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League of Ireland XI

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League of Ireland XI
AssociationFootball Association of Ireland
Head coachDamien Richardson 2010-
Home stadiumDalymount Park 1924–1987
Aviva Stadium 2010–
First colours
Second colours
First international
Republic of Ireland League of Ireland XI 3–3 Welsh League XI Wales
(Dalymount Park, Ireland; 19 February 1924)
Biggest defeat
Scotland Scottish League XI 11–0 League of Ireland XI Republic of Ireland
(Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland; 28 November 1962)

The League of Ireland XI, more recently referred to as the Airtricity League XI for sponsorship reasons, is the representative team of the League of Ireland, the national association football league of Ireland. For much of its history, the League of Ireland XI has effectively acted as a reserve or B team to the senior Republic of Ireland national team, providing international representative honours to home-based players. In fact it has played considerably more games than the actual Republic of Ireland B national football team. In addition to playing regular games against similar representative teams, such as the Irish League XI, the Scottish Football League XI and the Football League XI, the League of Ireland XI has also played in prestige friendlies against the full national teams of both Argentina and Brazil. The League of Ireland XI also represented Ireland in the qualifying stages of the 1988 Olympic Football Tournament. More recently a League of Ireland U-23 XI has represented the Republic of Ireland in the International Challenge Trophy. Meanwhile, a senior team with no age or nationality restriction regularly plays visiting club sides. More recently the team competed in the 2011 Dublin Super Cup.

History

[edit]

1920s and 1930s

[edit]

During the 1920s and 1930s, the four national associations that made up the International Football Association Board (IFAB)– The Football Association, the Scottish Football Association, the Football Association of Wales and Northern Ireland's Irish Football Association – refused to recognise the rights of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) when it came arranging full internationals. Consequently, the FAI could not arrange full internationals against its nearest neighbours. The IFAB, however, did permit inter-league games to be played. In the absence of full internationals against England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, these inter-league matches between the League of Ireland XI, the Irish League XI, the Welsh Football League XI and the Scottish Football League XI were highly regarded by both the FAI and Irish football fans alike. Attendances of up to 30,000 at these matches at Dalymount Park led them to have been treated almost as full internationals.

The League of Ireland XI made their official debut with a 3–3 draw against a Welsh Football League XI on 9 February 1924. Ernie MacKay scored the representative team's first ever goal while Dave Roberts added the other two. The League of Ireland XI played the Irish League XI for the first time on 13 March 1926. Charlie Dowdall scored twice in a 3–1 win for the home team. On St. Patrick's Day, 1937, a League of Ireland XI also played and defeated visiting Yugoslav side SK Jugoslavija 3–2.[1] The League of Ireland XI played the Scottish League XI for the first time on St. Patrick's Day, 1939. The Scottish team was billed as a team of all-stars and had a combined valuation estimated to be £60,000. In front of a crowd of 35,000 at Dalymount Park, the League of Ireland XI defeated the Scottish League XI with Johnny Johnstone and Paddy Bradshaw scoring the goals in the 2–1 win [2][3][4]

National Team

[edit]

The League of Ireland XI has always enjoyed a close relationship with the senior Republic of Ireland national team. When Ireland competed at both the 1924 and 1948 Olympic Football Tournaments, they were represented by League of Ireland XIs made up of amateur players. On at least three further occasions before the Second World War, the FAI selected a full international team entirely made up of players playing in Ireland. On 21 March 1926, for the game against Italy,[5] the Ireland team even featured Drumcondra’s Joe Grace from the Leinster Senior League. It was a League of Ireland XI that played Belgium on 12 February 1928[6] and then the Netherlands on 8 December 1935.[7] Before the Second World War, League of Ireland players made up the nucleus of just about every FAI Ireland full international team.

