Irish draw with Spanish side

DAVID Hoban played for over an hour as the Republic of Ireland's UEFA Regions' Cup representatives, Region 2, drew 0-0 with Spanish side Castilla y León in a tightly fought Group B encounter at Maltepe, Istanbul, this afternoon.

Gerry Davis's side, which is drawn from Connaught and Munster, had to defend resolutely but came close to breaking the deadlock when an effort from Eoin Hayes struck the woodwork in the 22nd minute.

Castilla y León had won 4-1 against Czech side Olomouc in their opening tie and their double scorer on Saturday afternoon, Roberto García Puente, came close to scoring against the Irish but missed the target twice in the first half.

Irish goalkeeper Brendan O'Connell made two good saves to deny Álvaro Coque Pérez and García Puente in the second half.

The Spanish came close again late on through Carlos Alonso López and García Puente but they could not find a way past O'Connell and his defence.

Both sides are now locked on four points. Westport United player Hoban and his Region 2 team-mates face Olomouc on Thursday, with the Spanish outfit facing Russian representatives South Region, who are on three points after beating the Czechs today.

Davis knows that a lot of outcomes are possible on the final day in the group but his side can only control their own performance.

“Our first target will be to win the game and that'll be our aim between now and Thursday. We'll rest up and if we can maintain the performance level and win the game, then we'll see how things pan out in the other game,” he said.