14 May 2026; Will Ferry during a Republic of Ireland training session at La Finca Resort in Alicante, Spain. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Good goods come in small parcels as Andew Moran can prove against Grenada on Saturday
Cathal Dervan, Editor
There’s a Sportsfile photograph or two online right now of Andrew Moran basking in the sunshine at the La Finca resort in Spain, the venue for Ireland’s current training camp ahead of Saturday’s friendly against Grenada in Murcia.
Preston midfielder Moran looks totally at ease in the Stephen McCarthy photos, be they on the training pitch, with the ball at his feet or sitting in front of the media when he sat down with the travelling journalists on Thursday.
It’s not surprising. Andrew - or Andy as he is also known - is a young man who doesn’t get phased by the challenge in front of him. He tackles anything presented to him by life as an international footballer in waiting with a calmness and a confidence way beyond his 22 years on this planet.
It’s not a surprise to those who have followed Moran’s process since his days as a real prospect in waiting at Knocklyon United, Bray St Joseph’s Boys or Bray Wanderers. And those who know him well from back then know just how much adversity Moran had to overcome to get his day in the Spanish sunshine.
Size has always been an issue around Andrew or Andy Moran. Not with him but with those who judged him as a young player. He was too skinny, not tall enough, not physical enough to play in the centre of midfield, the area his sublime touch and eye for a pass would suggest he belongs in.
That sizeism haunted the player in his early days. Those who worked him in St Joseph’s Boys almost had to beg clubs to take a look at the youngster before he finally got a move to Bray and became their youngest ever player when he played at just 15 years and 307 days against Drogheda United in August 2019.
The teenage Moran did enough and soon enough with Bray to move to Brighton in July 2020 where one time FAI employee John Morling took him under his wing alongside the likes of Evan Ferguson and Leigh Kavanagh.
Such a move may seem like a dream come true for a 16-year-old kid but it hasn’t been easy in England for the former Ireland under 21 captain either, not even since Brighton ignored his size and took a chance on him in 2020.
With just one first team game to his name at the Albion, Moran has had to grow up and fill out whilst on loan at Blackburn, Preston and the Los Angeles FC before finally leaving Brighton for Preston on a permanent deal in the January transfer window.
Even there, he’s had to bide his time, finally getting into the first team on a regular basis at the tail end of the Championship season as promotion slipped from their view at Deepdale.
Now though, there is real hope at North End that Moran will become their playmaker supreme next season and that, in itself, can only help his international career.
Andrew Moran wasn’t in the conversation around the Ireland squad for the World Cup play-off against Czechia in March despite that move back to England and he will be the first to know why - a lack of regular first team football at club level was always going to consign him to the ranks of the also rans.
Many of those players missing from the Prague conversation are in Murcia this weekend for the Grenada game but few of them have as much to gain from this B Specials international as Moran.
Forget about his size. Moran, with the right players around him, has that rare quality that any international team needs to compete at the top level - he can pick a pass and he can pick holes in any defence. We don’t have that type of player operating at senior level right now and probably won’t have until Viktor Ozhianvuna lives up to his potential when he moves to Arsenal next year.
The fact is, we haven’t had a player like Andrew Moran since Wes Hoolohan last played for Ireland. And he was another player who had to battle against sizeism all his career.
Wes came good in the end. So too will Andrew Moran and I hope he proves as much against Grenada on Saturday and plays so well then that he is in the team again next month and plays as a creative 10 against Qatar and Canada before the summer break.
What’s interesting here, going back to his media duties on Thursday, is the way some of the visiting media linked Andrew Moran with Lionel Messi, the Argentinean genius and World Cup winner.
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Moran was injured when Los Angeles FC played Inter Miami in the MLS but Argentina did use the same La Finca training ground when they were in Spain last November.
So Moran and Messi have been on the same grass. And they also have that perceived lack of height issue.
Thankfully, it has never stopped Messi delivering for club or country. It never stopped Hoolahan. And it won’t stop Andrew Moran either. Saturday’s game against Grenada is his best chance yet to prove it.
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Darryl and Cathal preview the weekend games in the Premier Division and discuss the chances of LOI representation in the Ireland squads against Qatar and Canada.
The FAI are prepared to finally listen to their members on the proposals to stop the Nations League games against Israel but CEO David Courell has again warned that the matches have to go ahead despite public opposition.
An EGM of the Association on Thursday night heard President Paul Cooke tell Bohs’ representative Daniel Lambert that the FAI will grant an EGM to discuss the Israeli fixtures but only if a request is made with enough voting support to back the proposal.