Post-Second World War

[edit]

For most of the Second World War era, the League of Ireland XI's only opponents were the Irish League XI. However once the conflict ended, the fixture against the Scottish League XI was revived. They also began to play the Football League XI on a regular basis. With the majority of the leading Irish players now playing in the Football League, however, the League of Ireland XI now found itself at a disadvantage. As a result, the majority of the games they played against the Scottish League XI and the Football League XI usually ended in heavy defeat. However, there was the occasional success story. On 2 October 1963 at Dalymount Park, the League of Ireland XI defeated the Football League XI 2–1, thanks to goals from Eddie Bailham and Ronnie Whelan. This Football League XI included four players – Ray Wilson, Bobby Moore, Roger Hunt and Martin Peters – who subsequently went on to help England win the 1966 FIFA World Cup.[8] At the time Whelan was working for Unidaire, a Finglas-based electrical firm, and he subsequently received a warning from his boss at the company for taking time off to play in this game.[9]

Prestige Friendlies

[edit]

From the late 1970s onwards, the League of Ireland XI also began to play friendlies against national teams. These included two prestige games against the full Argentina national team. On 19 April 1978, at the Estadio Alberto J. Armando, Argentina played the League of Ireland XI in a warm up game as part of their preparations for hosting the 1978 FIFA World Cup. A team that included the former England international Bobby Tambling and several Republic of Ireland internationals such as Johnny Giles, Ray Treacy, Eamonn Gregg, Noel Synnott, Cathal Muckian, Jerome Clark and Synan Braddish lost 3–1 to a very strong Argentina. The starting eleven for Argentina included ten players who later played in the 1978 FIFA World Cup Final in which Argentina beat the Netherlands 3–1. In addition a young Diego Maradona also came on as a substitute. Leopoldo Luque, Oscar Ortiz and Ricardo Villa scored for Argentina before Synan Braddish grabbed a consolation goal for the league select.[10][11] On 29 May 1979, Argentina, then the reigning World Cup holders, visited Lansdowne Road and were held to a 0–0 draw by a Republic of Ireland XI in a UNICEF fundraiser; this team is sometimes incorrectly listed as a League of Ireland XI.[12] 30 April 1980 saw the League of Ireland XI play Argentina for a second time, this time at the Estadio Monumental. On this occasion, a team that included Liam Buckley, Terry Eviston, Johnny Walsh and Tommy McConville lost 1–0 to a goal scored by Diego Maradona. A month later, Argentina beat the senior Republic of Ireland 1–0 at Lansdowne Road.[8] [13]

In another notable game from this era, the League of Ireland XI also became the first representative team to play the Basque Country following the ending of the Francoist regime. This game was played on 16 August 1979 at the San Mamés Stadium. The Basque team was made up of Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao players and all eleven subsequently became full Spain internationals. In contrast the league select was under strength and was referred to in newspaper reports as a League of Ireland B team. The Basque Country team easily defeated this League of Ireland XI 4–1.[14][15] In 1981, the League of Ireland XI returned to South America and this time played Brazil. A team managed by Jim McLaughlin lost 6–0 with the legendary Zico scoring four of Brazil's goals.[16]

Olympic qualifiers

[edit]
Main article: Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's European Qualifiers

League of Ireland XIs made up of amateur players represented Ireland in qualifiers for the 1960, 1972, 1976 and 1980 Olympic Football Tournaments. For the 1988 Olympic Football Tournament qualifiers, a senior League of Ireland XI featuring professionals represented Ireland. They were drawn in a "group of death" that also included Hungary, Sweden, Spain and France – France had won the gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Football Tournament. This League of Ireland XI was again managed by Jim McLaughlin.

The team kicked off their Olympic campaign with a 2–1 defeat against Hungary at Glenmalure Park on November 11, 1986. Their next opponents were Spain at Tolka Park on February 4, 1987. Goals from Noel Larkin and Mick Byrne saw the League of Ireland XI draw 2–2. Their first away games came against Sweden and France. The League of Ireland XI lost 1–0 to Sweden after they conceded a very late goal but managed to hold France to a 1–1 draw. On August 26, 1987, a crowd of less than 1,000 saw the League of Ireland XI lose 1–0 at Dalymount Park to a Sweden team that included Tomas Brolin. Next came the home match against France on 18 November 1987 at Dalymount Park. A crowd of just 4,000 would witness one of the League of Ireland XI's best results. Two goals from Mick Bennett and one from Peter Eccles saw them gain a 3–0 win. Ireland finished the qualifying group with two away games. Dave Barry scored in Hungary but the League of Ireland XI lost 3–1 while goals from Barry Kehoe and Bennett earned them a 2–2 with Spain in Alicante. The League of Ireland XI finished fourth in the group. Sweden qualified for the finals where they were knocked out in the quarter-finals.[17]

