The English Football League season kicked off last night, with no shortage of Irish interest in the Championship's opening fixture between Huddersfield Town and Burnley.
The latter of those two clubs signed a couple of Irish players over the course of the summer transfer window, with Josh Cullen and Luke McNally joining from Anderlecht and Oxford United respectively.
Cullen worked brilliantly with Clarets manager Vincent Kompany in Belgium, meaning it was always going to be interesting to see what role he would play at his new club.
Josh Cullen impresses on Burnley debut
It didn't take him long to adjust to his new surroundings. The 26-year old was absolutely outstanding from the first whistle, immediately catching the eye of those watching the game.
Josh Cullen is Burnley’s most important player by a mile. Can tell after 20 mins #HUDBUR
— Stephen Elliott (@SleevesElliott) July 29, 2022
Josh Cullen has been absolutely magnificent, he’s been everywhere the main link to Burnley’s attacking play. That was a top quality signing and he’s going back in to help out with the defensive game. He’s running this game for the visitors at the moment.
— Josh Bunting (@Buntingfootball) July 29, 2022
Josh Cullen really is a joy to watch. Dictating the play with fantastic pass selection. I can see why Kompany adores him so much. It suits his tactical philosophy of using passing patterns in their build-up play
— Sam Cole (@SamMCole01) July 29, 2022
Burnley would win the game 1-0, with a first half goal from Chelsea loanee Ian Maatsen proving to be the difference between the sides.
However, there was no doubting who the star performer was on the night.
A star performance from Josh Cullen tonight 💫#HUDBUR pic.twitter.com/Fj3WMozFif
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) July 29, 2022
Josh Cullen stats vs Huddersfield:
94 Touches
98% (79/81) Pass Accuracy
2 Chances Created
1 Big Chance Created
88% (7/8) Accurate Long Balls
1 Shot On Target
6 Ground Duels Won (Most in match)
2 Tackles
1 Interception
10 Recoveries #HUDBUR pic.twitter.com/tIlWeQSrES— StatATM (@StatATM) July 29, 2022
Josh Cullen. What a top player. I know I played with him and could be biased, but doesn’t give the ball away, his Awareness of whats around him when receiving. Tactical awareness, 👌🏻 very very good
— Jason Pearce (@jpearce05) July 29, 2022
Andrea Pirlo has pictures of Josh Cullen on his bedroom wall
— Diarmaid (Redpilled for Kenny Pickett) (@DiarmaidOMorain) July 29, 2022
Mick McCarthy once told me Josh Cullen was too inexperienced to come on against Gibraltar… pic.twitter.com/PJzAFGnoc9
— Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) July 29, 2022
He is sure to have a massive season ahead of him.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Cullen was quick to point out at this team still had a long way to go before they fully understood what the manager was trying to do.
"No better way to start!" ⚡
Josh Cullen and goal scorer Ian Maatsen react to an impressive opening season win. 📈 pic.twitter.com/nXsfArM4O5— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) July 29, 2022
We have a lot of new faces coming together, new manager and new players, but we knew if we came here and gave it 110 per cent, our intensity and quality would shine through.
We've got good players and we believed we could come and get a result. No better way to start...
Like I touched on there, it's 100 per cent hard work, dedication and intensity every time we pull on the shirt in training or in games. That's what he expects.
We know it's not going to be perfect straight away, but we're going to keep working hard and keep putting the hard yards on in training. That's all he expects. We've got a good group here so I'm sure we'll do that...
No matter how you want to play in possession or out of possession, you've got to earn the right to be able to play. We're not going to come up against teams and just stroll into games and play the way we want to play, we've got to compete.
As somebody who knows exactly what the manager requires from his players, Cullen will be a hugely influential figure in the dressing room under Vincent Kompany this season.
Of course, he wasn't the only Irishman to catch the eye last night.
Limerick native Dara Costelloe, who joined the club from Galway United in 2020, also made his first team debut.
He impressed on the right wing, earning rave reviews from Kompany after the game.
One thing I have had to do is play with a lot of young players as a manager and I think you can see the signs in training. He worked hard off the ball and took people on and combined and made runs.
He gave us something different. I trust him to stay on that path. He was fearless.
Josh Cullen also praised the 19-year old after the game when speaking to the club's in-house media.
#HUDBUR's man of the match on his 'brilliant' team-mates after our opening night victory 📹 pic.twitter.com/Dq2Yp3b0BR
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) July 30, 2022
You want to bring good people into the building, the manager wants that, and everyone he has brought in has bought into the ideas and team ethic straight away.
It's just the start, but we're getting on well as a group. We obviously enjoyed that tonight and we enjoy training together, so hopefully we can keep building on that...
I want to give a special mention to Dara [Costelloe] on his debut as well, I thought he was unbelievable for us. He gave us great energy and quality, so we're really pleased.
This was certainly a promising start to the campaign for Burnley, who seem to have quickly shifted their playing style since the arrival of Vincent Kompany.
Hopefully we see their Irish contingent play a big role in a successful season over the coming months.
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