Aaron Connolly is very much in Mick McCarthy’s mind for a starting place in Geneva tomorrow night but if the Brighton bright spark is to be given the nod, the manager suggests he might need support up front.

Blackburn Rovers defenders Darragh Lenihan and Greg Cunningham have been called up for the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2020 qualifiers this month.

A look at the Republic of Ireland's player performances against Bulgaria tonight.

On a night players from both sides found it difficult to find their feet, Mick McCarthy didn’t slip up in keeping Ireland on the road to a third successive Euro finals.

The agony and ecstasy riff is a familiar one in sport but rarely can it have had a more literal application than to the bittersweet situation in which Alan Judge found himself at the conclusion of Ireland’s 1-1 draw with Denmark in Copenhagen in June.

Mick McCarthy's men face Switzerland in a "huge" Euro2020 qualifier on September 5 before a friendly with Bulgaria five days later.

Mick McCarthy has named his Ireland squad for the forthcoming European Championship qualifier against Switzerland and the friendly with Bulgaria.

Baby steps but significant ones. That was Mick McCarthy’s assessment after witnessing James McCarthy’s first appearance in a Crystal Palace shirt.

The squad for the Euro 2020 qualifier against Switzerland will be announced on Friday.

As expected, Ireland have overcome Gibraltar thanks to an own goal and a late Robert Brady strike. Ger McCarthy runs the rule over the lessons learned.

Mick McCarthy has challenged the Republic of Ireland to back up their hard-earned Euro 2020 qualifying point in Denmark with victory over Gibraltar tomorrow evening.

Ireland hero Darren Randolph revealed his side were determined to give Denmark a battle in Friday night’s 1-1 draw.

The call-up will be a boost for Connell after his club, Bolton Wanderers, went into administration following their relegation from the Championship.

Ipswich Town wouldn’t be everyone’s idea of salvation right now.

The parallels are striking. For Liechtenstein in Vaduz almost 23 years ago read Gibraltar in the Victoria Stadium on Saturday.

Shamrock Rovers midfielder Jack Byrne has received a last-minute call-up to replace the injured Callum O'Dowda in Mick McCarthy's first Republic of Ireland squad back in charge.

Mick McCarthy has named his Republic of Ireland squad for the EURO 2020 Qualifiers against Gibraltar and Georgia.

Also included is Aston Villa's Glenn Whelan, who was expected to have played his last game for Ireland after captaining the side in a 36-minute ceremonial cameo against Northern Ireland in November.

McCarthy saw both current and potential Ireland internationals notch goals on his scouting trip on Saturday.

Newport County’s remarkable FA Cup odyssey may have ended on Saturday but a 4-1 defeat didn’t stop Irish striker Pádraig Amond from leaving the pitch with a pep in his step.

It may be unfair, yet it is inevitable that Irish sports fans will contrast the winning ways of our all-island rugby squad and its coach Joe Schmidt with the abject failure of the Republic of Ireland soccer team and the combined skills of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane.

Glenn Whelan will be given the honour of leading Ireland out against Northern Ireland in the friendly at the Aviva in November.

Alan Judge didn’t think it would take until he was hitting 30 for his big Lansdowne Road moment to arrive but there were spells it looked beyond him.

On the eve of Ireland’s friendly defeat in Turkey last Friday, Seamus Coleman conceded that, as the team captain — and a Premier League player to boot — the focus of attention would inevitably be on his welcome in a green shirt after a year out through injury.

No real ‘dawn of a new era’ headlines from Turkey, I’m afraid, as Ireland went down 1-0 on a night which, above all, was a reminder that neither of these teams will be starring in Russia in a few months.

Officially, the Irish attendance in the Antalya Stadium this evening will be 236 but we can expect the welcome from the little green army to far exceed that number in sheer delight when Seamus Coleman leads the Irish team onto the field of play, just one day short of the first anniversary of the sickening leg break which he suffered against Wales at the Aviva Stadium on March 24 last year.

Shane Duffy was named the FAI Senior Player of the Year for 2017 last night but the big Brighton defender was unable to collect his award in person as the weather took its toll on the annual televised ceremony in RTÉ, with the programme having to be shortened from a scheduled running time of 90 minutes to one hour.

In calling up Declan Rice to his squad for this month’s training camp and friendly in Turkey, Martin O’Neill has stressed that the highly-rated young West Ham defender, who is still eligible to play senior football for both Ireland and England, will not come under any pressure to decide his international future.

Martin O'Neill has expressed his surprise at Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill's claim that the Republic of Ireland are targeting Catholic players from across the border.

Alan Browne ended four months of frustration in front of goal by scoring a superb volley as Preston marched into the fourth round of the FA Cup by hammering Wycombe Wanderers 5-1 on Saturday.

Alan Judge defiantly insists he will rebuild his career after making an emotional return from long-term injury for Brentford.

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy has accepted an FA charge of improper conduct.

Ireland’s task at Euro 2016 was made a little easier yesterday after Italy midfielder Claudio Marchisio was ruled out of the competition.

Ireland international Paul McShane has played down the friendly fire incident which has left him and his Reading team mate Danny Williams facing an FA charge of violent conduct — and a potential three-game ban — after the pair squared up to each other during televised coverage of team’s defeat to Middlebrough on Tuesday.

Alan Judge’s Euro 2016 dream is almost certainly over after the midfielder broke his leg in Brentford’s 3-1 Championship win at Ipswich on Saturday.

Many people are of the opinion that international friendlies at this time of year are meaningless but I have never viewed them that way, writes Liam Brady

Republic of Ireland 1 Switzerland 0: Amidst the official Good Friday drought, the Aviva Stadium might have seemed an inviting watering hole for some in the attendance of 35,450 but, if not exactly intoxicating, the friendly fare on the pitch certainly provided a lively enough distraction and even some all too feisty exchanges as Ireland edged past Switzerland thanks to a Ciaran Clark goal after just two minutes of the game.

The big positives and worrying trends that came out of yesterday’s friendly...