The Republic of Ireland Men’s Under-16 squad has been named ahead of the upcoming 2021 Victory Shield and includes 20 players, six of whom hail from St Patrick’s Athletic.
Republic of Ireland Men’s Under-16 Head Coach Paul Osam will head to Belfast for the Victory Shield this weekend with fond memories of the last time the prestigious tournament was held there.
Osam won his second of two Victory Shields in the city in 2017 – a successful defence of the title he claimed a year previously in Scotland.
In the side that won the competition in Belfast was senior Ireland international Troy Parrott who put the Boys in Green on their way to glory with the solitary goal in a 1-0 win over Wales.
A further three current senior internationals have lifted the Victory Shield with Nathan Collins, Adam Idah and Jason Knight all part of the class of 2016 that won the tournament on Ireland’s first appearance.
Osam has today announced a 20 player-squad for the latest edition of the competition as he looks to claim a third title for the Boys in Green.
They take on joint holders Scotland (who shared the title with Wales in 2019) on Sunday, before facing Wales on Tuesday. They end their series of games with a derby against Northern Ireland on Friday week.
Speaking about the competition, Osam said it is the perfect tournament to ready Under-16s players for competitive football at Under-17s level: “When you come up against Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland you can’t call this a friendly tournament, they’re competitive games with an added edge of playing against your neighbours.
“We’ve had two wins in four appearances of this competition, which is a good return and with this group of players we’ll be pushing for another.
“It’s the perfect competition to ready these players for UEFA tournament football next season. You look at the likes of Troy, Nathan, Adam and Jason who have won it and gone on to senior football and this tournament would have contributed to their development. It’s a similar format to the qualifying stages at UEFA competitons where it’s three games in quick succession. It’s one of the highlights of the season for me and a real addition to players’ education.”
Republic of Ireland Men’s Under-16s Squad
Goalkeepers: Jason Healy (Waterford), Ryan Maher (Bohemians)
Defenders: Sean Hayden (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Sean Mackey (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Corey O’Sullivan (Shamrock Rovers), Adam Queally (Waterford FC) Eoin Sheeran (Athlone Town), Patryk Sweicka (Cork City)
Midfielders: Anthony Dodd (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Leo Healy (Klub Kildare), Luke Kehir (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Taylor Mooney (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Adam O’Halloran (Galway United), Naz Raji (Shamrock Rovers), Freddie Turley (Shamrock Rovers)
Forwards: Aidan Cannon (Celtic), Trent Kone Doherty (Derry City), Brian Moore (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Cian Mulvilhill (Cork City), Nickson Okosun (Bohemians)
Victory Shields Fixtures
Sunday, October 17 | Scotland MU16 v Republic of Ireland MU16, H&W Welders FC, KO 3pm
Tuesday, October 19 | Wales MU16 v Republic of Ireland MU16, Seaview, KO 3pm
Friday, October 22 | Republic of Ireland MU16 v Northern Ireland MU16, H&W Welders, KO 1.30pm
