Jim Crawford praises U-21s class of 2024

Manager Jim Crawford and James Abankwah Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Republic of Ireland U-21 Head Coach Jim Crawford has praised his class of 2024 after narrowly missing out on qualification for the 2025 UEFA U-21 European Championships this week.

A draw in Italy wasn’t enough to claim top spot or a play-off place, despite finishing with 19 points—the same as Norway—and the highest points total of any side that finished outside the play-off spots in this year's campaign.

Crawford admitted that his team can be proud of their efforts despite missing out on qualification by the smallest of margins

“After the game, it was difficult considering the performance the boys put in and how close we were to automatic qualification. I didn’t find out the Norway-Türkiye result until afterwards, and that was another tough one to take,"via a press release

“For any team, at any age group, to go to Italy and put in the performance we did, where an Italian team at home is hanging on, with the players they have—players in Serie A and players who’ve played in the Premier League—they’re a really quality team, and we had them on the back foot. They struggled to deal with us.

🗣️ “The future of Irish football is bright”

Ireland Under-21 Head Coach Jim Crawford praises his class of 2024 after narrowly missing out on qualification 🇮🇪

🗞️👉 https://t.co/3w17O14xQR #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/xy5SggvM2n

— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) October 16, 2024

“Only getting the point there isn’t the reason we didn’t qualify; it’s games against Latvia, not holding out against Italy at Turner’s Cross, and a decision going against us against Norway where they ultimately score. Those are tough to take. Looking back at those games, would you change anything? No. We had over 30 chances against Latvia; we were the better team against Norway, and again last night against Italy. People will see this as a setback, but with all forms of adversity, there are learnings.”

Crawford, if he chooses to stay on as Ireland boss, will have a number of this year's panellists available next year. They include the likes of Andrew Moran, James Abankwah, Sam Curtis, Rocco Vata, Mark O’Mahony, and others. He believes that the players who gained the experience of this year’s campaign will benefit them in the next campaign.

“If you were to ask me what type of draw I’d like, I’d be happy with a challenging draw because I believe that will bring out the best in our players. I’m really pleased we got a lot of players in this year who can go again next year because that puts us in a much stronger place than this time two years ago.”

Ireland Under-21 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifying Results

See More: Football, Ireland