerous accuracy. He was voted the PFA Player of the Year in 1979 showing he was the pivotal part of the club.

He moved on to great success with Juventus and is still regarded as probably Ireland’s greatest player ever.

Leicester Winger Harvey Barnes Signs New Contract Until 2025

Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes has signed a new four-year contract with the club until 2025.

Barnes has made 101 appearances for the Foxes in all competitions so far, scoring 21 goals in that time.

The winger made his professional debut for the club five years ago when he appeared in a UEFA Champions League clash against Porto.

The 23-year-old has been on the club’s books since he was nine years old and came through the academy.

Barnes had a fantastic season in 2020/21, scoring 13 times and making his debut for England before injury brought an end to his season early.

“I’ve been here for so many years now, it feels like home,” he said.

“For me, it was a no-brainer. Of course, I wanted to extend my stay here.

“It’s been something that’s been going on in the background and to sign now is great. It’s right at the start of a new season as well, which I know everyone is excited about.”

The winger has established himself in the side under Brendan Rodgers and is a key figure in the Leicester attack.

He was unavailable for the FA Cup final last season through injury but played 72 minutes in the FA Community Shield win over Premier League champions Manchester City.

Barnes had loan spells at MK Dons, Barnsley and West Brom before breaking into his parent club’s first team.

The winger was involved in 16 goals in 28 appearances for West Brom and was recalled midway through the season by Leicester and Barnes has been a regular in the side since.

He was previously contracted to a five-year deal that he had signed in the summer of 2019.

Ulster U18 Schools Squad Named For IQ Rugby Clash

The Ulster U18 Schools’ coaching team has named their side to face IQ Rugby this afternoon, in preparation for the upcoming 2021 Age-Grade Inter-Pro Series.

IQ Rugby was established by the IRFU in 2017, to formally identify and develop Irish Qualified athletes from outside of Ireland.

Irish international Kieran Marmion is one of the players to have come through this system in the past.

The Inter-Pros will be making a welcome return after a year’s absence due to COVID-19, and fixtures for the series will be published in due course.

The game will take place on Wednesday, August 18, 2:30 pm at Queen’s University Belfast playing fields.

Ulster U18 Schools’ team to play IQ Rugby

(15-9) Conor Drain (Ballymena Academy), Matthew Booth (Campbell College), Ryan Stewart (RBAI), Rory Ellerby (RBAI), Lukas Kenny (Campbell College), Tristan Ferguson (Cambridge House), Jonny McCracken (Campbell College);

(1-8) Ethan Fitzsimmons (Down High School), Zac Solomon (Campbell College), Nathan Ogborne (Coleraine Grammar School), Andrew Chesney (Ballymena Academy), Patrick Fullarton-Healey (Methodist College), James Anderson (Royal School Armagh), Josh Stevens (Methodist College), Flynn Longstaff (Campbell College).

Replacements: Jack Boal (Campbell College), Jake Bowden (Methodist College), Cameron Hillis (Campbell College), Callum Simms (RBAI), Ben King (Ballymena Academy), Ben McFarlane (Methodist College), Tom Crowther (Campbell College), Alex McBurney (Ballymena Academy), Josh Hanna (Wallace High School), Chris Massey (Campbell College).

Peamount United lose to Spartak Subotica in UEFA Women’s Champions League Qualifier

The European dream is over for Peamount United as they lost 5-2 to Spartak Subotica in their UEFA Women’s Champions League Qualifier.

Four goals from playmaker Tijana Filipovic and one from Alice Kusi ensured a Serbian win. They will meet either FC Twente or Nike Tbilisi on Saturday for a chance to reach Round 2.

The only consolation came from Eleanor Ryan-Doyle’s late brace. It started with a beautifully struck free-kick on 72 minutes. She then rolled the ball in on 89 minutes after beating the goalkeeper to a long pass, but it was only a consolation for the Irish side.

The game was played at the Sportclub Enschede, Netherlands, as part of a new format in the competition that sees one team host a mini tournament. Peamount will play the losing team from the other game before returning to Dublin.

Three goals from Filipovic in first half

Filipovic, considered one of the rising stars in women’s football, fired a long-range strike past goalkeeper Naoisha McAloon after only nine minutes.

Peamount had started well and constructed some nice passing moves, but the clear difference at this level is creating chances and finishing them.

The 22-year-old Filipovic had added two more goals to her tally by the half-time whistle.

Peamount never got to truly test goalkeeper Milica Kostic and spent much of their energy trying to stay toe to toe with a very good opponent.

Filipovic added her fourth goal on 54 minutes before Kusi put them five up just past the hour mark. It was deflating for the current SSE Airtricity Women’s National League leaders to find themselves in this position.

James O’Callaghan’s squad battled hard in the final 30 minutes as the two Ryan-Doyle goals gave a respectable look to the scoreboard.

