No place for McClean in Ireland squad

Sunderland winger James McClean was a surprise omission when Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni named his squad for the friendly clash with Czech Republic later this month.

The Derry-born 22-year-old was expected to win a first senior call-up after being watched by both Trapattoni and assistant Marco Tardelli in recent weeks, but he did not make the 24-man party for the game at the Aviva Stadium on February 29.