Jim Crawford targets Euro qualification as he signs new contract as Ireland Under-21 manager

Jim Crawford insists that Ireland can finally make the breakthrough and achieve a first ever qualification for the Under-21 European Championships.

The Boys in Green have come agonisingly close in recent campaigns, losing on penalties to Israel in the play-offs for the 2023 finals, before blowing a brilliant chance to qualify for this summer’s tournament.

Crawford on Friday penned a new deal with the FAI, keeping him in the job until the end of the 2027 campaign.

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He said: “To manage, lead and coach the Under-21s team is a huge privilege and a massive honour so I’m over the moon to extend my contract.

“The staff and players who I’ve worked with since my appointment have given me everything and the by-product of this is there’s a real belief in Irish football that one day our Under-21s can go on, achieve history and reach a first-ever European Championships.

“Work has already begun to develop the next generation of Under-21s, we capped 15 players since our game against Iceland who qualify for the next qualifiers and we had a brilliant week with a group in Marbella in November which saw us beat Sweden.

“It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to a new challenge, with a new group.”

Crawford became Under-21 manager in April 2020 when he took over from Stephen Kenny.

Under his tenure, the Boys in Green have risen to an all-time high UEFA Under-21 ranking of 16th. That’s 14 places higher than when he was appointed.

Among the players to graduate from his Under-21s to the senior squad are Jake O’Brien, Tom Cannon, Mark McGuinness and Andrew Moran, while 12 of the players that made the most recent senior squad lined out for the 21s under Crawford.

FAI Chief Football Officer Marc Canham hailed that record, saying: “This has helped establish a strong relationship between our under-age and senior set-up, and has expanded the pool of players experiencing high-level international football for the senior men’s team under Heimir Hallgrímsson.”

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