Group C Final Table

Rank Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1  Sweden 8 6 1 1 13 6 +7 13
2  Hungary 8 5 1 2 13 8 +5 11
3  Spain 8 1 4 3 9 12 −3 6
4 Republic of Ireland League of Ireland XI 8 1 3 4 10 12 −2 5
5  France 8 1 3 4 9 16 −7 5

[18]

1988 Marlboro Cup

[edit]

In August 1988, the League of Ireland XI competed in the Marlboro Cup, a four team tournament, held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. They lost their first game 3–0 against Club Universidad de Guadalajara on 5 August, with Mick Neville conceding an own goal. They then lost 1–0 to El Salvador in a third place playoff two days later. The tournament was won by Guatemala, who beat Club Universidad 3–2 in the final.[19]

Date Team #1 Result Team #2 Round
August 5, 1988 Mexico Club Universidad de Guadalajara 3-0 Republic of Ireland League of Ireland XI Semi-finals
 El Salvador 1–2  Guatemala
August 7, 1988  El Salvador 1–0 Republic of Ireland League of Ireland XI Third Place Match
 Guatemala 3–2 Mexico Club Universidad de Guadalajara Final

Aviva Stadium

[edit]

Manchester United

[edit]

On 4 August 2010, the League of Ireland XI hosted the first soccer match to be played at the Aviva Stadium. A team managed by Damien Richardson lost 7–1 to Manchester United. The league select were 6–0 down after 70 minutes, with goals from Park Ji-sung (2), Michael Owen, Javier Hernández, Antonio Valencia and Jonny Evans. Park opened the scoring in the 13th minute in bizarre fashion; as he went to block a defender's clearance, the ball ricocheted off him and into the net. Owen doubled United's lead in the 25th minute with a chipped shot over the goalkeeper, before half-time substitute Hernández made it 3–0 two minutes after the break. Three goals in the space of nine minutes from Valencia (60th minute), a second from Park (63rd) and Jonny Evans (69th) increased the lead to 6–0, before Dave Mulcahy scored a consolation goal for the League of Ireland XI in the 78th minute. Nevertheless, there was still time for Nani to get a seventh goal, converting a penalty after Hernández had been fouled in the penalty area.[20][21][22][23]

Dublin Super Cup

[edit]

Damien Richardson was again in charge of the League of Ireland XI when the Aviva Stadium hosted the 2011 Dublin Super Cup, a tournament which saw the representative team take on both Manchester City and Celtic. Shamrock Rovers players, however, were not available because of a clash with the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off rounds. As a result, Richardson had to field an understrength team. They lost their opening game to Manchester City 3–0,[24] then lost 5–0 to Celtic.[25] The League of Ireland XI were the only team in the tournament that didn't win a match or score any goals.[26]

League of Ireland XI matches

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[4][27][28]

