Mohan seething at failure to punish England goalkeeper

WALSALL, ENGLAND - MARCH 23: UEFA European Under-19 Championship Qualifying match between England MU19 and Republic of Ireland U19 on March 23, 2022 in Walsall, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Tom Mohan was left seething at what he branded the “turning point” of last night’s Euro U19 qualifier when England goalkeeper Matthew Cox escaped punishment for cleaning out his striker Johnny Kenny.

Ireland had reacted brilliantly in Walsall to falling behind in the fifth minute to Dane Scarlett’s header, piling on the pressure and Kenny hitting the post with a shot.

Celtic’s recent recruit from Sligo Rovers was then clipped by the advancing Cox in a race for an undercooked throw-in back to his goalkeeper by Callum Doyle.

Inexplicably, Croatian referee Igor Pajac didn’t even award a free-kick on the edge of box. Had justice been served, England would also have lost their goalkeeper and had to play the final hour with 10 men.

Although Ireland equalised through James Abankwah, Aston Villa first-teamer Carney Chukwuemeka scored either side of the break to give England a 3-1 victory and an early advantage in the hunt for a place at the Euro finals in Slovakia.

Only the top team in the pool that also contains Armenia and Portugal, who Ireland face next on Saturday, qualify for the eight-team showpiece.

“England’s goalkeeper was the last man back and he clearly caught Johnny,” said Ireland boss Mohan, who had also lost another attacker, Sinclair Armstrong, to concussion after 20 minutes.

“Playing against an England side with 10 men would have made it a different game but we still had them on the ropes in their own backyard.

“We knew the importance of this first match of the group but these are the fine margins. It was a long way back from going 3-1 down early in the second half but performance-wise, I couldn’t be prouder.

“We pinned England back and dominated them in stages of the second half. We created plenty of chances but needed one to go in because I thought we could have pushed them for the last 15 minutes. It’s a sore one to take.” 

Kenny is unlikely to be fit for Saturday’s meeting against Portugal, 4-0 victors over Armenia in Wednesday’s other elite group match, while medical advice will dictate Sinclair’s availability. Fulham attacker Ollie O’Neill will now link up with the Under-21s for their Euro qualifier in Sweden next Tuesday.

At least Mohan will have Andrew Moran available, after the Brighton and Hove Albion star served a suspension against England, while Fleetwood Town regular Cian Hayes showed his worth when replacing Kenny off the bench.

“All is not lost,” declared Mohan. “To put the performance in we did against England and get nothing is a bitter pill to take but we’ll get ready for Portugal.

“Andy Moran is available and we’ll rely on the depth of the squad more than ever.” Ireland’s fixtures:

Saturday, March 26 v Portugal, St George’s Park, Staffordshire, England, (7.30pm).

Tuesday, March 29 v Armenia, St Georgie’s Park, Staffordshire, England (7.30pm).

Ireland squad:

Goalkeepers: Josh Keeley (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Dan Rose (Schalke 04).

Defenders: James Abankwah (St. Patrick’s Athletic, on loan from Udinese), Tayo Adaramola (Crystal Palace), Anselmo Garcia MacNulty (Wolfsburg), Bosun Lawal (Celtic), Sean Roughan (Drogheda United, on loan from Lincoln City), Alex Murphy (Galway United), Sean Grehan (Unattached).

Midfielders: Baba Adeeko (Wigan Athletic), Evan Caffrey (UCD), Kian Corbally (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Cian Hayes (Fleetwood Town), Jack Henry-Francis (Arsenal), Ed McJannet (Luton Town), Glory Nzingo (Stade Reims).

Forwards: Sinclair Armstrong (QPR), Johnny Kenny (Celtic), Andrew Moran (Brighton & Hove Albion).