Teams

Peamount United: McAloon; O’Callaghan, Duggan, Ruddy, Beirne; O’Gorman, Doyle (Smyth-Lynch 85), Gorman, Kelly (McCartan 62); Ryan-Doyle; Roche (McEvoy 57).

Spartak Subtoica: Kostic; Baltrip-Reyes, Slovic, Jackmon; Kusi (Saric 73), Stupar, Fielder, Milivojevic, Frajtovic (Nad 72); Filipovic (Ilic 83); Owusu Ansah (Ciric 62).

Referee: Ana Maria Alexandra Terteleac (Romania).

Rosapenna hosts the Legends Tour this week

Paul McGinley is excited to welcome his fellow Legends Tour players to Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort for the Irish Legends presented by the McGinley Foundation from August 20-22.

The 2014 Ryder Cup Captain takes on hosting duties when the Legends Tour travels to County Donegal for the second Legends Series event of the year. It will begin with the second Celebrity Series Pro-Am on Thursday August 19.

McGinley, who hosted the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Lahinch Golf Club in 2019, is hoping for a great week in a stunning setting in Co. Donegal.

Rosapenna is a brilliant venue

“When I hosted the Irish Open in 2019, we had an incredible week,” he said. ”My idea was to replicate that good old-fashioned Irish festival of fun and activities in the nearby town next week in Rosapenna.

“Rosapenna is a brilliant venue and I know the players will enjoy the golf course. It is a combination of nine holes from the original Old Tom Morris design, played along the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, and nine holes designed and constructed a number of years ago by one of Ireland’s leading architects, Pat Ruddy.

“It is your typical links golf courses where wind will obviously be a factor and course condition will be excellent.”

Former Ryder Cup captains among the field

The Irishman’s fellow Ryder Cup winning captains Thomas Bjørn and Ian Woosnam will tee it up in this week. The 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie, who has two top five finishes in three starts in 2021, will also play.

Seven-time Ryder Cup player and 1999 Team Europe Captain Mark James, six-time European Tour winner Thomas Levet and 2021 Senior Open winner Stephen Dodd will participate. Two-time Senior Major Champion Roger Chapman and reigning John Jacobs Trophy winner Phillip Price, are also among the field.

Unfortunately, the Irish Legends presented by the McGinley Foundation will be played behind closed doors with no access to the public.

Two Irish Showjumpers in World Top 10

Denis Lynch has climbed up the Longines FEI World Show Jumping rankings and is now the highest-ranked Irishman at No.9 on the latest rankings.

The Tipperary rider has enjoyed an excellent run of results in recent months with his top string of horses which includes Cristello, GC Chopin’s Bushi and Rubens LS La Silla. He has climbed seven places on the rankings this month alone.

Offaly’s Darragh Kenny continues his long run inside the top 10 and is now at No.10.

Ireland has no less than 12 riders inside the top 100.

Wexford’s Bertram Allen (No. 21) and Cork’s Shane Sweetnam (No.25) are in the top thirty.

Kildare’s Mikey Pender has made a big jump of 20 places and is now at No.55.

Bank of Ireland Munster Senior Challenge Cup Draw

The draw for the 2021-22 Bank of Ireland Munster Senior Challenge Cup was made recently. Sixteen teams are set to battle it out for the prestigious trophy.

The first-round fixtures will be played on the weekend of September 11th.

The winners of those eight ties will progress to the quarter-finals, which will take place on the weekend of September 18th.

The dates for the semi-finals and final of this year’s Bank of Ireland Munster Senior Challenge Cup will be confirmed in due course.

Round 1 – Weekend of 11th September 2021
Match 1 – Nenagh Ormond RFC v Midleton RFC
Match 2 – UCC RFC v Garryowen FC
Match 3 – Old Crescent RFC v Kilfeacle & District RFC
Match 4 – Young Munster RFC v Cork Constitution FC
Match 5 – UL Bohemian RFC v Dolphin RFC
Match 6 – Bruff RFC v Clonmel RFC
Match 7 – Cashel RFC v Shannon RFC
Match 8 – Sunday’s Well RFC v Highfield RFC

Quarter-Finals – Weekend of 18th September 2021
Match 9 – Winner of Match 1 v Winner of Match 7
Match 10 – Winner of Match 6 v Winner of Match 2
Match 11 – Winner of Match 3 v Winner of Match 8
Match 12 – Winner of Match 4 v Winner of Match 5

Semi-Finals
Match 13 – Winner of Match 11 v Winner of Match 12
Match 14 – Winner of Match 10 v Winner of Match 9

Final
Match 15 – Winner of Match 13 v Winner of Match 14

 

Harry Kane has not travelled to Portugal for Tottenham play-off

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has not travelled to Portugal with his Spurs teammates in Portugal for their Europa Conference League play-off match on Thursday.