Date Opponents Result Score Competition Venue Attendance
09/02/1924 Welsh Football League XI D 3–3 friendly Dalymount Park
23/02/1924 Celtic L 0–3 friendly Dalymount Park 22,000
[29][30][31][32]
14/03/1925 Welsh Football League XI L 1–2 friendly Dalymount Park 17,000
07/11/1925 Welsh Football League XI D 2–2 friendly Swansea
13/03/1926 Irish League XI W 3–1 friendly Dalymount Park 18,000
05/03/1927 Irish League XI D 1–1 friendly Windsor Park 15,000
02/04/1927 Welsh Football League XI L 1–2 friendly Dalymount Park 7,000
10/03/1928 Irish League XI W 3–1 friendly Shelbourne Park 12,000
06/10/1928 Welsh Football League XI W 4–3 friendly Dalymount Park
09/03/1929 Irish League XI L 1–2 friendly The Oval 15,000
01/03/1930 Irish League XI L 1–6 friendly Dalymount Park 12,000
03/05/1930 Welsh Football League XI L 1–6 friendly Swansea
16/10/1932 Welsh Football League XI W 2–0 friendly Dalymount Park
18/03/1935 Welsh Football League XI W 2–1 friendly[33]
17/03/1937 Yugoslav League XI W 3–2 friendly Dalymount Park
17/03/1938 Irish League XI L 1–3 friendly Dalymount Park 30,000
11/03/1939 Irish League XI W 2–1 friendly Windsor Park 11,000
17/03/1939 Scottish Football League XI W 2–1 friendly[2] Dalymount Park 35,000
18/03/1940 Irish League XI W 2–0 friendly Dalymount Park 26,000
17/03/1941 Irish League XI L 3–8 friendly Dalymount Park 6,000
14/04/1941 Irish League XI L 1–2 friendly Windsor Park 25,000
17/03/1942 Irish League XI D 2–2 friendly Dalymount Park 31,000
06/04/1942 Irish League XI L 2–5 friendly Windsor Park 30,000
17/03/1943 Irish League XI L 0–1 friendly Dalymount Park 28,000
26/04/1943 Irish League XI D 2–2 friendly Windsor Park 21,000
17/03/1944 Irish League XI L 3–4 friendly Dalymount Park 28,000
10/04/1944 Irish League XI D 2–2 friendly Windsor Park 35,000
17/03/1945 Irish League XI W 2–1 friendly Dalymount Park 36,000
02/04/1945 Irish League XI W 5–3 friendly Windsor Park 32,000
18/03/1946 Irish League XI L 1–2 friendly Dalymount Park 37,000
22/04/1946 Irish League XI L 0–3 friendly Windsor Park 32,000
17/03/1947 Irish League XI D 2–2 friendly Dalymount Park 20,000
07/04/1947 Irish League XI W 1–0 friendly Windsor Park 30,000
30/04/1947 Football League XI L 1-3 friendly Dalymount Park
17/03/1948 Irish League XI W 2–1 friendly Dalymount Park 25,000
29/03/1948 Irish League XI L 0–4 friendly Windsor Park
14/04/1948 Football League XI L 0-4 friendly[34] Deepdale
24/04/1948 Scottish Football League XI L 0–2 friendly Dalymount Park 25,000
29/09/1948 Scottish Football League XI L 1–5 friendly Ibrox Stadium 57,600
17/03/1949 Irish League XI D 0–0 friendly Dalymount Park 20,000
18/04/1949 Irish League XI L 1–4 friendly Windsor Park 25,000
04/05/1949 Football League XI L 0–5 friendly Dalymount Park
19/10/1949 Scottish Football League XI L 0–1 friendly Dalymount Park 17,000
15/02/1950 Football League XI L 0–7 friendly Molineux Stadium
17/03/1950 Irish League XI W 3–1 friendly Dalymount Park 18,000
10/04/1950 Irish League XI D 2–2 friendly Windsor Park 10,000
17/01/1951 Scottish Football League XI L 0–7 friendly Celtic Park 10,000
04/04/1951 Football League XI L 0–1 friendly Dalymount Park
10/10/1951 Football League XI L 1–9 friendly[35] Goodison Park
17/03/1952 Scottish Football League XI L 0–2 friendly Dalymount Park 33,000
02/05/1952 United States men's soccer team W 4–0 friendly Dalymount Park 8,000
08/10/1952 Scottish Football League XI L 1–5 friendly[36] Celtic Park 10,000
17/03/1953 Football League XI L 0–2 friendly Dalymount Park
22/04/1953 Irish League XI L 0–3 friendly Dalymount Park 16,000
23/09/1953 Welsh Football League XI W 3–1 friendly Dalymount Park
10/02/1954 Football League XI L 1–9 friendly Maine Road
17/03/1954 Scottish Football League XI L 1–3 friendly Dalymount Park 35,000
19/04/1954 Irish League XI D 0–0 friendly Windsor Park
