The Football Association of Ireland could be about to lose Martin O’Neill from their grasp after the Ireland manager last night held what was understood to be a productive meeting with Stoke City about their managerial vacancy.

If Martin O’Neill was seeking encouragement about the talent pool for the next campaign, the Ireland manager should have received some assurance from the display of the next generation.

Ireland U21 0 Norway U21 0

Shay Given is considering approaches from Premier League and Championship clubs as well as from as far away as India, as he looks to extend his long goalkeeping career for at least one more season.

Cork City’s remarkable unbeaten run is finally over after a second half George Poynton penalty saw Bohemians plunder all three points in last night’s entertaining SSE Airtricity League Premier Division clash at Turners Cross.

The good news from the Irish camp is that Jon Walters and Stephen Ward, both of whom had been nursing knocks to the knee, took a full part in training yesterday.

FAI chief executive John Delaney is confident the momentum generated by the Republic of Ireland’s memorable Euro 2016 campaign can carry the team through the World Cup qualifiers.

As Belgium gear up to take their early Euro 2016 frustrations out on Ireland, it has emerged Everton striker Romelu Lukaku could be culled from the side which lost their opener to Italy on Monday.

It is fortunate Cyrus Christie has such a relaxed persona, for the player he needs to dislodge in the Ireland team is a guaranteed starter under Martin O’Neill.

Bray Wanderers 0 Cork City 1: Cork City claimed their place in the ‘dream’ FAI Cup final against Dundalk thanks to a goal from Danny Morrissey, who paid an immediate price for his match-winning heroics.

Given that he found himself featuring in yet another non-football story to hog the headlines in Ireland, Martin O’Neill was asked yesterday if, since becoming national manager, he has ever felt like he’s ended up in a soap opera.

Roy Keane, Martin O’Neill and other members of the Ireland football team’s management were involved in a road crash last night on the M50 motorway.

Forget about Robbie Keane and Wes Hoolahan, the most pounding selection headache awaiting Republic of Ireland boss Martin O’Neill will be choosing his goalkeeper.

Martin O’Neill admits he has a number of selection decisions to make before he finalises his team to play Poland at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday.

Larry Ryan compares Roy Keane’s two autobiographies to see what has changed during his second half.

Roy Keane shares Niall Quinn’s disappointment at Stephen Ireland’s international exile — insisting representing Ireland should rank as the high point of a player’s career.

The standards he demands of the FAI certainly haven’t slipped but in his new book Roy Keane outlines an incident during the summer trip of the US that may, as he admits himself, have triggered another Saipan during a previous volatile stage of his career.

If his team had been playing for points, Ireland would have four now, a healthy return for an opening home and away package.

David Forde has warned Keiren Westwood he has no intention of giving up his place as the Republic of Ireland’s first-choice keeper.

The Ireland squad flew out of Dublin to painfully familiar territory yesterday for their first test on the road under new management.

Martin O'Neill has hit back at Paolo Di Canio with the spat between the two former Sunderland managers showing little sign of abating.

Day One in the Big Brothers house and, as he walked towards the Gannon Park training pitch past the unusually swollen ranks of media, security and fans in attendance, Robbie Keane cracked a grin and observed that there must be a new manager about the place.

Roy Keane wasted little time in making his presence felt as he formally took up his duties as the Republic of Ireland’s new assistant manager.

Martin O'Neill is being formally unveiled as the new Republic of Ireland manager at a press conference in Dublin this afternoon.

A special press conference to officially unveil Martin O'Neill as the new Republic of Ireland football manager gets underway at lunch time.

Although a deal had still not been signed off as of last night, the FAI are entirely happy that Martin O’Neill will be unveiled as the manager of the Republic of Ireland this week.

New Sunderland boss Paolo Di Canio has warned the players will have to fit in with his disciplined approach to training to avoid becoming “a team of anarchists”.

Fine Gael’s Helen McEntee is on track to win the Dáil seat once held by her late father in Meath East.

Voting begins in the Meath East by-election today with the Government facing its first big electoral test.

Opposition parties have today said that there is a strong anti-Government sentiment on the eve of the Meath East by-election..

HE lights dim and the audience is hushed. Former middleweight contender Bobby Cassidy is led to the front of the stage.

JERMAINE PENNANT and Jamie O’Hara may want to give Fabio Capello a call after it was made abundantly clear last night that neither player would ever find a particularly warm welcome in an Irish dressing room.

Fine Gael's Damien English is top with 9,290 votes in Meath West but has not reached the quota of 10,045.

MARTIN O’NEILL is three days away from securing Aston Villa’s first cup final appearance for a decade – but that has not stopped him becoming the latest victim of the grumpy inhabitants in the seats behind the dug-out at Villa Park.

RUSSIA will introduce to international football a player said to be quicker than Michael Owen when they play Ireland today in the opening match of the European Under-21 Championship in Moscow.