O'Connor desperate to end his odyssey in (underage) green on highest note of all

Tranmere defender prepares for his 76th Ireland appearance across all age grades with hie eyes firmly on a Euro finals spot next summer

Final push: Lee O'Connor during a Republic of Ireland U21's press conference at FAI National Training Centre in Abbotstown, Dublin. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Lee O’Connor’s first taste of international underage football came about 13 years ago when his team of U8s acted as mascots for the Republic’s U21s for a European Championship qualifier at Waterford’s RSC.

Seamus Coleman, James McCarthy, Owen Garvan and Cillian Sheridan were among that crop but this was a time when the 21s rarely reaped a harvest in their own fields and Don Givens’ side would finish bottom of that six-team group.