VIDEO: Discipline key for Ireland as Martin O’Neill thinks Long-term

Martin O’Neill had already been making plans to do without Shane Long before the expected confirmation finally came through yesterday that the striker will miss tomorrow’s first leg of the European Championship play-off in Bosnia.

Long is remaining at Southampton for treatment on his ankle injury but has not been ruled out for Monday’s second leg in the Aviva Stadium. Earlier in the day, O’Neill had said that, if the player does make Monday’s game, “you would have to call that a bonus — that’s the way I’ve looked at it in the last seven to ten days”.

In other injury news, Charlton Athletic goalkeeper Stephen Henderson has been drafted in as a replacement for Keiren Westwood, who had to return to Sheffield Wednesday after a pre-existing ankle injury flared up in training at the FAI National Training Centre. David Meyler is being monitored after shipping a knock making a block tackle on Marc Wilson in the same session.