Jack Moylan’s debut hat-trick for Ireland has drawn praise from Brentford manager Keith Andrews.
The Lincoln City attacking midfielder scored three second-half goals against Grenada at the Estadio Enrique Roca in Spain on Saturday for a dream international start.
Andrews Delighted for Moylan
Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson gave Moylan his chance in a heavily changed Ireland squad, which fell outside of a designated FIFA window.
Former Republic of Ireland international Andrews said: “I’m delighted for him.”
Andrews added: “I think when you have games like this, something pops up in a positive fashion.
“It gives players an opportunity, clearly, to represent their country.”
Moylan’s Journey to International Recognition
Moylan played for Irish side Shelbourne under Damien Duff before joining Lincoln in 2024.
Andrews added he had seen Moylan play a little bit at Shelbourne and knew of his journey around the time he went to Lincoln, which Andrews described as a well-run club.
Andrews said: “They have a bit of an eye on the Irish market at Lincoln.”
Moylan was named in the League One Team of the Season after scoring 11 goals for the Imps as Lincoln secured promotion to the Championship.
Andrews stated: “I can’t say I’ve seen too much of him at Lincoln, but I was aware of his move there.
“He’s clearly done really, really well, and to score a hat-trick on your debut is some going.”
The Significance of International Goals
Keith Andrews, who won 35 caps for the Republic of Ireland scoring three times, believes landing an international goal has its own special place.
Andrews added: “I’m very patriotic, so a lot of my motivation in certain stages of my career were based around trying to get to play for my country and then maintaining my position within the Irish squad.”
“As you can imagine, when I was able to score for my country, that was a pretty significant moment for me. I think I enjoyed those more than most club goals.”