Fenlon out to make his point and seal final place for U23s
Having already beaten Slovakia 2-0 and Northern Ireland 1-0, the Irish now need just one point against Belgium to get them through to the decider. But Pat Fenlon sees no reason to change the approach which has brought his League of Ireland side maximum points to date.
“We’ve got a lot of attacking options,” says the manager, “so it might be hard to play any other way. We’ll try and win the game like we did the other two.”
With earlier caps Conor Sammon and Dave Mooney ruled out following their respective moves to Kilmarnock and Reading, Fenlon, in naming his new 20-man squad, has brought in Gary Deegan from his own club Bohemians and Jay O’Shea from Galway United, the latter having just received his first U21 call-up.
Yet, despite the U23’s success to date, Fenlon doesn’t see any real evidence that the new competition has helped bridge the traditional gap between domestic and senior international football.
“Well, it doesn’t seem to because we haven’t had any picked,” he points out. “That’s something you’ll have to ask the senior international team manager. But from our point of view, I think the players that have come into the squad have done really well and shown real quality. I pick them to play in the U23 team and if the manager thinks they’re good enough to play in the senior team it’s up to him.
“He (Trapattoni) came to the hotel beforehand and attended the last game in Lurgan so it would be pleasing if he was there again to have a look at the players in the squad. I think it’s important from the players’ point of view to get that recognition.”
And the U23 boss, who is also on the brink of domestic triumph with Bohemians, says it was “very disappointing” that no-one from the senior management team turned up to see St Patrick’s Athletic’s recent UEFA Cup game against Hertha Berlin in Dublin.
Meanwhile, Republic of Ireland U21 boss Don Givens has called Pádraig Amond and James Berrett into his squad for next week’s friendly in Lithuania. Amond, a 20-year-old Shamrock Rovers striker, and Huddersfield’s Berrett, 19, have been drafted in after the withdrawals of Celtic’s Cillian Sheridan and Alan Judge of Blackburn.
Elsewhere, four of the players named in Fenlon’s squad — Barry Murphy, Ger O’Brien, Stephen Rice and Ger Rowe — would be expecting to see action this evening as Shamrock Rovers take on Bray Wanderers in the eircom League Premier Division at Tolka Park (kick off 8pm)..
But it was a Hoop turned Wanderer who was foremost in Pat Scully’s mind as the Rovers boss looked forward to the game.
“I’m delighted to see Andy Myler back playing for Bray after being out injured. He was great for us,” said Scully. “He’s a top pro and a nice guy — but hopefully he won’t score against us!”
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND U-23 squad v Belgium: D Quigley (Derry City), B Murphy (Shamrock Rovers), S Coleman (Sligo Rovers), G Peers (Sligo Rovers), G O’Brien (Shamrock Rovers), C Kenna (UCD), S Guthrie (Cobh Ramblers), C Powell (Bohemians), D Murphy (Cork City), P Keegan (Drogheda United), K Brennan (Bohemians), S Rice (Shamrock Rovers), S O’Donnell (Bohemians), J Paul Kelly (Bohemians), R Higgins (Derry City), G Deegan (Bohemians), M Quigley (St Patrick’s Ath), D Behan (Cork City), G Rowe (Bray Wanderers), J O’Shea (Galway United).
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