New shoots in unfamiliar fields give Ireland bosses a greater spread of talent to choose from

It had been 45 years since a senior Irish men’s team had taken to the field with a line-up containing only players born on the island of Ireland

BRIGHT SPARK: Jayson Molumby was named man of the match in Sunday’s scoreless draw against Wales. A native of Waterford, the Brighton midfielder is a good example of an Irish player emerging from outside the usual hotspots of Dublin and Cork. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

It was only after Stephen Kenny’s starting XI for Sunday’s Nations League game against Wales, and the effects of the latest Covid crisis to afflict the squad, had been digested when an unexpected and entirely accidental nugget stood out.

Such was the haste with which the side was assembled that Stephen Kenny didn’t realise it himself until after the 0-0 draw but he had just sent out a Republic of Ireland senior men’s team made up entirely of men born on this island.