Academy International round-up: Umeh and Phillips score for Ireland

After netting a brace for Republic of Ireland Under-19s last month against Scotland, Franco Umeh continued his fine international form by helping the side to victory with a goal and two assists in their opening 2024 UEFA European U19 Championship qualifier against Albania.

Playing out on the right, Umeh assisted striker Mark O’Mahony in the opening five minutes to put Ireland in front early on. He then notched a goal for himself - a header inside the six-yard box in the second-half.

He curled in a delightful ball from the right hand side for O’Mahony to head home for Ireland’s third and final goal of the game, a few minutes after finding the back of the net himself.

Umeh continued to feature in the Republic of Ireland U19s' next games against Slovenia and Belgium, though they didn't manage to score in either fixture.

Loanee Killian Phillips also managed to get his name on the scoresheet for the Republic of Ireland U21s as they continued their campaign in their UEFA European U21 Championship qualifiers. He initially featured off the bench against Norway, though he started from the off against Italy and opened the scoring in a 2-2 draw.

Defenders Seán Grehan played the full 90 minutes in their draw with Italy, whilst full-back Tayo Adaramola made two appearances off the bench as they move up to second in their group.

Dylan Reid and Scotland U19s faced a similar assignment, playing their three matches against Bulgaria, Andorra and Serbia. Reid featured from the start against Bulgaria, as the two sides played out a 0-0 draw in their opening qualifying game.

He also played 83 minutes in their 3-1 win over Andorra and came on as a late substitute in their 2-1 win against Serbia, helping them to top Group C and advance to the latter stages of UEFA European U19 Championship qualifying.

For Northern Ireland, Justin Devenny was called up for a second consecutive squad having made his U21s debut last month.

He only had one fixture against England Under-21s at Goodison Park, and he played 83 minutes in their 3-0 defeat.

Goalkeeper Joe Whitworth was involved in training with the U21s side ahead of their win against Northern Ireland, after initially being named on the bench for the England U20 side - now known as the Elite League Squad.

At Under-18s level, Jake Grante was called up by Republic of Ireland U18s for a pair of friendlies against Belgium at the Oliva Nova Resort in Spain. He played the full 90 minutes in their first game against Belgium, a 2-1 win.

Finally, Matteo Dashi was selected by Albania U17s for three qualifiers for next summer's U17 Euros in Cyprus – a similar format to the U19s. He came on off the bench against Portugal and the Czech Republic, before playing 81 minutes against Montenegro, in the space of seven days.

Republic of Ireland U21s – Tayo Adaramola, Seán Grehan & Killian Phillips

Fri, 17th November: Norway U21s 3-2 Republic of Ireland U21s (Phillips came on in the 70th minute, Adaramola came on in the 83rd minute)
Tue, 21st November: Republic of Ireland U21s 2-2 Italy U21s (Phillips played the full 90 minutes and scored Ireland's first goal, Grehan played the full 90 minutes and Adaramola came on in the 90th minute)

Northern Ireland U21s – Justin Devenny

Tue, 21st November: England U21s 3-0 Northern Ireland U21s (Devenny played 82 minutes)

England Elite Squad & England U21s – Joe Whitworth

Thu, 16th November: England 0-3 Italy (Whitworth was an unused substitute)
Tue, 21st November: England U21s 3-0 Northern Ireland U21s (Whitworth was not in the matchday squad)

Scotland U19s – Dylan Reid

Wed, 15th November: Bulgaria U19s 0-0 Scotland U19s (Reid played 82 minutes)
Sat, 18th November: Scotland U19s 3-1 Andorra U19s (Reid played 83 minutes)
Tue, 21st November: Scotland U19s 2-1 Serbia U19s (Reid came on in the 85th minute)

Republic of Ireland U19s - Franco Umeh

Wed, 15th November: Republic of Ireland U19s 3-1 Albania U19s (Umeh played the full 90, scoring once and assisting twice)
Sat, 18th November: Republic of Ireland U19s 0-0 Slovenia U19s (Umeh played 63 minutes)
Tue, 21st November: Belgium U19s 1-0 Republic of Ireland U19s (Umeh came on in the 54th minute)

Republic of Ireland U18s – Jake Grante

Thu, 16th November: Republic of Ireland U18s 2-1 Belgium U18s (Grante played the full 90)
Sat, 18th November: Republic of Ireland U18s 0-4 Belgium U18s (Grante played the full 90)

Albania U17s - Matteo Dashi

Wed, 15th November: Portugal U17s 3-0 Albania U17s (Dashi came on in the 77th minute)
Sat, 18th November: Czech Republic U17s 6-1 Albania U17s (Dashi came on at half-time)
Tue, 21st November: Albania U17s 2-0 Montenegro U17s (Dashi played 81 minutes)