Alan Browne among Irish contingent looking to shine in FA Cup as Preston travel to Chelsea
SATURDAY
Coventry City v Oxford United, 12.30pm
Oxford’s Irish links are legendary, stretching back to the triumvirate of Ray Houghton, John Aldridge and David Langan during the Jack Charlton era, and more recently Callum O’Dowda.
Of their current colony, Tyler Goodrham has been the one piquing Irish interest from his highlights reel of tricks and finishes. Hailing from High Wycombe, the 20-year-old last year revealed Irish citizenship was obtained through his paternal grandmother and he was called up for the U21s in September but was unfortunately withdrawn from the Euro qualifier against Turkey due to injury.
He’s continued to make waves, scoring four times in his 23 appearances and the promotion chasers from League One have acted swiftly to broker a long-term contract extension. Coventry have hit form in the Championship too, offering Goodrham the platform to showcase his repertoire on a bigger stage.
Gillingham v Sheffield United, 3pm.
When Stephen Kenny entered the international sphere to take charge of Ireland’s U21s in 2019, of the defenders, it was Conor Masterson hotly tipped to join him in graduating to the seniors the following year.
He was the classy centre-back making steady progress once Liverpool forked out €1m for the Dubliner as a 15-year-old, earning praise from Jurgen Klopp upon making the first-team squad in the Champions League semi-final.
His bullet header in the win over Sweden in Kalmar confirmed his prowess in both boxes.
Instead, however, fellow defenders from that group, Dara O’Shea, Nathan Collins and most recently Liam Scales, zipped past the 25-year-old to win full caps while he became a casualty of managerial upheaval at QPR.
Gillingham, where compatriot Shaun Williams is captain, has
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