Who have been the top Irish performers in this season's Championship?

THE GRADUAL DILUTING of Irish involvement in the Premier League has seen it sediment further down the pyramid, and so Irish players have now become synonymous with England’s second tier. 

Ahead of today’s final round of fixtures, the number of Irish players in this season’s Championship – and their total accumulated minutes – is outstripped only by English players. 

A total of 56 Irish players have racked up 71,215 minutes between them this season, with Welsh players ranked next, where 36 players have combined for 48,246 minutes. 

So from this thicket of Irish bodies, let’s pick out our best performers across the season. 

Finn Azaz 

Azaz’ was afforded a national platform in the FA Cup semi-final to show what he can do, and responded with a stunning, curled effort that Man City then cruelly denied legendary status. 

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Southampton’s slow start to the season cost Will Still his job and the Saints’ an automatic promotion push: if they are to return to the Premier League next season, they’ll have to do it via the play-offs. Regardless of whether Southampton make it, Azaz’ season has shown he is ready for a step-up to the top flight with or without his present employers. 

Azaz has this season showcased a consistently high-level all-round game. With 11 goals, Azaz ranks tied ninth among all players in the championship this season, while his eight assists puts him in tied eighth among all players. His physicality and off-ball work meanwhile goes underrated – word from the Ireland camp is that this is an element of his game on which he has worked very hard – and Azaz ranks among the top-35 Championship players for duels won this season. 

Dara O’Shea 

O’Shea has a couple too many Premier League relegations on his CV but he has nonetheless proven he is good enough for that level, and has been a revelation for his country across this club season. It was a surprise that O’Shea stuck with Ipswich following their relegation last season, but they sweetened the deal with a new contract and the captaincy.

In spite of the fact he has another four years to run on that deal, Ipswich may have a battle to retain O’Shea if they fluff their lines and miss out on promotion today. He has played every minute of the season so far…and without even picking up a single yellow card. 

Alan Browne 

Browne’s Championship form earned him a recall to the Ireland squad in March but, alas, his cameo in Prague was disastrous and one from which he may struggle to return given Heimir Hallgrimsson’s number of alternate options. Still, that night should not occlude his performances for a Middlesbrough side with an outside shot of automatic promotion later today. Browne has shifted between midfield and right back, and a mid-season goal glut earned him the player of the month gong for January. Promotion would be a sweet coda to a fine season sadly overshadowed by the lingering pain of Prague.

Ryan Manning

Another player who will reflect on Prague with an acute sort of pain, Manning has been vital to Southampton’s renaissance under Tonda Eckert, who has largely returned Manning to left-back. His numbers have improved despite this, and a return of eight goals and six assists thus far is highly impressive. 

Mikey Johnston 

West Brom have had a wretched season, cycling through managers before eventually finding a late-season push to make themselves safe. And even in a bad team, Johnston shone: his nine assists has been bettered by only five players, and his total would have been higher had his season not been ended by a fractured ankle at the start of March. He was missed by his national team in Prague. 

Honourable mentions 

Jayson Molumby has been a regular in the West Brom midfield and chipped in with some crucial interventions in their successful battle to beat the drop, all while establishing himself in Ireland’s first-choice midfield.  John Egan has rolled back the clock by anchoring Hull’s defence amid a play-off push, while Sean McLoughlin is a defender on a much quieter radar, but leads the Championship for interceptions in a year that he often assumed the captaincy for Blackburn. Harvey Vale’s return of four goals and eight assists for QPR is respectable and augurs well for his future potential.

The disappointments

Chiedozie Ogbene has been harshly treated at Sheffield United: he joined on loan from Ipswich to boost his match fitness and was then squeezed out of matchday squads as the club exceeded their permitted quota of loan players. That he has made only 15 league appearances all season is little fault of his own. 

Adam Idah (Swansea), Will Smallbone (Millwall) and Robbie Brady (Preston) all had their seasons badly hampered by injury. Shane Duffy made only four appearances in what is his final season at Norwich, while Gavin Bazunu has endured another difficult season, with a loan spell at Stoke blighted by injury after he was squeezed out of the Southampton picture.