Alan Judge
- Judge is a 26-year-old Brentford player, who plays in the centre of midfield or on the wing, and was born in Dublin.
- He is currently taking part in the Championship playoffs, with his side 2-1 down after the first leg against Middlesbrough.
- Having once been regarded as an out-and-out winger, he spent this season as a defensive-midfield player.
- As the clip below illustrates, he has a penchant for scoring the occasional spectacular long-range goal.
- Before joining Brentford, he had two spells at Blackburn, in between a stint at Notts County. He has also spent a year on loan at Plymouth.
- His father Dermot was also a footballer. Judge Sr won the FAI Cup with Bray and also played for Shamrock Rovers.
- He is part of a sizeable Irish contingent at Brentford, which also includes Alan McCormack and former Ireland international Jonathan Douglas.
- Kevin Kilbane is a fan, suggesting on Twitter last year that Judge was “pushing for an Ireland squad place” following a series of impressive displays.
- Judge has made 37 league appearances for Brentford in total this season, scoring three goals in the process.
Adam Rooney
- Rooney is a 27-year-old Dubliner who plays as a striker for Aberdeen.
- He has managed an impressive 27 goals in all competitions this season, earning him a PFA Scotland player of the year award nomination in the process.
- He is modest about his success. Asked about a possible Ireland call-up, he recently told reporters: “I don’t think I should be in the Ireland squad even in the form I’m in.”
- Rooney began his career at Stoke, managing four goals in 15 appearances and becoming the club’s youngest ever hat-trick scorer before departing. He has also played for Inverness, Birmingham and Oldham, in addition to loan spells at Yeovil, Chesterfield, Bury and Swindon. The striker’s scoring record was mixed, but he thrived in particular at Inverness, managing 44 goals in 103 appearances.
- He has represented Ireland at underage level, helping the team win a bronze medal at the 2005 European Youth Olympic Festival.
- The Dubliner is not related to England and Man United star Wayne Rooney, despite occasional suggestions to the contrary.
- Rooney has been a big success with Aberdeen, helping them to second in the SPL this season, and also netting the decisive penalty last season as they beat Inverness in the Scottish League Cup final after a tense shootout. His good form meant he signed a new contract with the club last December, which keeps him with the Dons until the summer of 2018.