02/05/1954 Hessenliga W 1–0 friendly Dalymount Park
22/09/1954 Football League XI L 0–6 friendly Dalymount Park
18/11/1954 Scottish Football League XI L 0–5 friendly[37] Shawfield Stadium 18,000
17/03/1955 Irish League XI W 2–1 friendly Dalymount Park 30,000
14/05/1955 Hessenliga L 2–7 friendly Frankfurt
19/05/1955 Hessenliga L 0–5 friendly Kassel
21/09/1955 Scottish Football League XI L 2–4 friendly Dalymount Park
07/12/1955 Football League XI L 1–5 friendly[38] Goodison Park
12/02/1956 Hessenliga W 4–1 friendly Dalymount Park
17/03/1956 Irish League XI W 1–0 friendly Dalymount Park 23,000
02/04/1956 Irish League XI L 0–6 friendly Windsor Park 20,000
19/09/1956 Football League XI D 3–3 friendly Dalymount Park
26/09/1956 Scottish Football League XI L 1–3 friendly Shawfield Stadium 23,000
18/03/1957 Irish League XI D 2–2 friendly Dalymount Park 28,000
22/04/1957 Irish League XI W 2–1 friendly Windsor Park 15,000
18/09/1957 Scottish Football League XI L 1–5 friendly Dalymount Park 23,000
19/10/1957 Football League XI L 1–3 friendly Elland Road
17/03/1958 Irish League XI D 2–2 friendly Dalymount Park 32,000
07/04/1958 Irish League XI L 1–3 friendly Solitude Ground 29,000
24/09/1958 Scottish Football League XI L 0–1 friendly Ibrox Stadium 9,000
29/10/1958 Irish League XI W 3–2 friendly Windsor Park 5,000
17/03/1959 Football League XI D 0–0 friendly Dalymount Park
02/09/1959 Scottish Football League XI L 1–4 friendly[39] Dalymount Park 26,000
04/11/1959 Football League XI L 0–2 friendly Ewood Park
17/03/1960 Hessenliga W 5–2 friendly Dalymount Park
12/04/1960 Irish League XI W 2–1 friendly Tolka Park 8,000
14/09/1960 Football League XI L 0–1 friendly Dalymount Park
05/10/1960 Scottish Football League XI L 1–5 friendly Celtic Park 23,000
17/03/1961 Irish League XI L 2–3 friendly Dalymount Park 12,000
03/04/1961 Irish League XI D 1–1 friendly Solitude Ground 22,000
06/09/1961 Scottish Football League XI D 1–1 friendly Dalymount Park 6,000
11/10/1961 Football League XI L 2–5 friendly Eastville Stadium
17/03/1962 Italian League B L 0–3 friendly Dalymount Park
04/04/1962 Irish League XI L 1–3 friendly Windsor Park 4,000
06/05/1962 Italian League B L 0–6 friendly Rimini
28/11/1962 Scottish Football League XI L 0–11 friendly[9] Celtic Park 8,000
18/03/1963 Irish League XI L 1–3 friendly Dalymount Park 15,000
02/10/1963 Football League XI W 2–1 friendly[9] Dalymount Park 30,000
17/03/1964 Irish League XI W 4–2 friendly Dalymount Park 8,000
15/04/1964 Irish League XI D 2–2 friendly Windsor Park 7,000
25/05/1964 International XI friendly[40] Flower Lodge 20,000
23/09/1964 Scottish Football League XI D 2–2 friendly Dalymount Park 25,000
14/05/1965 Irish League XI L 1–0 friendly Flower Lodge 3,500
27/10/1965 Football League XI L 0–5 friendly Boothferry Park 28,283
07/09/1966 Scottish Football League XI L 0–6 friendly Celtic Park 12,000
22/03/1967 Irish League XI L 1–3 friendly Windsor Park 6,000
25/10/1967 Irish League XI W 3–2 friendly Dalymount Park 10,000
08/11/1967 Football League XI L 2–7 friendly Dalymount Park 27,000
04/09/1968 Scottish Football League XI D 0–0 friendly Dalymount Park 25,000
09/04/1969 Irish League XI W 2–1 friendly Windsor Park 5,000
10/09/1969 Football League XI L 0–3 friendly Oakwell
17/03/1970 Irish League XI L 0–2 friendly Dalymount Park 10,000
02/09/1970 Scottish Football League XI L 0–1 friendly Celtic Park 7,654
27/11/1970 Australian League XI W 1–0 friendly Dalymount Park
22/09/1971 Football League XI L 1–2 friendly Lansdowne Road
03/02/1972 Italian League B D 1–1 friendly Dalymount Park
22/03/1973 Italian League B L 0–2 friendly Catanzaro
18/03/1974 Irish League XI W 3–2 friendly Dalymount Park 2,000
01/12/1974 Torpedo Moscow D 0–0 friendly Dalymount Park
19/08/1976 Torino F.C. D 0–0 friendly Dalymount Park 2,000
19/01/1977 Italian League B L 0–2 friendly Udine 22,000
