Crawford warns Ireland U21 face all‑or‑nothing clash with England

Jim Crawford, manager of the Ireland U21 side, declared that next week’s encounter with England is a ‘one‑game‑takes‑all’ battle for a European Championship play‑off place after his team secured a dramatic 4‑3 win over Kazakhstan on Tuesday night in Cork.

Six months earlier the Boys in Green trailed second‑placed Slovakia by eight points, with the Slovaks having a game in hand. That deficit made the qualification race appear steep for Crawford’s squad. The story was featured on the 42FM Sport platform, which covers Soccer, Rugby, Golf, Racing, Boxing, Motorsport, Athletics, NFL and NBA, and also offers Live Video Review Podcasts, an Upgrade option and Extra content.

Back‑to‑back triumphs – a 4‑3 comeback against Kazakhstan and a 2‑0 victory over Slovakia last Friday – lifted Ireland to one point ahead of the Slovaks in the race for the second spot. The wins also erased the eight‑point gap that had existed half a year before.

Final showdown with England

England, who face Lee Carsley’s table‑toppers on Friday, hold the advantage, yet Ireland still need a win or a favourable result involving Andorra to secure the play‑off berth. If England prevail, the Irish must either defeat them or hope Slovakia lose to Andorra.

‘It’s all to play for next week,’ Crawford said, adding ‘that’s what we’ve set this up for now. It’s one‑game‑takes‑all against England.’ He acknowledged England’s squad as ‘unbelievable in terms of value’, but insisted his players will relish the occasion. ‘We need to raise our level from this evening,’ he added, confident the boys can do so.

Crawford reflects on performance

After falling behind within twelve seconds, Ireland clawed back, with Tommy Lonergan converting an 86th‑minute penalty to secure the final lead. The penalty marked the third lead for Ireland that evening. ‘We gave the crowd seven goals, so I’m sure they’re all going back now saying that was a great game, but it probably aged me a few years,’ Crawford joked.

He admitted the defending was below the standard shown against Slovakia, citing issues with dealing with direct play, crosses and throw‑ins. ‘We asked the players to be compact out of possession; sometimes it was a little bit too easy to penetrate us,’ he explained. The Football Family Weekly also highlighted the performance.

With three points from the latest fixtures, Ireland sit second in the group and face a decisive clash next week. Crawford recalled a pattern of ‘second‑game syndrome’, recalling draws after wins against Turkey, Latvia, Italy and a defeat in Iceland that had cost past campaigns. He stressed that the team will have a couple of days off mentally and physically before returning to the grindstone on Friday. The accompanying photo was taken by Tom O'Halon.