How the Irish fared: Kevin Foley finding new lease of life at Ipswich

It’s a sad fact that in years to come, the abiding memory of Kevin Foley’s career is likely be his 11th hour omission from the Ireland squad for the finals of Euro 2012.

Named in Giovanni Trapattoni’s initial 23-man panel, Foley was told he was being replaced by Paul McShane shortly before the final squad was submitted to Uefa. He hasn’t featured at international level since.

His omission was a bitter blow for Foley, who said his felt “betrayed” by Trapattoni. Nothing went right for Ireland in the Euros and, sadly, little has gone right for Foley since. Things had started to unravel even before that tournament, as Foley was part of a Wolves team that finished rock bottom of the Premier League in the 2011/12 season. Their stay in the Championship would be a brief one but sadly for them and Foley, instead of an immediate return to the Premier League, Wolves succumbed to a second successive relegation.

Foley’s personal slide continued in the following seasons, with the full-back playing just 20 games between August 2013 and January 2016. That period included two spells at Blackpool on loan and a stint in Denmark with FC Copenhagen.

However, it appears things are finally looking up for Foley. Two months ago, he was reunited with former boss Mick McCarthy and in recent weeks, he has proven his value to an Ipswich side chasing a play-off spot in the Championship. He made his biggest contribution yet on Saturday, creating the goal that gave Ipswich a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest. His performance in an unfamiliar midfield role earned the 31-year-old praise from his boss.

“Foles was great, I thought he was terrific,” McCarthy said. “Kev can play right-back, left-back, centre-midfield, wide right. He’s a very competent footballer. He understands the game. He can go and play, technically he’s very good. He’s done loads of roles, but his performances at Huddersfield and today were excellent. I thought he played well at Bristol City too. He’s a proper footballer who understands the game. He’s a really good pro and a nice fella as well.”

Elsewhere, on what was a relatively uneventful weekend for the Irish in Britain, Cyrus Christie provided the assist for the opening goal in Derby’s 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town, Shane Duffy conceded the penalty that led to Blackburn losing 1-0 to Burnley while Chris Hughton’s Brighton drew 0-0 at Preston. In League One, Sam Foley scored Port Vale’s second goal in their win over Colchester.

League Two scored a John-Joe O’Toole brace and a goal from James Collins inspire leaders Northampton to a 4-1 win at Carlisle United.