Report: England Powerchair 1-0 Republic of Ireland

England’s Powerchair squad edged past the Republic of Ireland to seal top spot in their group at the EPFA Nations Cup.

The Para Lions, who had already beaten Scotland, Italy and Denmark in their first three games to secure their place in the semi-finals, made it four wins from four in the group stage but had to grind their way past a well-drilled Ireland side who set out to frustrate from the very first whistle.

The Para Lions found themselves stifled for long spells, with a relentless opponent preventing them from breaking Ireland down.

But the decisive moment came once again from a set piece. Bolding’s free-kick was shifted into Dan McLellan, who laid it off perfectly for Marcus Harrison to slot home.

Ireland rarely ventured forward but remained organised and disciplined until the final whistle, making England’s task a frustrating one.

However, head coach Adam McEvoy – reflecting on the result after the game – admitted he expected a tough battle.

“We knew that Ireland was going to make the game difficult – they used the other games as a blueprint as a tactical setup to try and frustrate – and that was apparent from the off,” he explained.

“It was just the case of being patient, and that was the message before the game and at half time.

“Overall we’re very pleased. It’s nice to have four wins, it’s meant that we’ve done the job we needed to do in the group to finish top, and to qualify for the World Cup next year as well”

And McEvoy was quick to stress the growing importance of dead-ball situations in the game for his team.

“When we win those set pieces, how clinical can we be?” he continued. “I’d like us to be more clinical.

“There’s been a couple of occasions from corners or free-kicks where I’d love us to hit the target.

“Luckily today we had a nice, well-worked one that was finished really well by Marcus, and that won us the game.”

“I wouldn’t say it was difficult because they didn’t really look to come and play – they just defended so it was difficult to break them down,” added captain Jon Bolding.

“We worked on a few things and we hoped to open them up a bit more but it wasn’t to be - but we got the goal, and that’s all that counts.

“Obviously [Ireland coach Adam] Crowle knows us well – you could hear him on the side lines reinforcing ‘don’t chase the ball,’ where our game is about the opposition chasing. Them staying still made it really difficult to open them up.”

The victory ensured England topped their group and qualified for the 2025 FIPFA World Cup, with the semi-finals up next for the Para Lions in Italy.