O’Donovan impresses on his Republic of Ireland debut

JOHN O’Donovan is the latest West Cork footballer to earn an international cap after his impressive performance for the Republic of Ireland U18 schoolboys’ team in the Centenary Shield.

The former Ardfield FC prodigy, who now lines out with Cork City U19s, played the full 90 minutes as the Republic of Ireland team got their Centenary Shield campaign off to a winning start on St Patrick’s Day.

While Scotland took the lead in the 22nd minute, the young Boys in Green soon levelled with a Lennon Gill goal before Michael Raggett scored a 55th-minute winner in an impressive 2-1 victory.

For Clonakilty Community College Leaving Cert student O’Donovan, this was a memorable occasion as he won his first-ever Ireland cap. He also looked right at home on the big stage and the talented defender was hailed as one of Ireland’s best performers on the night.

‘I was delighted to get my first cap and I’ll push on now,’ O’Donovan said.

Next up for O’Donovan and Co in the Centenary Shield is a clash with rivals Northern Ireland in Buncrana on March 31st, ahead of away games against England and Wales in early April.