IRISH INTERNATIONALS Dara O’Shea and Chiedozie Ogbene both scored for their respective clubs in the Championship today.
Rotherham maintained their unbeaten start to the Championship season with a 1-1 draw at QPR.
Ogbene put the Yorkshire side ahead and they held on after Chris Willock’s equaliser to pick up a well-earned point.
In-form striker Ogbene opened the scoring after 33 minutes with his fourth goal of the campaign.
Rangers failed to deal with Shane Ferguson’s free-kick from the left and Ogbene netted from near the edge of the six-yard box, sliding the ball into the far corner after his first effort was blocked.
But the combination of talisman Willock and fellow playmaker Ilias Chair, which is so crucial for Rangers, enabled them to hit back 10 minutes later.
Willock exchanged passes with Chair and held off two challenges before firing past keeper Viktor Johansson at the Swede’s near post.
In addition, Dundalk native Jimmy Dunne featured for QPR from the outset while ex-Bohemians striker Georgie Kelly appeared off the bench for Rotherham.
Olamide Shodipo and Sinclair Armstrong also made substitute appearances for the hosts.
West Brom earned their first win of the season with a 5-2 victory over early high-flyers Hull at The Hawthorns.
An own goal by Callum Elder set Steve Bruce’s side on their way against one of his former clubs then quick goals at the start of the second half from John Swift and Darnell Furlong, before Karlan Grant’s penalty and captain O’Shea sealed a welcome three points for the Baggies.
Hull’s miserable day started with the early exit of striker Ozan Tufan to an injury and got worse after that, hitting the woodwork twice, before Oscar Estupinan’s consolation brace.
The Tigers created the first chance when Tufan’s firm drive from 20 yards was saved by goalkeeper David Button down low to his left.
Turkish forward Tufan limped off in the 21st minute following an innocuous challenge from Furlong near the touchline.
Albion wasted two chances just before the half-hour. Grant’s angled shot was blocked and from the loose ball, Furlong screwed well wide.
Then Grady Diangana hooked over the bar and wide at the far post from Jed Wallace’s hanging cross, before Estupinan went close to giving Hull the breakthrough in the 35th minute.
The Colombian forward latched onto Ryan Woods’ clever through ball and launched a rising shot which Button palmed onto the bar, the ball bouncing back to the grateful goalkeeper.
Albion responded by taking a 37th-minute lead, albeit in fortunate circumstances.
A cross from Furlong flicked off Jacob Greaves and hit Elder in the midriff before sailing past helpless goalkeeper Matt Ingram.
Swift made it 2-0 in the 48th minute with a low drive across Ingram into the far bottom corner of the net.
Seven minutes later Albion extended their lead with a low, angled shot from Furlong after a square pass from O’Shea.
Furlong’s effort came after Albion laid siege to Hull’s goal, with Swift’s free-kick palmed away by Ingram, then Swift and Diangana seeing shots blocked.
Against the run of play, Randell Williams became the second Hull player to hit the bar, this time with a dipping left-footed shot that beat Button and dipped at the last moment.
One-way traffic resumed at the other end and Grant netted in the 70th minute, from the spot, curling low to Ingram’s left after Lewie Coyle trod on Conor Townsend.
Estupinan pulled one back for Hull when he tapped home Benjamin Tetteh’s cross following Elder’s long ball on 77.
Diangana then cut inside and drilled a shot against the post, but O’Shea restored Albion’s four-goal cushion with a diving header following a cross from the right in the 85th minute.
Estupinan grabbed Hull’s second on 90 with a neat finish after Tetteh’s neat turn and pass put him clean through.
Two more Irish internationals featured for the Baggies with Jayson Molumby starting and Callum Robinson appearing off the bench.
Ex-Cork City player Sean McLoughlin was an unused sub for Hull.
🏆 This afternoon’s @epicpgc man of the match is Robbie Brady! 👏
— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) August 20, 2022
Thanks to our man of the match sponsor EPIC Risk Management, £500 will be donated to Robbie’s chosen charity, @GalwayHospice! 💙 #pnefc pic.twitter.com/stItjl2ht9
It was a good day too for Robbie Brady, who continued his resurgence at Preston by winning the man-of-the-match award amid a 0-0 draw with Watford.
Troy Parrott and Alan Browne also started for the hosts, while Greg Cunningham made a substitute appearance.
Elsewhere, Johnny Kenny made his Queen’s Park debut off the bench in their 2-1 Scottish Championship win over Arbroath, having only just signed on loan from Celtic.
There was similarly a full debut for Ronan Maher, as Walsall drew 0-0 with Gillingham.
The 17-year-old, whose first professional contract with the League Two club was announced on Friday, is a recent Ireland U19s call-up.
There was also a League One debut for Mark McGuinness.
The Ireland U21 defender recently joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan from Cardiff, and featured in their 2-0 win over Bolton today.
Finally, Fiacre Kelleher, brother of Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhín, scored for Solihull Moors in their 4-3 win over Scunthorpe in the National League.
The 26-year-old defender is currently on loan at the club from Mark Hughes-managed League Two side Bradford.
Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy
