Irish Players Abroad Round-up: Brentford's Irish Stars Shine As Club Football Returns After a disappointing international break, Irish players abroad were back in domestic action this weekend. Caoimhin Kelleher was one of the only Ireland players to come out of the 2-1 defeat to Armenia and 2-2 draw with Hungary with any credit. The goalkeeper also impressed in Brentford’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea in a Premier League west London derby on Saturday. Nathan Collins also played the full 90 minutes as manager Keith Andrews begins to impress in his first managerial job. The Bees are 12th in the table after a summer of turmoil saw them lose their manager, prolific forward duo Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo and club captain Christian Norgaard. Elsewhere in the Premier League, Jake O’Brien played the full 90 minutes as Everton drew 0-0 with Aston Villa while Seamus Coleman was an unused substitute. Matt Doherty also remained on the bench as Wolves lost 1-0 to Newcastle United. Josh Cullen played 63 minutes in Burnley’s spirited performance against Liverpool which saw them lose 1-0 thanks to a 95th minute Mohamed Salah penalty. Read our comprehensive guide to all Irish footballers abroad Lenihan Makes Emotional Return The feel good story of the weekend came in the Championship as Darragh Lenihan made his first competitive start in 722 days in Middlesbrough’s 2-2 draw away to Preston North End. Alan Browne made his Boro debut in the same game against the side he spent 10-and-a-half years at and captained. A first competitive start in 722 days for Darragh Lenihan 👏A true professional 🙌 pic.twitter.com/UCblXWtdcs— Middlesbrough FC (@Boro) September 13, 2025 Irish goalscorers in the Championship included Bosun Lawal who scored the only goal as Stoke City beat Birmingham City 1-0 as he continues to earn rave reviews. John Egan scored a dramatic 97th minute equaliser to earn Hull City a 2-2 draw with Swansea City. On The Continent Evan Ferguson dropped to the bench for the first time since his loan move to Roma as his side lost 1-0 to Torino. The 20-year-old was rested after completing 90 minutes in both of Ireland’s World Cup qualifiers and is likely to return to the starting XI next week when Roma face Lazio in the Rome derby. Michael Obafemi made his Vfl Bochum debut from the bench as his side were defeated 1-0 by SC Paderborn in 2. Bundesliga. In Bulgarian, Armstrong Oko-Flex made his first start for Botev Plovdiv after his loan move at the end of the transfer window. His side lost 1-0 to Montana and remain bottom of the table.
