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U21 UEFA Championships
Qualifying Group Two
| Republic of Ireland |
V |
Holland
|
| Date |
31/08/2001
|
|
| Score |
1 - 1 |
| Venue |
RSC,
Waterford |
| Kick Off |
7.30 PM |
| Attendance |
5,500 |
| Weather |
Warm and Dry |
| Referee |
Emil
Bozinovski (Macedonia) |
| Goal Scorers |
Graham Barrett |
| Cards |
None |
| Pitch |
Smooth surface |
|
Player
|
Rating
|
Comment
|
| Murphy Joe |
7
|
Looked comfortable and
Lively |
| Barry Quinn |
6
|
Couple of mistakes against
flying winger |
| Kieth Foy |
6
|
Wasnt as comfortable on
ball as others |
| Jason Gavin |
8
|
Always out in front |
| John O'Shea |
6
|
Not physical enough |
| Colin Healy |
7
|
Battled well against passing
Dutch |
| Thomas Butler |
7
|
Good trickery on right
hand side always available |
| Shaun Byrne |
7
|
Good ball player |
| Richard Sadler |
6
|
Tall forward hard to mark |
| Graham Barrett |
7
|
Caused defenders problems
all night with his movement and pace |
| Stephen McPhail |
6
|
His touches are delightful
to watch |
| SUBS |
|
|
| Alan Quinn |
6
|
good performace in second
half |
The RSC looked in splendid condition on
Friday night as the first ever U21 International took place in Waterford.
A crowd of over 5,000 turned up to see the Irish take on the mightly Dutch.
Their was big disapointment among
the majority of the crowd as the two Stoke City stars, Clive Clarke and
James O'Connor not only were left out of the starting eleven but were
never brought into the action by Irish manager Don Givens.
The standard of football was very high as both teams passed the ball along
the ground and covered the pitch with ease. The skill and speed of the
game was never seen before in the RSC and it may be a while before it
is witnessed again. Ireland started the game at a fast pace with midfielders
closing down space and Graham Barrett working hard up front. Joe Murphy
was quick off his line anytime the Dutch threatened our goal. It was a
short corner routine which saw the boys in green take the lead when Barrett
firred home from close range. This goal scilenced the Dutch Band for a
few seconds before they broke back into song. The speed of Hollands wide
men caused plenty of problems for the defence and it was the speed of
the attack that saw Holland equalise and leave the game level at the interval.
During the second half the movement and first time passing was super to
watch as the ball was sprayed around the pitch. Jason Gavins willingness
to get out in front of forwards and to win balls kept the Dutch attacks
under control. McPhail and Butler linked up well throughout, with Sadler
acting as a target man up front the balance of the Irish team looked good.
The noise from the stand of the Dutch Drum helped lift the atmosphere
with both sets of supporters enjoying the occassion. The game finsihed
a draw but surely the winner on the night was football and the RSC for
hosting its first U21 international.
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