After his feat in notching four goals against the Czech Republic yesterday, Ireland's centre forward, Justin Sherriff, is bound to be a marked man during the remainder of the European under-21 hockey championship (B Division) at Padova, Italy.
Sherriff's salvo in the opening match, which included a first-half hat-trick, spearheaded an impressive Irish performance in which Chris Jackson and Brian Waring were other exceptional figures, notably in their building up of pressure from the back.
Overall, the Irish team have the calibre to continue their powerful surge in the group matches, against Wales this evening and a novice Danish side on Thursday, before facing more testing opposition probably from Italy and France at the weekend.
"Psychologically we have got over one of the biggest hurdles," said coach George Blackwood, aware of the defeat in Prague several years ago which kept Ireland out of A Division circles.
It took some patience to break down a defence prepared to concede a succession of frees, but once Sherriff had opened the scoring in the 19th minute - if with a miscued shot which looped over the goalkeeper - the channels started to open. Sherriff increased the lead with a crisply struck penalty corner and he made it 3-0 by the interval in sweeping onto a pass by Waring.
Jackson presented Sherriff with his fourth goal 10 minutes into the second half and then, before retiring to the bench, the prolific Monkstown attacker laid off the ball at a corner for Graham Shaw to get his name on the scoresheet. The hot sun was now zapping energy but Gary McKee took control in midfield as well as embellishing the tally from two drag flicks in the 53rd and 56th minutes. In between, the Czechs were denied a consolation goal when Dale McNeill emphasised his recovery from injury in facing a penalty stroke from the opposition's only menacing figure, Petr Prochazka.
Before the start, having missed the remembrance services on Saturday, the Irish squad, along with the Czechs, stood for a minute's silence in sympathy with the people of Omagh. Poignantly this followed the playing of Danny Boy.
Ireland: D McNeill; C Jackson, J Lewis, D Smyth, (capt), D Holley; B Waring, G Kee, J Black; G Shaw, J Sherriff, A Cousins. Subs: G Ringwood and M Black for Sherriff and Cousins (51st minute), C Clarke for Holley (59th minute) A Chambers for Jackson (65th minute).
Pool A: France 6 Portugal 1, Italy 3 Gibralter 0; Pool B: Ireland 7 (J Sherriff 4, G McKee 2, G Shaw ) Chech Republic 0; Wales 6, Denmark 1. Today: Czech Republic v Denmark; Ireland v Wales (6 p.m.).
Former international goalkeeper, Anthony O'Neill (38 ), an assistant coach with the Irish under-21s in Padova, has confided that his playing days are over after 20 years of first-team hockey. A Leinster schools senior cup medal winner with Newtown (Waterford) in 1977, his career ended as captain of the Three Rock Rovers side which lost 3-2 to Instonians in last season's Irish senior cup final.
He performed leading roles in successes for Rovers at provincial level and he also played for Corinthians, Old Kingstonians and Dublin YMCA. His only appearance for Ireland was when he kept a clean sheet against Scotland (20) at Grange Road in 1987.
