The Newcastle United midfielder came on for the final 16 minutes of Ireland’s 5-0 win against Grenada.
Rory Finneran replaces Jayson Molumby to make his senior Ireland debut(Image: INPHO/Bryan Keane)
Rory Finneran is already looking towards the “next step” in his career now that he has been capped at senior international level.
The Newcastle United and Ireland midfielder wants to build on his appearance in last weekend’s 5-0 win against Grenada by securing regular first-team football.
And he is ready to move away from St James’ Park on loan if it means him realising his ambition.
Finneran came on in the 74th minute in the Estadio Enrique Roca for Jayson Molumby and showed flashes of his enormous potential.
He won a free kick with a darting run that Tom Cannon smashed against the crossbar, while he later saw a shot of his own fizz narrowly over.
The 18-year-old, who captained Ireland last year in the Under-17 World Cup and who became the seventh youngest senior debut-maker, described the day as “an unbelievable feeling.”
His Sligo-born dad was among the family members in attendance and Finneran told the Newcastle United website: “It’s a great achievement for me and my family but I think it makes you want to get more of it and work even harder to get more.
“It doesn’t feel real to be honest. I got told I’d be coming on and then I was on the pitch.
“I don’t know how to explain it – it all felt a bit surreal in the moment but I really enjoyed the experience.
“It was a really good performance, especially in the second half, and when you’re winning games by that amount, you must be playing well and it made the debut even better.
“Most of my family got over, my close family and a few other family members, to watch me. It was a big moment for them, too, and it was nice to be out in the sun in Spain.
“It was quite unexpected as someone dropped out and I got the call so I was really happy about it. The week went on and, eventually, you get your debut which is an unbelievable feeling.
“Doing it at 18 years old makes it even better but, after getting a taste of that, you want more of it.”
Finneran made his first-team debut at Blackburn at the age of 15 in a January 2024 FA Cup clash with Cambridge United, and later that year he was snapped up by Newcastle.
He made 17 competitive appearances for the Toon’s Under-21s this season and trained regularly with Eddie Howe’s first-team squad.
Finneran said: “This season has been a great experience. I’ve played a lot of games in different competitions and that was one of the main things I wanted to achieve.
“Personally, I think I’ve improved a lot during the season, doing what I set out to do with the Under-21s.
“There’s a lot of great players in the first-team to look up to. Whenever you’re training with them, you see the top level they’re at and it shows you what you’ve got to do but also, subconsciously, learning as much as you can when you’re playing with or against them.
“Being in and around that has been a massive help for my career because they’re top players.
“The most important thing is making sure I continue to develop and then, eventually, playing first-team football whether that is with Newcastle or going out on loan. Hopefully, that’s the next step for me.”