Shane Long made his Bournemouth debut today after arriving on loan at the club on deadline day.

Birmingham were the opposition and his first start, while not a scoring one, coincided with Bournemouth’s first league win since the beginning of January.

Fellow Irish international Scott Hogan managed a brace for Birmingham but his contribution wasn’t enough to collect what would have been a valuable 3 points.

Instead, Arnaut Danjuma, Jack Wilshere and Philip Billing scored for Bournemouth in a 3-2 win.

Long’s playtime had steadily decreased for Southampton over the past couple of seasons so his move to Bournemouth couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Irish international only started once in the Premier League this season, having been forced to sit on the bench for much of the campaign due to the offensive partnership of Che Adams and Danny Ings.

Long wasn’t the only Irishman to make a move to the Championship during the January transfer window.

Conor Hourihane and Jayson Molumby also completed loan moves to Swansea City and Preston North End respectively.

Both are thriving in their new environments, with Hourihane impressing in particular.

The Cork native has scored 3 goals in 3 games for Swansea since moving, including a brilliant effort from outside the box in a man of the match performance last night.

With World Cup qualification games quickly approaching in March, Ireland badly need an in-form striker to lead the line.

James Collins or Scott Hogan look the most likely candidates as it stands, both have been starting regularly at Championship level and managed to find the net for their respective clubs today.

Given a good run of games, though, Shane Long could find himself as Ireland’s undisputed number nine again.

The post Shane Long makes Bournemouth debut in 3-2 win appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Enda Stevens will miss the Republic of Ireland’s fixtures against England, Wales and Bulgaria. The full-back was assessed by the Ireland medical team and deemed unfit to play. Stevens featured for the full 90 minutes as Sheffield United lost 4-1 to Chelsea on Saturday evening. Recently retired David McGoldrick scored Sheffield United’s only goal with a clever finish.

Elsewhere in the league, Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick, Seamus Coleman, Dara O’Shea and Callum Robinson all started for their respective clubs. A timely increase in playing time for several key players as we head into this week’s fixtures.

Likewise, Matt Doherty started as Spurs grabbed a late winner against West Brom at The Hawthorns. His perfectly-weighted cross was met by the head of Harry Kane, clinching the victory for Spurs and taking them up to second in the league. With Stevens out injured, it is possible that both Coleman and Doherty will start against England on Thursday.

@HKane's 150th @premierleague goal came at the 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 time! #THFC #COYS pic.twitter.com/QFhlDSEVdh

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 8, 2020

Championship

In the Championship, Nottingham Forrest’s Cyrus Christie set up Lyle Taylor for his first as they beat Daryl Horgan’s Wycombe Wanderers. Christie will replace Enda Stevens in the Ireland squad.

Blackburn Rovers’ captain Darragh Lenihan also grabbed an assist in their win over Queens Park Rangers. The centre-back will be aiming to fight his way back into Stephen Kenny’s plans having missed out on the squad this time round.

Another player who will be looking to regain their spot in the Ireland camp is striker Scott Hogan. After an impressive start to 2020, Hogan finally scored his first of the new season as Birmingham City defeated Bournemouth 3-1.

FA Cup

Lincoln City striker Anthony Scully was called up by Jim Crawford for the U-21 squad’s upcoming EURO 2021 qualifying fixtures. He scored a brace in Lincoln’s 6-2 thrashing of Forest Green Rovers.

Jack Taylor made it three in three, scoring yet again as Peterborough United knocked out Oxford United. This follows a superb long-range effort against Bristol Rovers in the league. The U-21 midfielder returns for international duty as Crawford’s side face two crucial games against Iceland and Luxembourg.

Fireworks night came early for Peterborough with these two crackers from Jack Taylor and Dan Butler!

@jackootaylor @Danielbutler26
@theposhofficial #PUSB pic.twitter.com/7ajmvf3FBO

— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) November 4, 2020

Ronan Curtis opened the scoring for Portsmouth with a free kick finish against Ipswich Town. The winger retains his place in the Ireland squad after making an appearance in last month’s game against Finland.

The post Greenwatch: Enda Stevens ruled out of November International Fixtures appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.