16/03/1977 Italian League B W 2–0 friendly Oriel Park
21/09/1977  Republic of Ireland L 1–2 friendly Dalymount Park
19/04/1978  Argentina L 1–3 friendly Estadio Alberto J. Armando
02/08/1978 Liverpool L 1–3 friendly[41] Lansdowne Road 25,000
14/04/1979 Italian League B L 0–1 friendly Mantua
23/06/1979 Malaysia League XI L 0–1 friendly Kuala Lumpur 25,000
25/06/1979  Singapore W 4–1 friendly
16/08/1979  Basque Country L 1–4 friendly[42] San Mamés Stadium 40,000
12/10/1979  New Zealand W 2–1 friendly Tolka Park
17/03/1980 Scottish Football League XI W 2–1 friendly Dalymount Park 5,000
30/04/1980  Argentina L 0–1 friendly Estadio Monumental
15/04/1981 Irish League XI W 1–0 friendly Tolka Park 2,000
23/09/1981  Brazil L 0–6 friendly[16][43] Estádio Rei Pelé 54,000
08/05/1982  New Zealand L 0–1 friendly Rotorua
09/05/1982  New Zealand L 0–1 friendly Rotorua
12/05/1982  New Zealand D 0–0 friendly Gisborne, New Zealand 12,000
16/05/1982  New Zealand W 2–1 friendly Dunedin
19/05/1982  New Zealand L 0–1 friendly Invercargill
27/04/1983 Italian League B L 0–2 friendly Stadio Olimpico
20/08/1983 Newcastle United L 0–3 friendly St James' Park
14/02/1984 Italian League B D 0–0 friendly Padua
30/10/1984 Irish League XI L 0–4 friendly Windsor Park 873
17/03/1986 Irish League XI W 2–1 friendly Tolka Park 1,500
28/04/1986  Iraq L 0–1 friendly Al-Shaab Stadium 25,000
28/08/1986  Saudi Arabia D 1–1 friendly National Stadium, Singapore
31/08/1986  Saudi Arabia L 0–3 friendly National Stadium, Singapore
19/11/1986  Hungary L 1–2 Olympic qualifier[18] Glenmalure Park
04/02/1987  Spain D 2–2 Olympic qualifier[18] Tolka Park
17/03/1987 Irish League XI L 1–2 friendly The Showgrounds 700
05/05/1987  Sweden L 0–1 Olympic qualifier[18] Solna
11/08/1987  France D 1–1 Olympic qualifier[18] Dunkirk
26/08/1987  Sweden L 0–1 Olympic qualifier[18] Dalymount Park
18/11/1987  France W 3–0 Olympic qualifier[18] Dalymount Park
04/05/1988  Hungary L 1–3 Olympic qualifier[18] Budapest
18/05/1988  Spain D 2–2 Olympic qualifier[18] Alicante
05/08/1988 Club Universidad de Guadalajara L 0–3 Marlboro Cup Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
07/08/1988  El Salvador D 0–1 Marlboro Cup Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
17/05/1989 Irish League XI W 3–0 friendly Oriel Park 500
18/06/1989  Ecuador D 1–1 friendly Trinidad
20/06/1989  Trinidad and Tobago L 0–1 friendly Trinidad
07/05/1990 Irish League XI W 1–0 friendly The Oval 500
19/11/1991 Irish League XI L 0–2 friendly Tolka Park 2,000
17/07/1992 Celtic F.C. L 0–5 friendly Tolka Park
18/07/1992 Manchester City L 0–3 friendly Tolka Park
23/07/1993 Leeds United D 2–2 friendly Tolka Park
06/08/1993 Blackburn Rovers L 0–1 friendly Tolka Park
17/08/1993 Czechoslovakia XI L 1–4 friendly Tolka Park
19/08/1993 Liverpool L 1–2 friendly Lansdowne Road
07/10/1994 Welsh Football League XI W 2–0 friendly Porthmadog
08/11/1994 IFK Göteborg W 1–0 friendly Tolka Park
07/03/1995 Irish League XI D 1–1 friendly Richmond Park 600
02/04/1996 Welsh Football League XI L 0–1 friendly St Colman's Park
05/06/1996  Croatia D 2–2 friendly Hunky Dorys Park
11/06/1996  South Korea U23 D 1–1 friendly AUL Complex
28/07/1996 Manchester United L 1–4 friendly Tolka Park 7,720
25/02/1997 England C W 2–0 friendly Richmond Park
04/03/1997 Welsh Football League XI W 1–0 friendly Leckwith
17/03/1997 Republic of Ireland B D 1–1 friendly Tolka Park
02/09/1997  Republic of Ireland L 0–3 friendly Tolka Park
09/02/1999 Republic of Ireland B L 3–4 friendly Carlisle Grounds
01/11/2000 Irish League XI L 0–2 friendly[9] Terryland Park 350
04/08/2010 Manchester United L 1–7 friendly Aviva Stadium 49,800[21][44]
30/07/2011 Manchester City L 0–3 Dublin Super Cup[45][24] Aviva Stadium
31/07/2011 Celtic L 0–5 Dublin Super Cup[46][25] Aviva Stadium