The Irish Independent reports that Lambert raised the subject under AOB when he asked that the FAI call an EGM in response to the widespread public opposition to the home fixture in early October.
Lambert also reminded delegates that no action was taken against Poland, Czechia or Sweden when they refused to play Russia in 2022.
The report adds that Cooke indicated that, while the board would not call an EGM without a request from the members to do so, they would be open to such a meeting taking place.
However Courell countered that view by stating that the FAI will not change its stance on the Israel game. The paper quotes former FA official Courell as stating that the FAI are ‘effectively obliged to fulfil the games’ and added that drawing Israel in the Nations League was ‘unfortunate’.
Despite the recent public outcry against the Dublin game going ahead on October 4th, Courell again outlined support for the fixture from Government and An Garda Siochana.
The report also suggests that Courell referenced Nations League rules with the ‘core principle’ being that UEFA member associations fulfil every game.
Daniel McDonnell’s article quotes The Nations League regulations which state that: “If the circumstances of the case so justify, the Uefa disciplinary bodies may impose any further disciplinary measures deemed appropriate on the association concerned, including disqualification from the competition.
“Article 26.05 says that an association that refuses to play or is responsible for a match not taking place or not being played in full may lose all rights to payments from Uefa depending on the gravity of the circumstances.”
Former Brighton winger Andrew Moran has told Irish media that Evan Ferguson expects to be fully fit in time to hit the ground running next season.
Speaking at the Irish team’s training camp in Spain ahead of Saturday’s friendly against Grenada in Murcia, Moran was asked how Ferguson was doing as he recovers from ankle surgery in March.
Preston schemer Moran played with Ferguson at Brighton and is close friends with the Meath native who spent most of this season on loan at Roma before the surgery to correct a long standing ankle issue.
Ferguson is now back at Brighton for his rehab and Moran has spoken to his good friend about the recovery.
The Preston midfielder told the Irish Mirror: “I’ve been speaking to him (Ferguson) a bit and he’s doing well. He’s just rehabbing now back at Brighton, so all good.
“It was really hard to watch his games last year because I was in the LA time zone, but the couple of games I watched, I thought he was really good.
“He was scoring goals and looking like his normal self. I remember the Celtic game in particular, he looked top-class. I think he had a really good loan spell and I think he enjoyed it. As far as I know from talking to him he enjoyed it. It’s just about him getting back fit and doing what he does.”
Katie McCabe has confirmed that she will leave Arsenal when her contract ends next week, ending an 11 year association with the Gunners.
McCabe will bring the curtain down on her career in North London that saw her play 305 times and score 37 years, winning the Women’s Super League in 2019, the Champions League in 2025, an FA Cup, three League Cups and one Champions Cup medal.
The BBC reports that the Tallaght native was in tears after Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Everton on Wednesday in what was to be her final game at Emirates Stadium.
She will however be involved for the club’s final game of the season at Anfield against Liverpool on Saturday.
Arsenal’s director of women’s football, Clare Wheatley said: “Over more than a decade at Arsenal, Katie has made a significant and lasting contribution to the history and success of our football club.
“Katie has led with passion and commitment, giving everything for the badge and forging a special bond with our supporters. She departs as a club legend and we are so proud of our shared journey together.”
Derry City boss Tiernan Lynch has revealed that star striker Liam Boyce is back training on grass after the nightmare hamstring and cal injuries restricted his first team involvement since August last.
Former Northern Ireland international Boyce won’t be rushed back into first team action by City who travel to Waterford on Friday night.
Speaking to Owen Cowzer, Lynch told the Irish Sun: “It’s good to have Liam back. He hasn’t had it easy with regards to injuries. He’s a great lad and he works really hard.
“He’s hugely frustrated. It has probably been, since he’s been here, a bit stop, start, stop, start. When you do get him back on the pitch, you do see him in training, the quality is there for everybody to see. It would be great if he can get on here and stay injury-free.”
Brentford’s Irish boss Keith Andrews has been included on the six-man shortlist for the Premier League Manager of the Year award.
Former Ireland international midfielder and national team assistant boss Andrews features on the list alongside Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Manchester United’s Michael Carrick, Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, and Sunderland’s Regis le Bris.
The Irish Examiner reports that Andrews was widely tipped to struggle at Brentford this season after he stepped up from set-piece coach last summer to succeed departing boss Thomas Frank. Andrews has prospered in the role however with Brentford currently eighth in the Premier Division table and still in contention for a Europa Conference or Europa League place.
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