As the controversy over the selection of the Republic's squad for next month's World Youth Cup Finals in Nigeria rumbled on six of the 17 players chosen for the tournament on Friday by Brian Kerr were in action for their first teams in England over the weekend - Richard Dunne (Everton), Damien Duff (Blackburn), Robbie Keane (Wolves), Richard Sadlier (Millwall), Gary Doherty and Liam George (both Luton Town).

None made quite the same impact as Irish under-21 winger Mark McKeever, who has made a dramatic start to his one-month loan spell at Reading, who he joined early in the week from Sheffield Wednesday. Midweek he scored the first of their four goals away to Stoke and on Saturday he ended Bournemouth's year-long unbeaten record at home when he scored the only goal of the Division Two game 15 minutes from time.

Midfielder Alan Mahon, who's been linked this season with just about every Premiership club you'd care to mention, put Tranmere Rovers 2-0 up at home to Sheffield United on Saturday, but they lost 3-2, while Stoke's Graham Kavanagh scored twice in a 2-1 win at Luton, the first a penalty, to bring his season's tally to 10.