Recent squad

[edit]

The following players were called up for the 2011 Dublin Super Cup[47][48]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Republic of Ireland Gerard Doherty (1981-08-24)24 August 1981 (aged 29) Republic of Ireland Derry City
16 1GK Republic of Ireland Barry Murphy (1985-06-08)8 June 1985 (aged 26) Republic of Ireland Bohemians
2 2DF Republic of Ireland Owen Heary (1976-10-04)4 October 1976 (aged 34) Republic of Ireland Bohemians
4 2DF Republic of Ireland Aidan Price (1981-12-08)8 December 1981 (aged 29) Republic of Ireland Bohemians
5 2DF Republic of Ireland Ryan McBride (1989-12-15)15 December 1989 (aged 21) Republic of Ireland Derry City
6 2DF Republic of Ireland Ger O'Brien (1984-07-02)2 July 1984 (aged 27) Republic of Ireland Bohemians
14 2DF Northern Ireland Daniel Lafferty (1989-04-01)1 April 1989 (aged 22) Republic of Ireland Derry City
18 2DF Republic of Ireland Shane McEleney (1991-01-31)31 January 1991 (aged 20) Republic of Ireland Derry City
2DF Scotland Stewart Greacen (1982-03-31)31 March 1982 (aged 29) Republic of Ireland Derry City
2DF Republic of Ireland Simon Madden (1988-05-01)1 May 1988 (aged 23) Republic of Ireland Derry City
2DF Republic of Ireland Danny Murphy (1982-12-04)4 December 1982 (aged 28) Republic of Ireland Cork City
7 3MF Republic of Ireland Daniel Kearns (1991-08-26)26 August 1991 (aged 19) Republic of Ireland Dundalk
8 3MF Republic of Ireland Joe Gamble (1982-01-14)14 January 1982 (aged 29) Republic of Ireland Limerick
11 3MF Republic of Ireland James McClean (1989-04-22)22 April 1989 (aged 22) Republic of Ireland Derry City
12 3MF Northern Ireland Ruaidhri Higgins (1984-10-23)23 October 1984 (aged 26) Republic of Ireland Derry City
13 3MF England John Dillon (1991-08-26)26 August 1991 (aged 19) Republic of Ireland Sligo Rovers
15 3MF Northern Ireland Barry Molloy (1983-11-29)29 November 1983 (aged 27) Republic of Ireland Derry City
17 3MF England Dean Bennett (1977-12-13)13 December 1977 (aged 33) Republic of Ireland Dundalk
19 3MF Republic of Ireland John Russell (1985-05-18)18 May 1985 (aged 26) Republic of Ireland Sligo Rovers
20 3MF Republic of Ireland Stephen McLaughlin (1990-06-14)14 June 1990 (aged 21) Republic of Ireland Derry City
21 3MF Republic of Ireland Gareth McGlynn (1982-10-29)29 October 1982 (aged 28) Republic of Ireland Derry City
23 3MF England Danny Ventre (1986-01-23)23 January 1986 (aged 25) Republic of Ireland Sligo Rovers
9 4FW Libya Éamon Zayed (1983-10-04)4 October 1983 (aged 27) Republic of Ireland Derry City
10 4FW Republic of Ireland Daryl Kavanagh (1986-08-11)11 August 1986 (aged 24) Republic of Ireland St Patrick's Athletic
22 4FW Republic of Ireland Jason Byrne (1978-02-23)23 February 1978 (aged 33) Republic of Ireland Dundalk

Non-Irish players

[edit]

