Patrick Hutton from Carlow was on the Irish Amputee International side who ended their European Championship campaign with an eighth-place finish in Krakow on Sunday.
Christy McElligott’s team had a short turnaround following a disappointing extra-time defeat to Italy on Saturday afternoon and a much-changed side were unable to break a resolute French resistance as they lost by a solitary goal in their final game.
The Irish side began the campaign in fine form with an 8-0 victory over Belgium. McElligott’s side quickly secured a quarter-final showdown by game two with a 2-1 win over Germany. The final Group C game against Russia in difficult weather conditions ended with the defeat and a second-place finish resulting in a quarter-final tie with top-ranked and defending champions Turkey in the last eight.
The Turkey side is made up of professional players, lived up to their pedigree. Ireland stuck to their game plan, but the bounce of the ball favoured the Turks who eventually ran out 4-0 victors. Ireland dropped into the play-off phase and Italy set up to keep the potent attack at bay. Ireland’s top scorer James Boyle managed to force the game into extra-time, but the Italians broke Irish hearts as they scored twice on the break as McElligott’s men pushed for the winner.
As the curtain came down over the finals, Ireland faced into their sixth game in seven days against France on Sunday. A much-changed Ireland matched the French early on, but it proved a test too far with France claiming seventh spot with a 2-0 win.
Ireland Squad: James Conroy (Meath), Stuart McEvoy (Dublin), Garry Hoey (Louth), Ruairi Murphy (Cork), Kevin Fogarty (Dublin), Patrick Hickey (Limerick), James Boyle (Donegal), Kevan O’Rourke (Meath), Neil Hoey (Dublin), Eanna Durham (Kerry), Patrick Hutton (Carlow), Fergal Duffy (Cork)
