Eastern Region make it to amateur finals
Friday, October 24, 2014
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The Republic of Ireland will be represented once more in the UEFA Regions' Cup final tournament after Eastern Region won all three of their Group 4 games in Hungary.
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Eastern Region of the Republic of Ireland will compete in the UEFA Regions' Cup finals again after taking maximum points from Group 4 in Hungary.
Playmaker Darren Dunne was perhaps the outstanding performer in a 4-1 win against hosts East Hungary on matchday one, and when Gerry Smith's side bettered that result with a 6-1 demolition of FK Nevėžis from Lithuania – a margin of victory in no small part thanks to winger James Carr's game-changing introduction as a second-half substitute – they had one foot in the final tournament.
However, it took a 1-0 success over Israel's Karmiel Tzfat on matchday three to make things absolutely certain, Gregory Moorhouse's goal just after the half-hour mark settling a tight match. Eastern Region coach Smith has form in the competition, having led Leinster & Munster to the final in 2011 when they lost out to host team Braga.
East Hungary recovered well from their opening loss to win their two remaining games while Karmiel Tzfat's victory against Nevėžis on the first matchday secured them third place in the group.
The 2015 final tournament will be staged next June by one of the eight sides that qualify.
Talk about the UEFA Regions' Cup on Twitter using #RegionsCup