Chiedozie Ogbene and Alan Browne in race against time to feature against Greece

RACE AGAINST TIME: Chiedozie Ogbene and Alan Browne are in a race against time to feature for Stephen Kenny's Irish side when they take on Greece. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Ireland manager Stephen Kenny is sweating over the availability of Chiedozie Ogbene and Alan Browne for the vital upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier in Greece.

The Cork duo weren’t part of the group from the lower divisions training at Bristol City this week as they ended the Championship season with worrying injuries.

Ogbene endured the latest of his hamstring problems in Rotherham United’s penultimate game against Middlesbrough, the 1-0 win which ensured they avoided relegation while Preston North End captain Browne has been sidelined since early April after suffering medical ligament damage.

Both featured last time out in the 1-0 loss to France, Ogbene impressing from the start, and either of their absences would constitute a setback heading into a tricky trip to Athens.

Kenny concluded the first part of his preparatory plan with a different squad to the one initially selected but the likes of John Egan, who had family commitments, have no fitness concerns and will be on the flight to Antalya on Monday week for another bout of stamina work.

Ryan Manning’s stellar season at Swansea City earned him a call-up but he didn’t show due to a strain that’s important to mind given his status as free agent hunting for a fresh challenge at club level.

The final squad, backboned by the available players from the top leagues, will be unveiled in the middle of next week.

The Ireland boss, who has asked to be judged on the success of this campaign rather than what he deemed an experimental one for the last World Cup tilt, learnt the hard way 12 months ago about the folly of unconditioned players when Armenia turned Ireland over in Yerevan, skewering his target of top spot in the Nations League group.

Robbie Brady’s late winner in the return match in November may still earn Ireland a backdoor shot at reaching next year’s finals but six points from this double-header that concludes against basement seeds Gibraltar at Lansdowne Road three days later on June 19 is essential to pose a challenge to both France and Netherlands in the pursuit of the two automatic qualification tickets on offer from Group A.

“Bristol City have a terrific facility and we had it to ourselves,” said Kenny of the four-day camp to alleviate the rustiness of the gap from the English football league season to the Greek test.

“Chiedozie Ogbene had a hamstring tear with Rotherham and hasn’t been able to participate this week so we’ll have to see how that is.

“Alan Browne too as he’s coming back from a knee injury. I think that our preparation here and in Turkey will give us a chance. Hopefully some of the players can come through their injury difficulties and if so we want to make sure we’re ready “Going to Turkey for nine days will help us by training in similar warm conditions to Greece.

“It will be important to replicate what we will find in Greece because they’re a good team that won their Nations League group and their players have club games right up to the international window.” 

That Kenny namechecked Matt Doherty to contrast the varied demands of his players seemed odd, given his disastrous deadline day switch to Atletico Madrid.

The full-back, a first-choice under Kenny, has racked up a mere 16 minutes of La Liga action – off the bench Sevilla and against Cadiz - since joining from Tottenham in January, a situation which should more likely raise a question about his match conditioning for the meeting with the pool’s fourth seeds managed by Gus Poyet.

“When you consider Matt will link up with us a day after finishing his season on June 4, the Championship is the only league that finishes six weeks ahead of the international fixtures,” he stressed.

“Spanish, Italian and the Premier Leagues are the same but because the majority of our players are in the Championship it is a challenge we have to take on, so these four days were important.

“The other side of it is they play 46 games in the Championship. In a World Cup year like his , it has been even more condensed with midweek matches every week, with lads playing on injured. So there is a fine balancing act where we've had individual programs tailored for each player.” 

Ireland squad part of this week’s training camp at Bristol City: Max O'Leary (Bristol City), Ed McGinty (Oxford United), Brian Maher (Derry City), Danny McNamara (Millwall), Callum O'Dowda (Cardiff City), James McClean (Wigan Athletic), Dara O'Shea (West Bromwich Albion), Sean McLoughlin (Hull City), Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Josh Cullen (Burnley), Will Smallbone (Southampton), Mark Sykes (Bristol City), Neil Farrugia (Shamrock Rovers), Jason Knight (Derby County), Jack Taylor (Peterborough United), Troy Parrott (Tottenham Hotspur), Michael Obafemi (Burnley), Adam Idah (Norwich City), Will Keane (Wigan Athletic).

Watch the full interview here: