Niall McAndrew - Our Giant amongst Men
An Irish U19 debut on Saturday, topped off with a second half goal as Ireland U19's were held to a 2-2 draw against Croatia...
NIALL McANDREW
Club : Derby County
Age : May 2007 (17)
In northeast Limerick, nestled along the banks of the Mulcair River and overlooked by the Slieve Felim Mountains lies a town called Cappamore. An Irish town with a significant connection with Derby County’s and an Ireland U19 star, Niall McAndrew… His grandmother hailed from Towerhill, Cappamore before she moved to England.
Raised in Derby and displaying a footballing talent from an early age, Niall McAndrew’s skills quickly caught attention, leading him to join Derby County’s academy at the under-9 level, where he developed his abilities within the club’s highly regarded youth system.
Progressing through the Derby County ranks, he established himself as a key figure in Danny Maye’s under 18’s squad. His breakout season was the 2023/24 season in an attacking midfield role with 25 appearances in all competitions, scoring an impressive 11 goals and providing 6 assists. He also made 7 appearances for Jake Buxton’s Under 21’s that season.
His hard work and commitment saw him rewarded with his first professional contract in the summer of 2024.
This season, Niall has made three appearances and scored one goal so far in Premier League 2 for Derby County Under-21s.
(Playing alongside fellow Irish U19 International Freddie Turley who has also registered four appearances for Derby County's Under-21s side in Premier League 2 so far this term.)
Style of Play
Niall is an athletic midfielder who likes to get on the ball and can play anywhere centrally, including 4 and 10. Extremely comfortable on the ball with a great range of passing abilities, his drive and desire to move the ball forward is plainly visible.
He was a vital cog in the machine of the Irish U16 Victory Shield winning campaign in 2022, scoring a crucial goal in their 4-1 victory against Scotland U16s.
Moving up to the Irish U17s, he stood out as a noticeable presser, but it wasn’t just the pressing and regaining possession high up, his defensive work and breaking up play stood out.
Having missed the EURO U17 Championship Finals in May 2023 with a grade 1 ACL and grade 1 MCL fracture to his fibia, he returned producing some eye catching performances for Ireland U17’s in their Euro Qualifiers last March. A physically imposing figure with a lot of power, pace and strength, his passing and vision came to the fore in our opening match v Portugal u17’s with the pass to put Mason Melia thru to win the penalty.
(On Saturday), 12th September 2024, Niall made his first Irish U19 debut in a tournament over in Croatia and topped it off with a second half goal as Ireland were held to a 2-2 draw against Croatia. In a 4-3-3 system, Niall put in a good shift on his debut in the central midfield against a tough Croatian opposition. Darryl Geraghty in his official FAI match review described the goal;
“In the 54th minute Ireland finally got their deserved equaliser. Niall McAndrew controlled a high ball beautifully and curled a delightful effort from just inside the area to the far corner.”
Still only 17, behind those dreadlocks you'll find a Giant amongst Men with so much more to come for Derby County and for Ireland in the coming years…