McCarthy's men abroad

An Ipswich Town supporting Navan man by the name of Tom emailed us a few times last season, trying to convince us that Matt Holland…

An Ipswich Town supporting Navan man by the name of Tom emailed us a few times last season, trying to convince us that Matt Holland (right) deserved to be our Player of the Week each and every week because he was truly the son of God. We weren't entirely persuaded and felt, at best, he was just a distant relation.

Well Tom, we'd like to publicly apologise for doubting your judgment because roughly 72 minutes in to Saturday night's game in Lisbon we saw the light and came to realise you were entirely right all along. If you wouldn't mind, though, we'd like your man to share his award with a few of his team-mates, particularly Mark Kinsella and Steve Carr, whose performances were a bit celestial themselves (not to mention Gary Breen and Richard Dunne who we promise, from this day forward, to never doubt again).

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan is a sports writer with The Irish Times