Devaney strikes again

We're a bit tempted to make Cardiff's David Greene our player of the week, if only as a token effort to bring some light in to…

We're a bit tempted to make Cardiff's David Greene our player of the week, if only as a token effort to bring some light in to his life after Saturday's experience away to Hull.

Twelfth minute? He watched his team-mate Daniel Gabbidon chest a cross from the right past his own goalkeeper. Sixty-ninth minute? Greene attempted to clear a harmless trickle of a shot but managed to force it over his own line. A minute later? He was sent off for `use of the elbow'. Apart from that, though . . .

A happier week all round for four of the large Irish contingent at Sunderland. Paul Butler and Michael Reddy scored in their League Cup win over Luton, a game that also saw Thomas Butler make his first appearance of the season and 19-year-old Brendan McGill his first-team debut.

No complaints from Luton's Liam George either. He finally broke his season's duck, scoring in the same game and again on Saturday. First prize, though, to Cheltenham's 20-year-old striker Martin Devaney, a former Republic of Ireland under-16 international, who made it five goals in two games when he got both his side's scores in a 2-0 win away to Exeter.

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan is a sports writer with The Irish Times