Colgan credits Staunton for blooding youngsters

Republic of Ireland manager Steve Staunton has been praised for placing his trust in the country’s latest crop of emerging players during their week in the United States.

Veteran goalkeeper Nick Colgan and Kevin Kilbane were the only two 30-somethings as Staunton handed out 13 debuts during the 1-1 draws with Ecuador and Bolivia in New York and Boston respectively.