How the Irish fared: Conor Hourihane’s going away gift for Barnsley

Conor Hourihane is expected to join Aston Villa in coming days and the Bandon man gave Barnsley fans the perfect farewell gift on Saturday, curling home a majestic free-kick as the Tykes beat rivals Leeds 3-2 in the Championship.  

The Barnsley captain is out of contract in the summer, a situation that means the club have to let him go now in order to get a fee or else risk losing him for nothing in the summer.

Fans don’t like to lose their best players and Hourihane is certainly one of Barnsley’s main men but if Saturday’s game was his last as a Barnsley player, it was the perfect way to say goodbye.