Eunan O’Kane ready to play his part if called by Ireland

His international exposure for this summer gathering was almost over before it got started but a fully fit Eunan O’Kane is prepared to play his part for Ireland on Sunday if required.

The journey of O’Kane and his fellow Foylesider Shane Duffy from Derry to Dublin 10 days ago was abruptly halted by another car ploughing into the back of them. Thankfully, the outcome of what Ireland manager Martin O’Neill described as a pile-up was worse damage to their vehicle than bodies, enabling the duo join the rest of the squad on the plane to New York the following day.

“It wasn’t any big deal,” said the Leeds United man, keen to downplay the incident. “I was a little bit shaken, maybe a little bit stiff the next day, and it wasn’t a nice thing to be involved in, no matter how small or how big it’s made out to be.