| Nickname | The Boys in Green | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Football Association of Ireland | |||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | |||
| Head coach | Pat Devlin | |||
| Captain | Alex Bruce | |||
| Top scorer | Christy Doyle Daryl Clare David Kelly Jackie Hennessy Neale Fenn Niall Quinn (all 2 goals each) | |||
| Home stadium | Dalymount Park Lansdowne Road Tolka Park Turner's Cross Carlisle Grounds | |||
| FIFA code | IRL | |||
| ||||
| First international | ||||
 Republic of Ireland 1–0Romania  (Dublin,Republic of Ireland; October 20, 1957) | ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
Republic of Ireland 4–1England  (Cork,Republic of Ireland; March 27, 1990) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
| England 2–0Republic of Ireland (Liverpool,England; December 1, 1994) | ||||
Republic of Ireland B is thereserve team of theRepublic of Ireland national football team. There are no competitions for B teams. However, since 1957 theFootball Association of Ireland has arranged occasional friendlies.
The FAI first introduced B internationals during the 1950s. In an era whenLeague of Ireland players were getting fewer opportunities to break into the senior team, these games were seen as a chance for these players to gain some international experience. The Republic of Ireland B played their first game on October 20, 1957 atDalymount Park againstRomania B. They held the visitors to a 1–1 draw. Three days later, on October 23, the Romanians lost 6–0 to aNorthern Ireland B team.[1]
In August 1958 a Republic of Ireland B team travelled toReykjavík and beatIceland 3–2. Then in September 1960, Iceland made a return visit to Dalymount Park, this time losing 2–1. On both occasions Iceland fielded their senior team and theFootball Association of Iceland regard these games as full internationals.[2][3] In between the two games against Iceland, the Republic of Ireland B also beatSouth Africa 1–0 at Tolka Park. The South Africans also regard this as a full international. Several League of Ireland players who played in these games subsequently played for the seniorRepublic of Ireland team. These includedChristy Doyle, who had scored against both Iceland and South Africa,Jackie Hennessy who had scored twice against Iceland andLiam Tuohy.
After the game against Iceland in 1960 it would be thirty years before a Republic of Ireland B team officially played again. However, on May 24, 1971, the FAI, celebrating itsGolden Jubilee arranged a special game atLansdowne Road. This should have been a full international, however their opponents,England, only sent a B team.Steve Heighway scored for an unofficialRepublic of Ireland B team in the subsequent 1–1 draw.[4]
UnderJack Charlton, B internationals were revived and during the 1990s the Republic of Ireland B playedEngland B twice. They recorded their biggest win to date when they beat England B 4–1 atTurner's Cross on March 27, 1990. However four years later England B avenged this defeat when they beat the Republic of Ireland B 2–0 atAnfield on December 1, 1994. This remains their biggest defeat to date.[5]
In between the two games against England B, the Republic of Ireland B also beatDenmark B 2–0 atTolka Park on February 12, 1992. UnderMick McCarthy, the Republic of Ireland B played a further three games, including two against aLeague of Ireland XI and one against aNorthern Ireland B team.[1]
In April 2006 the FAI announced that Pat Devlin would join the management team ofSteve Staunton as manager of the Republic of Ireland B and asLeague of Ireland co-ordinator. The intention was for Devlin to monitor players in the league, report on potential international players and introduce them to international football at B level.[6] Since then the Republic of Ireland B has played and drawn withScotland B twice. In 2008, a team playing asRepublic of Ireland XI overcameNottingham Forest atDalymount Park. This team was, in effect, an Ireland B team.
Source:[7]
| Republic of Ireland B | 1–1 | Romania B |
|---|---|---|
Neville | Semenescu |
Iceland | 2–3 | Republic of Ireland B |
|---|---|---|
| Björgvinsson Þórðarson | Doyle Nolan McCann |
| Republic of Ireland B | 1–0 |  South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Doyle |
| Republic of Ireland B | 1–1 | League of Ireland XI |
|---|---|---|
| Dominic Foley | Pat Morley |
| Republic of Ireland B | 0–1 |  Northern Ireland B |
|---|---|---|
| O'Boyle |
| Republic of Ireland B | 4–3 | League of Ireland XI |
|---|---|---|
| Fenn Clare | Coughlan Gormley (pen.)Tony Cousins |
| Republic of Ireland B | 0–0 |  Scotland B |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Scotland B | 1–1 | Republic of Ireland B |
|---|---|---|
| Howard | Report | Byrne |
| Republic of Ireland B | 2–0 | Nottingham Forest F.C. |
|---|---|---|
| Folan Keogh | Report |
