Crawford’s Under 21s secure play-off berth for Euros

JIM CRAWFORD’S Republic of Ireland Under 21 team has secured at least a play-off berth in their bid for UEFA European Championship Finals qualification.

Their four wins on the bounce, coupled with Sweden’s 1-1 draw with pool leaders, Italy yesterday, mean that the Boys-in-Green are guaranteed to finish a least second in Group F, with top spot and automatic qualification still very much attainable should they beat the Azzurri in their final match in Ascoli on Tuesday.

It is the first time that the Ireland Under 21s have earned a play-off spot, but Tallaght man, Crawford is setting his sights on the bigger prize on offer next week.

“While I’m pleased to have a play-off spot secured, the job is far from over” he stressed.

“We head to Italy with a chance to automatically qualify and that’s our focus.

“Italy are an excellent team and have shown that all campaign. They have our respect, but I have great belief in our lads to go to Ascoli and get a result” he said.

Crawford has overseen a huge resurgence by his side in the second half of their campaign that featured victories at home and away against the Swedes before they saw off both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro in Crawford’s home town.

That very purple patch, during which they scored nine goals and conceded just one, also saw Ireland equal the record amount of points (19) for an Irish Under 21 side in a qualification campaign.

Crawford was quick to acknowledge the efforts of the team around him in propelling the side into such a promising position, saying “I would like to thank the hard work and effort of my players and staff. The objective at the start of the campaign was to create history and that is now very much in our hands.”