Sheffield United star Tom Cannon scores first international goals in routine friendly victory
Tom Cannon scored twice to help the Republic of Ireland cruise their way to a 5-0 win over Grenada on Saturday evening.
Sheffield United striker Tom Cannon claimed his first goals for the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, scoring twice to help them beat Grenada 5-0 in an international friendly in Murcia.
Introduced at half-time, replacing United teammate Mark McGuinness, Cannon scored twice within ten minutes of the restart to put Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side firmly in charge.
Receiving an incisive pass from debutant Will Ferry less than 60 seconds into the second half, Cannon, who was on the scoresheet in the Blades’ 2-1 win over Derby County on the final day of the Championship season earlier this month, turned his marker and fired low into the bottom corner to open the scoring.
The striker then added a second less than ten minutes later when he rifled home a first-time finish from inside the penalty area after being picked out by Swansea City striker Adam Idah.
With the friendly falling outside a designated Fifa window, Hallgrímsson’s squad was primarily made up of Championship and League One players. Among them was Lincoln City ace Jack Moylan, who had recently banked his first senior call-up for his country.
Handed a start in attack, the 24-year-old wasted no time in making his presence felt on the international stage, marking his debut with a hat-trick to ensure Hallgrímsson’s troops secured a 5-0 win.
Moylan was so nearly joined in scoring a hat-trick by Cannon, who went close to completing a treble on three occasions. After seeing a goal-bound header cleared off the line and striking the bar with a free-kick from range, the Blades forward was denied by Grenada goalkeeper Trishawn Thomas in the closing stages.
Despite being unable to claim a first international hat-trick, Cannon was delighted with a brace.
Posting on Instagram, Cannon said: “Nice way to end the camp with a win and two goals @irelandfootball,” accompanied by a green heart emoji.
Boss Hallgrímsson commented: “Tom Cannon came in at a good time and should have had a hat-trick as well. It was from good teamwork that we got so many chances to score.”
Alongside Cannon and McGuinness, Chiedozie Ogbene, who spent this season on loan at Bramall Lane, also featured, storing 63 minutes under his belt.