Parrott targets immediate Ireland bounce-back after Armenia loss 

Republic of Ireland striker Troy Parrott. Pic: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

Troy Parrott is seeing hope where most view despair by stressing Ireland can still salvage their World Cup dream.

The striker will return from a knee injury to lead the line in Portugal on Saturday, having missed the opening pair of qualifiers which yielded just one point.

In a tight six-game campaign, margin of error is minimal but after eking out a 2-2 draw at home to 10-man Hungary, Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side lost 2-1 to an Armenian side situated 105 in Fifa rankings.

Parrott’s medial ligament injury was forecasted to extend into this window but he made his comeback on Sunday for AZ Alkmaar as a substitute and has time to prove his full fitness.

His 10-goal haul by August before his injury had elevated the former Tottenham Hotspur striker into a streak of form he considers the best of his career.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portuguese are hotly tipped to rack up a third successive win of the campaign in Lisbon, thereby cementing their route to next year’s finals in North America, but the playoff spot is there for the taking.

Ireland will only compete for that passage if they can somehow shackle the fifth best team in the world before righting a wrong in Tuesday’s rematch with the Armenians in Dublin.

“Look, we can all sit around and dwell on the past, or else we can try and do what we can with what we have and where we are right now,” reasoned 23-year-old Parrott.

“The simple fact is that we lost the game in Armenia but this is a new camp. We must now focus on these two games and see what we can do and still try to qualify.

“It's not going to be over until it's over. We have two more chances coming up now and our focus is on the game against Portugal on Saturday.” 

Parrott was a frustrated bystander watching Ireland crumble in Yerevan four weeks ago but has sensed early in the camp a determination to atone for the slip.

“We spoke about it as a squad and all know it wasn’t good enough,” he revealed.

“People can sit here and maybe blame the manager but the manager's not on the pitch.

“He gives the tactics, the players are out there, so we must also do it. All of us take the blame together. That's the way it has to be.” 

Parrott’s 20 goals in the Netherlands last season was behind speculation of a €20m summer move to Leeds United but he’s content to continue in the Eredivisie.

“I wasn't really interested in moving in the summer, so had no real thought into it,” he said.

“I was comfortable where I was and believed that having another season in the Netherlands would really benefit me. I wasn't paying any attention to any outside noise.

“I'm enjoying life there and my football, so I was always fixed on staying for another year.

“It's a completely different style of football, for a start. A lot of the football I played in England was on loan in the Championship, really physical games with tackles and long balls.

“This is more focused on playing with the ball, a style that suits me rather than long balls and fighting.

“It was frustrating to get injured because I’d worked hard in the summer and pre-season.

“I felt like the ball was just dropping to me in areas that I couldn't miss, so hopefully it continues on like that on Saturday.”