It's FA Cup 3rd Round day, meaning it is time for broadcasters to tell you to swoon under the Magic of the FA Cup. Wolves held up their end of the bargain, delivering one of the few Giantkillings™ of the afternoon. It was Stoke City who indulged in the Black Magic - namely the blowing apart of countless accumulators across the country.
Surprisingly, there wasn't a single Irish player in Stoke's starting team, with Glenn Whelan and Shay Given on the bench.
That left it down to Wolves' full-back Matt Doherty to make the mark for the Irish, and he did so in remarkable style.
With Wolves a goal up, Matt Doherty stood over a free-kick with ten minutes to go, and made the game safe with a magnificent free-kick, with goalkeeper Lee Grant only reacquainting himself with the ball as he picked it out of the back of the net.
Some fan footage of the goal has surfaced. Fair to say the away end went off.
Who needs @BBCMOTD? Joyous scenes after this stunning strike from @mattdoherty20 @OfficialWolves pic.twitter.com/dMoayI7rxx
— John Bray (@johnbray69) January 7, 2017
Magnificent!
Doherty has been largely an ever-present in the Wolves team this season, and at 24, has yet to be capped at senior level by Ireland. He has made eight appearances for the Under-21s.
With Robbie Brady suspended against Wales, Ireland are decidedly light at left-back, so if he keeps up his current form, Doherty could be in a scrap with Greg Cunningham to make the squad.
