Albion hotshot Aaron Connolly scored twice in the first 23 minutes to give his country a Euro boost.

Connolly’s double sent Republic of Ireland under-17s on their way to a 4-0 win over the Faroe Islands in a qualifier in Paphos today.

He was taken off midway through the second half as the Irish looked towards what could be the decisive fixture in the group, against Slovakia on Friday.

Cyprus are also in the four-team group, the winner of which will go through to the European Championship finals in Croatia in May.

The Irish meet Cyprus on Monday. The hosts lost 2-1 to Slovakia in today’s games.

Connolly has made a big impression for Albion under-23s and under-18s and many fans are keeping tabs on his progress.