LIAM MACKEY: Pilkington delights in Irish stamp of approval

After a light morning’s training at Norwich yesterday, Anthony Pilkington was looking forward to going home, putting his feet up and watching all the comings and goings of transfer deadline day, secure in the knowledge of his own immediate future at Carrow Road and knowing also that, with his Irish documentation finalised, he is now on the brink of a potentially long and rewarding career in the green shirt.

Posing with his new passport and jersey for the cameras yesterday, Anthony Pilkington officially confirmed his commitment to the Irish cause. In line to make his senior debut against Poland on Wednesday, the Blackburn-born Norwich winger could theoretically still switch allegiance to England.

“Definitely not,” he said.