There is no shortage of promising young Irish players making their name in the game at the moment.
A huge number of emerging talents have made their mark on the international stage in recent times, with Gavin Bazunu, Nathan Collins, Jason Knight, and Michael Obafemi just some of the names that have established themselves in the senior team under Stephen Kenny.
You also have the U21 side, the one which came within a penalty shootout of reaching next summer's Euros. A number of those players will likely make the step up to senior football in the near future.
Thankfully, the production line isn't stopping there.
Sinclair Armstrong shines for QPR during debut
At 19-years old, Sinclair Armstrong is certainly one name to keep an eye on.
Having come through the ranks at Cherry Orchard and then Shamrock Rovers, he would join QPR in 2020. He has been patiently waiting for a first team opportunity since then, spending time on loan at the likes of Torquay United and Aldershot Town in recent times.
This season, Armstrong has really made his mark. He had come off the bench in seven of the club's Championship fixtures to start the campaign, finally being handed his first start against Cardiff City on Wednesday night.
His impact was immediate, winning a penalty for his side inside the first 20 minutes. Cardiff defender Jack Simpson would also be sent off as a result.
19 year old Sinclair Armstrong winning a penalty for QPR tonight 🇮🇪🙌 pic.twitter.com/EszF4pK3VO
— Luke 🇮🇪🇵🇸 (@LukeUTD_) October 19, 2022
Apparently this is a red card…
I hope City contest because the ref has had a mare pic.twitter.com/9ilUzqV78E— Three Little Birds (@ThreeBluebirds_) October 19, 2022
An incredible run.
The Dubliner would be substituted just before the hour mark, although his performance certainly impressed the Loftus Road crowd.
🎶 𝙎𝙄𝙉𝘾𝙇𝘼𝙄𝙍 🎶 𝘼𝙍𝙈𝙎𝙏𝙍𝙊𝙉𝙂 🎶
A special night for this young man 👏#QPR | #QPRCAR pic.twitter.com/1zyp16daPt— QPR FC (@QPR) October 19, 2022
Speaking to the club's in-house media after the game, QPR boss Michael Beale was full of praise for the young winger.
I thought the boys were fantastic. I think we had an element of surprise by starting Sinclair Armstrong, and didn’t he do great?
He did well to win the penalty and [force] the red card, which was a big moment in the game.
I asked him for energy, and asked him to put the wrongs right from the weekend...
You can see that it is a changing room that really likes each other, and they work their socks off for one another. I thought Sinclair and Lyndon [Dykes] did that, and pulled the rest of the team along with them.
He wasn't the only one that was impressed.
A number of the club's supporters took to social media to praise his performance.
SINCLAIR ARMSTRONG👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
What a performance…big future 🌟 pic.twitter.com/slzfzMcQx1— UpTheRs (@UpTheRs_) October 19, 2022
Exactly the reaction we needed and you R’s deserved at Loftus Road! Great team performance, strong result and a clean sheet! Congrats on a great debut #SinclairArmstrong https://t.co/g9T2u7EqLF
— Leon Aderemi Balogun (@LeonBalogun) October 20, 2022
Sinclair Armstrong is literally the best player on the planet. End of. #QPR
— Harry Carter (@hazzacarter) October 19, 2022
As for the player himself, he was winning plaudits for his demeanour off the field as well as on it.
He gave a brilliant interview to club media after the game, showing both a sense of humour and some real maturity with the answers he provided.
🥺 A proud moment.
𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗔𝗿𝗺𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 talks us through a memorable evening in W12 🗣#QPR | #QPRCAR pic.twitter.com/TeIU59F4n4— QPR FC (@QPR) October 20, 2022
You know it's actually mad, I didn't even know I was starting! We were going through the team and obviously I've seen my face and my heart sunk. I couldn't believe it.
This is a moment that I've been waiting for, if you understand what I mean. I've worked hard for this, there have been a lot of ups and downs for me with injury. I've prayed for this moment...
I was just praying that [Lyndon Dykes] would score (the penalty), because if he missed it they probably would have forgotten about my moment! Thank god he scored it, Lyndon is a great player and he has helped me around the place...
I've been working on everything really. When I first came my touch wasn't great, I used to run rash. I didn't know how to time my runs in behind, my holdup play was a bit iffy. Every day in training I'm working on these things with the gaffer, Chris Ramsey, and Les Ferdinand. I'm trying to improve myself every day...
I'm a striker so I want to go in there and score goals, but I have no doubt that my first goal is coming soon. If I can get my first goal at Loftus Road I feel like the stadium is going to erupt.
You can take the man out of Dublin, but you can't take Dublin out of the man.
Sinclair Armstrong was included in the Ireland U21 squad for the qualifiers back in June, although he has yet to feature at that level. You would expect that he will be a fixture in the side under Jim Crawford for the next campaign.
For now, he will be concentrating on nailing down a place in the QPR side. His performance last night certainly won't do his chances any harm.
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