Throughout the history of the League of Ireland, the vast majority of the players have come from either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. Consequently, the League of Ireland XI has largely been made up of Irish players. However, there has always been a contingent of non-Irish players and, right from the beginning, they have been selected to play for the League of Ireland XI. Dave Roberts from England scored twice in the team's very first game. Another English-born player, Johnny Matthews, scored a penalty against Gordon Banks when the League of Ireland XI played the Football League XI in 1971 at Lansdowne Road. Like Roberts and Matthews, most of the non-Irish players have come from Great Britain but some have come from further afield.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "SK Jugoslavija's visit to Ireland | Playing Pasts".
  2. ^ a b www.fai.ie Archived 2013-07-31 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Donal Cullen: Freestaters – The Republic of Ireland Soccer Team 1921–1939
  4. ^ a b Scottish Football League results by Opponent: League Of Ireland, London Hearts Supporters Club
  5. ^ www.soccerscene.ie
  6. ^ www.soccerscene.ie
  7. ^ www.soccerscene.ie
  8. ^ a b foot.ie/archive
  9. ^ a b c d Balls Remembers The Night The League Of Ireland Beat The English Football League, Balls.ie, 29 December 2017
  10. ^ www.irishtimes.com
  11. ^ "Bobby Tambling: The Other Blue" Archived 2013-03-03 at the Wayback Machine by Shane Murphy, first published in the March 2010 Derry City programme, from the Waterford United website
  12. ^ www.irishtimes.com
  13. ^ www.rsssf.com Archived 2009-06-03 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Basque Country (Euskadi) Autonomous Team Matches
  15. ^ www.irishtimes.com
  16. ^ a b www.rsssfbrasil.com
  17. ^ Donal Cullen: “When the LOI fried the French” You Boys In Green
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i rsssf.org Games of the XXIV. Olympiad Football Qualifying Tournament: Europe, RSSSF
  19. ^ rsssf.org Marlboro Soccer Cup Series (USA) 1987-1990 RSSSF
  20. ^ Coppack, Nick (4 August 2010). "Ireland XI 1 United 7". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  21. ^ a b "Red Devils to face Airtricity League XI". RTÉ Sport. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2010-05-12. Archived from the original on 2010-05-15. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  22. ^ "Airtricity League 1–7 Man Utd", BBC Sport, Dublin, 4 August 2010.
  23. ^ www.fai.ie
  24. ^ a b Manchester City enjoy comfortable win over the League of Ireland XI, Manchester Evening News, 31 July 2011
  25. ^ a b Celtic 5 - 0 League of Ireland XI, Sky Sports, 31 July 2011
  26. ^ www.airtricityleague.ie Archived 2014-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
  27. ^ "Irish League Representative Match Results". irishleaguegreats.blogspot.com. August 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  28. ^ England - Football League - International Results, RSSSF
  29. ^ Celtic, 3; Irish Free State, 0, The Glasgow Herald, 25 February 1924
  30. ^ Celtic FC take on the Irish Free State in 1924, Chris Holme, The History Company, 14 September 2011
  31. ^ A Record Crowd... (video), British Pathe, 1924
  32. ^ Celtic vs Irish Free State XI: The Highest Paid Football Experts in the World, Before The 'D'...Association Football around the world, 1863-1937, 6 November 2018
  33. ^ www.irishtimes.com
  34. ^ Irish Independent March 31, 1948
  35. ^ "Easy Win For The Football League". The Times. 11 October 1951. p. 9.
  36. ^ Scottish League Forwards' Revel, Glasgow Herald, 9 October 1952 (via Partick Thistle History Archive)
  37. ^ Scotland's brilliant play in first half, Glasgow Herald, 19 November 1954 (via Partick Thistle History Archive)
  38. ^ "Football League Should Beat Ireland". The Times. 7 December 1955. p. 14.
  39. ^ League of Ireland 1, Scottish League 4, Glasgow Herald, 3 September 1959 (via Partick Thistle History Archive)
  40. ^ International XI. League of Ireland XI Cork Past and Present
  41. ^ League of Ireland XI v Liverpool 1-3 (Friendly: August 2, 1978), Play Up, Liverpool
  42. ^ Marcus Maher (18 February 2017). "The symbolic day an Irish XI faced their Basque counterparts". Newstalk. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  43. ^ Brazil vs. League of Ireland XI full match, Footballia.net
  44. ^ [1] Archived 2014-01-06 at the Wayback Machine, Extratime.ie, Dublin, 4 August 2010.
  45. ^ "Airtricity League XI v Manchester City - Unknown - Extratime.ie - League of Ireland Fixtures". Archived from the original on 2013-02-17. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  46. ^ "Airtricity League XI v Celtic - Unknown - Extratime.ie - League of Ireland Fixtures". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  47. ^ www.airtricityleague.ie
  48. ^ www.rte.ie
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