Alan Browne back and buzzing to end Ireland underachievment

Alan Browne had been a constant in the Ireland squad for seven years, but had endured an absence of 18 months

TIME IS NOW: Alan Browne during a Republic of Ireland training session. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Darkness was falling across Newcastle on Thursday evening in tandem with their team’s Champions League campaign when joy abounded in a pocket of the city for an Irishman.

Alan Browne had been a constant in the Ireland squad for seven years, so to endure an absence of 18 months explained his caution about a recall.