City's O’Donovan, Bohs' Ward in Under 21 squad

Cork City’s Roy O’Donovan and Bohemians’ Stephen Ward have both been included in the Republic of Ireland Under 21 squad to face Cyprus and Switzerland in October.

O’Donovan and Ward keep their places in the squad as manager Don Givens starts looking towards the future as he discards all but one of the players born in 1983 as they will be ineligible for Under 21 football next season.

That means there is no place for Longford Town’s Stephen Paisley while other big names to lose out are Stephen Kelly, Kevin Doyle, Paddy McCarthy and Liam Kearney.

Squad: Henderson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Quigley (UCD), Foley (Luton Town), Fitzgerald (Bury), McShane (Brighton & Hove Albion), McStay (Portadown), Sheehan (Leicester City), Painter (Birmingham City), Flood (Coventry), Potter (Liverpool), O’Brien (Bolton Wanderers), Dicker (UCD), Whelan (Sheffield Wednesday), McGeady (Celtic), O’Donovan (Cork City), Bermingham (Burnley), Tabb (Brentford), Ward (Bohemians).