European Qualifier
08.09.2015 at 15:00 - Estadi Comunal
King will have a new-look outfit on the field as this will mark the beginning of the campaign to qualify for Poland 2017.
The Irish boss has drafted in former Waterford United striker Sean Maguire after Wigan Athletics Matt Hamilton was ruled out with a stomach injury.
“Sean is a local from Kilkenny so it is nice for him. He has an eye for goal and has been in good form on-loan at Accrington Stanley this season,” said King.
“He has scored five times for them in League Two so I hope it goes well for him with us this week.
“Training has gone well. There are doubts about Jack Connors and Shamir Goodwin so we will see how they progress after they complete their extensive treatment with our doctor John Chute and physiotherapist Kevin Mulholland. Naturally we hope they will be ready for us.”
King has looked at footage of the Andorrans in recent games and anticipates that they will prove durable opposition at the RSC.
“It is a different pressure than we sometimes can find at this level because we are favourites. We are favourites for a reason and we have to justify that. We have to take that to the pitch,” he said.
“We have not too many sessions with the players so we have worked on the combination of attack and defence. We work through the units. You hope on match day it clicks into place.
“We have looked at Andorra a couple of games. They will be a threat on the counter. They will be passionate and hard-working so we will have to match that with our own intensity and hopefully prove that we have the better players and go on and win the match.”
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND U21 SQUAD:
Daniel Rogers (Aberdeen FC)
Ian Lawlor (Manchester City FC)
Jack Connors (Dagenham & Redbridge FC)
Darragh Lenihan (Blackburn Rovers FC)
Sean Kavanagh (Fulham FC)
Thomas Hoban (Watford FC)
Glen Rea (Brighton & Hove Albion FC)
Kenneth McEvoy (Tottenham Hotspur FC)
Alan Browne (Preston North End FC)
Shamir Goodwin (Brighton & Hove Albion FC)
Sean Maguire (West Ham United FC)
Callum O Dowda (Oxford United FC)
Sean Long (Reading FC)
Pierce Sweeney (Reading FC)
Dylan Connolly (Ipswich Town FC)
Conor Wilkinson (Bolton Wanderers FC)
Lee Desmond (St Patricks Athletic FC)
Jack Byrne (Manchester City FC)
FIXTURE
Thursday, March 26
UEFA U21 Championships 2017 Qualifying Round Group Two
Republic of Ireland v Andorra, RSC, Waterford (7.45pm).
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