Excitement over an encouraging weekend for Irish players in attacking positions was quickly tempered by the news surrounding Evan Ferguson.
Confirmation arrived on Saturday that the striker will undergo ankle surgery on Monday, which will rule him out for the remainder of the season, including Ireland’s World Cup play-offs.
There was more positive news elsewhere, however, with Troy Parrott continuing to impress for AZ Alkmaar. On Wednesday he played a key role as AZ advanced to the Dutch Cup final with a 2-1 victory over Telstar. Although the decisive second goal was officially recorded as an own goal, it appeared Parrott may have applied the final touch, and without his movement and presence in the six-yard box the goal would probably not have come about.
It means Parrott will contest the final for the second consecutive season with AZ, who will face NEC Nijmegen in April’s showpiece. He followed up the cup tie with another strong performance on Saturday, away to PSV. That was not enough to prevent his team from losing 2-1, and Parrott even had the misfortune to end up with an own goal to his name after the ball deflected off him and into the net after a mistake by AZ’s goalkeeper.
It was another outstanding weekend for David McGoldrick, which is why chatter has increased about him coming back into the international reckoning, particularly in light of Ferguson’s injury. That possibility was put to Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson by LOI Talk on Friday night during his attendance at Galway United’s meeting with Dundalk at Eamonn Deacy Park. Hallgrímsson did not dismiss the idea outright.
If McGoldrick is indeed under consideration, he did his chances no harm over the weekend. The Barnsley forward produced another excellent display in their 2-1 win over Exeter City, scoring with a deft finish over the goalkeeper before adding an assist soon after. Those contributions took him to 11 goals in his last 10 games.
There were also encouraging signs from an Irish perspective in midfield. The search for a long-term option to anchor the position alongside Josh Cullen has been ongoing, with Ireland still lacking what might be considered a natural number six.
Will Smallbone, for one, made his long-awaited return from injury for Millwall. The midfielder came on in the 83rd minute of their 3-1 win away to Hull City on Saturday, his first appearance since October. Whether Smallbone is best utilised at the base of midfield or slightly farther forward remains open to debate, but he has shown for club and country that he is capable of operating in that deeper role. The immediate priority will simply be building up his minutes before the squad announcement.
Alan Browne also provided a timely reminder of his qualities. The midfielder was deployed more centrally for Middlesbrough in their 4-0 win over QPR on Sunday evening and capped the performance with a close-range headed goal.
Conor Coventry played well for Charlton against Birmingham City at the weekend, but that didn’t mean the referee wanted to hear everything he said. Photograph: Peter Tarry/PA Wire
There were positives for Conor Coventry too. After a spell of limited minutes at Charlton since the turn of the year, he returned to the starting line-up during the week and played 74 minutes in the defeat to Wrexham before playing 89 minutes in Saturday’s victory over Birmingham City.
Another boost could arrive shortly with the expected return of Bosun Lawal, who is understood to be nearing a comeback from injury. Although still uncapped at senior level, Lawal has long been viewed as a potential option in that deeper midfield role.
[ Stoke City’s Bosun Lawal keeping faith that Ireland cap will comeOpens in new window ]
With no Premier League action this weekend, several players were afforded a rare break, but the Irish contingent at Brentford will quickly turn their attention to Monday night’s FA Cup tie against West Ham as they look to reach the quarter-finals. Caoimhín Kelleher and Nathan Collins returned to the starting XI for Brentford’s 0-0 draw with Bournemouth on Wednesday evening.
[ Caoimhín Kelleher: ‘We need to get the country to a World Cup’Opens in new window ]
Player of the Week – Finn Azaz (Southampton)
Azaz produced an outstanding display for Southampton on Sunday afternoon as they secured an impressive FA Cup victory away to Fulham to advance to the quarter-finals. Azaz looked entirely at home against Premier League opposition and was one of Southampton’s most influential performers throughout. He was unfortunate not to find the net, striking the crossbar with one effort, while his technical quality and composure on the ball stood out.
Goal of the Week – Niall McAndrew (Derby County U21s)
The goal of the week undoubtedly belonged to Niall McAndrew for Derby County’s U21s. After missing six months with a fractured fibula, the highly-rated midfielder won the ball from a West Ham defender, flicked it past another challenge and, from the edge of the area, curled a superb effort into the far top corner.
Stat of the Week – Matt Doherty (Wolves) – 500 career appearances
Doherty reached a significant milestone on Tuesday night, making the 500th appearance of his senior club career as Wolves secured a 2-1 victory over Liverpool. The defender played 60 minutes on the night and continues to be a remarkable servant to the club, having now made more than 380 appearances for Wolves alone. Reaching the 500-game mark is a notable achievement for any professional footballer