Friendly
06.02.2013 at 13:00 - Tallaght Stadium
Republic of Ireland U21 head coach Noel King today announced his squad for the forthcoming friendly international against the Netherlands at a press briefing at FAI headquarters, Abbotstown.
The Republic of Ireland will meet the Dutch on Wednesday, February 6, at Tallaght Stadium (1.00pm).
The squad is:
Aaron McCarey
14/01/1992
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
Sean McDermott
30/05/1993
Sandnes Ulf FC
Shane Duffy
01/01/1992
Everton FC
Sean McGinty
11/08/1993
Manchester United FC
Anthony O Connor
25/10/1992
Burton Albion FC (on loan from Blackburn Rovers FC)
Derrick Williams
17/01/1993
Aston Villa FC
Mark O Brien
20/11/1992
Derby County FC
Matt Doherty
16/01/1992
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
Joe Shaughnessy
06/07/1992
Aberdeen FC
Carl McHugh
05/02/1993
Bradford City FC
Cian Bolger
12/03/1992
Leicester City FC
Callum Reilly
03/10/1993
Birmingham City FC
John O Sullivan
18/09/1993
Blackburn Rovers FC
Kane Ferdinand
07/10/1992
Peterborough United FC
Samir Carruthers
04/04/1993
Aston Villa FC
Frankie Sutherland
06/12/1993
Portsmouth FC (on loan from QPR FC)
Chris Forrester
17/12/1992
St. Patricks Athletic FC
Anthony Forde
16/11/1993
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
Sean Murray
11/10/1993
Watford FC
Aiden O Brien
04/10/1993
Millwall FC
Connor Smith
18/02/1993
Watford FC
The FAI has announced that holders of Republic of Ireland v Poland tickets on February 6 will be given free entry to the U21 game v Holland. Further details will be made available through fai.ie.
REPUBLIC of Ireland U21 team manager Noel King is focusing on the future when his side hosts the Netherlands at Tallaght Stadium on Wednesday (1pm).
King has a host of new caps in his squad as he sets his sights on the 2013-15 UEFA Championships qualifying campaign, which ends with the finals tournament in the Czech Republic.
Ireland has never qualified for the UEFA U21 Championships finals but had their best campaign in ten years in their last series – their first under King – when they finished third in their group behind Italy and Turkey.
The Irish have been drawn alongside Germany, Romania, Montenegro and the Faroe Islands in the UEFA qualifiers and the meeting with the touch is a first opportunity to see how the new crop shapes up.
Many of these players were key members of the Ireland side that reached the semi-finals of the UEFA U19 Championships two years ago so their pedigree is good.
Also the likes of goalkeeper Aaron McCarey, defenders Matt Doherty and Derrick Williams and midfielder Sean Murray, Samir Carruthers and Anthony Forde all starred in a memorable 4-2 win over Italy in Casarano in the U21 side’s last game in September.
“There’s an exciting group of players there and we’ll see how they gel and how they’ve developed over the past year or two,” said King.
King has appointed Everton’s Shane Duffy as captain for the campaign ahead but is aware that there will always be an opportunity for his squad members to move up to senior level – as has been the case with Robbie Brady and Jeff Hendrick who are still eligible for this age-group.
“We’re delighted for the likes of Robbie and Jeff to move up to senior level and I’m sure there are others in the squad capable of doing the same and they have the ambitions to do that,” said the manager.
“We will take this game as an opportunity to look at the players and get to know some of them better. We’ll want to win it and the Dutch will be an excellent challenge for us but we’ll know more about where we are after this game.”
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