Waterford FC are delighted to hear the news that our Under 17 defender Darryl Walsh has been included in the Republic of Ireland Under 17 squad for the forthcoming UEFA Under 17 European Championship qualifiers to be played next week in Cyprus.
Walsh, who starred for the Republic of Ireland Schools side that defeated both Wales and Northern Ireland to date in the Centenary Shield, played in Ireland’s recent training camp in Olivia, Spain, where Colin O’Brien’s side played games against Romania and Hungary.
Ireland will play three games in a bid to reach the finals in Croatia. They open their account against the Faroe Islands on Wednesday, March 15 before facing Slovakia on St. Patrick’s Day and finish their group 8 with a clash against hosts Cyprus on Monday, March 20.
The top group winners in the eight groups along with the seven best runners up will join Croatia in the tournament finals to be played in May.
Waterford FC will be further represented at the tournament as Gary Power who is Head of Youth Development is part of O’Brien’s backroom team, while Waterford’s Lee O’Connor, now plying his trade at Manchester United, is also included.
Speaking to Waterford FC Media, Darryl Walsh said, “I’m over the moon and absolutely thrilled. It’s a great honour for the club, myself and my family. We’ve put a lot of work into it and it’s nice to get the recognise eventually.
[gdlr_space height=”30px”] [gdlr_quote align=”center” ]“I’m delighted to be part of the squad and really looking forward to it. We are three games away from qualifying for the finals in Croatia so it’s going to be a big week for us. We face Faroe Islands, Slovakia and Cyprus. None of these games are going to be easy.[/gdlr_quote][gdlr_space height=”30px”]
“Things are going well at the minute. I’m enjoying my football and the four of us, myself, Tunmise, Paul and John, did well for the Irish Schools side in the Centenary Shield against Northern Ireland so it’s great for the club to have so many of us in the Irish set up at the minute.”
Waterford FC wish Darryl, Gary, Lee and the rest of the Republic of Ireland Under 17 squad the very best in their bid to reach the finals of the UEFA European Championships.
Photo: Waterford FC’s Darryl Walsh (left) pictured with Manchester United and Republic of Ireland Under 17 captain, Waterford native Lee O’Connor after the recent training camp in Olivia, Spain.
