How the Irish fared: Scott Hogan brace shows why he’s on Ireland's wanted list

Scott Hogan illustrated why Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill is so keen to recruit his services by scoring twice in Brentford’s 3-2 Championship defeat at Blackburn on Saturday.

Hogan was sharp as a knife at Ewood Park, opening the scoring after just 33 seconds. He grabbed his second of the day on 30 minutes, his close-range strike making it 2-2.

Hogan’s ninth and 10th goals of the season showed that the Manchester-born player, who qualifies for Ireland through two of his grandparents, would be a useful addition to the Ireland cause.