Kane was named in Spurs’ 25-man Conference League squad but according to numerous reports, the England captain will stay in London to work on his fitness and sharpness after returning from holidays.

The decision was made by Kane, manager Nuno Espírito Santo and the club.

This is on the back of his apparent refusal to turn up for pre-season training, with links to Manchester City still arising since last season where the striker contributed to 50 goals in 49 games.

If the forward does play in the Conference League, it would not hamper any chances he has off taking part in the Champions League should a move to Manchester City happen.

The striker trained with his Tottenham teammates for the first time this season on Tuesday morning, after completing his period of isolation.

Kane was not involved in Spurs’ 1-0 opening day victory over Manchester City last Sunday, and with the likelihood, he will move on before the end of the current transfer window he may not play for his boyhood club again.

Manchester City reportedly had a £100 million offer for Kane rejected earlier this summer by Daniel Levy and co, with Pep Guardiola admitting he is interested in signing the England and Spurs captain.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is reluctant to sell his prized asset for anything less than his set fee placed on him. Kane told Spurs at the end of last season he would like to leave to compete for the highest honours after failing to win any trophies with Spurs.

A gentleman’s agreement was reportedly made after Kane signed a six-year contract back in 2018, but Levy has rejected any bids so far for the striker.

5 Players to Look Out For this Premier League Season

The Premier League is back up and running for the 2021/2022 season, and with plenty of money spent on new signings, the question will be posed, who are the 5 players to look out for this Premier League season?

With many to choose from, picking 5 players was a hard task, but here is the 5 players to look out for, this Premier League Season.

1. Kai Havertz

The German international had an interesting first season in English football last season after his £72 million switch from Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea in the summer transfer window.

Taking his time to adjust, he gained some form around October time before testing positive for Covid-19 and missing a whole host of games from Long Covid. After the arrival of fellow German Thomas Tuchel as head coach, Havertz fortune changed.

Playing more like a false 9 at the latter stages of the season, his big moment came in the Champions League final against Manchester City in Porto. Scoring the winning goal in the first half to secure Chelsea’s second Champions League triumph.

For the new season, I fully expect the German to shine. He has the capabilities to become a truly world-class player in the coming years. He has already started brightly, assisting Hakim Ziyech for the opening goal in Chelsea’s Super Cup win.

2. Mohammed Salah

What can be said about Liverpool’s goal-scoring machine that has not been said already? Liverpool’s main scoring output since his arrival in the 2017/18 season where he netted 32 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League while getting a ridiculous 60 goal contribution’s in 52 games.

Since then, he has been involved in 112 goals in 203 games for the Merseyside outfit.

Last season, while Jurgen Klopp’s team struggled to compete for the highest honours, Salah performed to the best of his ability given the negative circumstances surrounding the club.

This season he is somewhat of a dark horse for the Golden Boot, scoring 1 and assisting 2 on the opening day fixture against Norwich in a 0-3 victory.

Liverpool will need him firing on all cylinders this season if they want to challenge to get back the Premier League title they gave up with a whimper last season.

3. Trent Alexander-Arnold

Easily one of the most maligned footballers last season, Liverpool’s right-back Trent had a difficult season, to say the least. The season prior, Trent was involved in 19 goals, scoring 4 and assisting 15 on the way to lifting the Premier League title.

Performances were not good enough last season, and Trent would be the first one to admit that. But, credit where credit is due, he did perform to help Liverpool reach a top 4 place during the latter stages of the season.

He should be back to his best this season, with a lot to prove and a whole host of doubters. He will have a fire burner of a season.

4. Romelu Lukaku

The big Belgian has returned back to Chelsea after leaving back in 2014. A deal that was 7 years in the making. Lukaku has admitted to having ”unfinished business” with the Champions League holders.

After leaving Manchester United, Lukaku took over Serie A, helping them secure their first league title in 11 years. Now he is back in London after a £97.5 million move and was brought in for one thing and one thing only, goals.

Chelsea severely lacked goals last season, with Timo Werner misfiring, Oliver Giroud used sparingly and Tammy Abraham being frozen out by Thomas Tuchel. ‘Big Rom’ has been touted as the missing key to Chelsea’s puzzle. If he performs to his high expectations he should cause mayhem for defences.

5. Jadon Sancho

The long-awaited arrival of Jadon Sancho to Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund was the talk of the previous transfer window, but it never actually happened.

Thankfully for United fans, this summer, the deal was made in time for the start of the new season and it’s safe to say, he will be a star and a future number 7 for the club.

Like Lukaku for Chelsea, Sancho is seen as the missing piece to United’s puzzle, strengthening the much-needed right-side of the forward line that Solskjaer craved. He will have a big season for The Red Devils in the quest for League title 21.

For more news and stories on everything football and the Premier League, check out these stories at SportsNewsIreland.

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