Opportunity comes knocking for Brady and Meyler

Sean St Ledger misses out on tonight’s friendly against Oman at Craven Cottage but the defender will always have happy memories of this ground.

For it was on Fulham’s homely patch by the Thames that he made his first appearance for Ireland in a friendly against Nigeria in the summer of 2009 — and barely a week later made his competitive debut in a World Cup qualifier in Sofia against Bulgaria.

Now, Giovanni Trapattoni is open to the possibility that at least one of the newer boys from his experimental side which faces Oman tonight may follow suit in time for the World Cup qualifier against Germany in Dublin next month.