Doolin names 18-man squad for UEFA finals

Republic of Ireland U19 head coach Paul Doolin has named his 18-man squad for the upcoming UEFA Championship finals.

Tue, 05 Jul, 2011 - 16:46

Republic of Ireland U19 head coach Paul Doolin has named his 18-man squad for the upcoming UEFA Championship finals.

The finals take place in Bucharest, Romania from July 20 to August 1.

Included in the squad is Bray Wanderers striker, Conor Murphy, Watford's Sean Murray and Joe Shaughnessy from Aberdeen, all of whom scored in Ireland's final elite qualifying game against Italy to send the team through to the finals.

The eight-team UEFA Championship in Romania is the Republic of Ireland’s first appearance at the finals since 2002 after they emerged from the Elite Qualifying Phase ahead of Italy, Ukraine and Poland last May.

Ireland will go into the finals on a seven-game unbeaten run and will take on Greece in the opening Group A game on July 20.

The second game will see Paul Doolin's side take on Czech Republic on July 23 with the final group game taking place against the hosts Romania on July 26.

Spain, Turkey, Serbia and Belgium will form Group B and two from each group will progress to the semi-finals on July 29 with the final taking place on August 1.

In preparation for the UEFA Championships, Republic of Ireland Head Coach, Paul Doolin and his squad will travel to Rome, Italy for a training camp from July 10-17.

Speaking at the squad announcement, Paul Doolin said: "Greece’s record in the tournament to date is very impressive given that they qualified from a group which contained France, Slovakia and Belarus without dropping any points. I have been studying DVDs of Greece from those games and we must ensure that our players are prepared for the challenges that they will face in the finals

"Preparation for the tournament in Bucharest is key and the seven day training camp in Rome prior to the finals will be an ideal setting in terms of acclimatisation and getting the players together as a group."

Republic of Ireland squad

Samir Carruthers - Aston Villa

Matt Doherty - Wolverhampton Wanderers

John Egan - Sunderland

Kane Ferdinand - Southend United

Anthony Forde - Wolverhampton Wanderers

Jeff Hendrick - Derby County

Kevin Knight - N/A

Aaron McCarey - Wolverhampton Wanderers

Sean McDermott - Arsenal

Conor Murphy - Bray Wanderers

Sean Murray - Watford