Fenlon going all out for victory in Belgian battle
But while the visitors need nothing less than victory to progress, Pat Fenlon knows a draw would be enough to see his U23 charges into the final against either England or Italy. And, having already seen off Slovakia (2-0) and Northern Ireland (1-0), Fenlon insists that his side will take the pitch tonight determined not to just settle for a share of the spoils.
“I don’t think there’ll be an element of caution,” he said.
“What’s difficult is that, from the first game they played, I think there’s 14 changes in the Belgian squad, and they seem to have strengthened it because they know they’ve got a chance of going through.
“We’d love to win it and we’re in a great position going into the last game but they have some decent young players playing with big clubs so it will be tough.
“But to get a League of Ireland team to the final of an international competition would be great.”
With so much negativity surrounding domestic football, this game provides relief for the likes of Drogheda’s Paul Keegan.
“It’s a nice distraction to have, to get focused just on training and playing the game,” admitted the Irish skipper. “It’s good to play with and against good young players, to test yourself in these games and prove that the players in our league are as good as those in some of the other European leagues.
“It’s also a chance of competing for a trophy. Every player wants to pick up a winner’s medal and so that’s extra motivation going into the game. But more than anything it’s about the chance to play for your country.”
Mark Quigley (St Pats) and Shane Guthrie (Cobh) are both ruled out while Cork City’s Darren Murphy is struggling with a knock picked up in training. Cobh’s Ross Gaynor and Bray’s Derek Pender have been called up as cover.
Meanwhile, Fenlon sought to defuse criticism of the presence of the highly rated Jay O’Shea in the squad, making him miss his club Galway United’s rearranged clash with Pat’s last night.
“Obviously, they’d like to have had him,” the manager conceded, “but the circumstances were that when the squad was announced there was no game (last night).
“I know how important he is to them but obviously we’re in the business of trying to win a match and get to a final.”
Italy host England on November 12, with the winners facing either Ireland or Belgium in the International Challenge Cup final, the date and venue for which have yet to be decided.
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