European Qualifier
19.10.2011 at 11:00 - Tsentralniy - Almaty
Republic of Ireland Under-17 Head Coach John Morling sends his young guns into battle against Liechtenstein today (11am) for the first of their three UEFA first phase qualifiers in Macedonia.
A good start in Almaty would set Ireland up to secure one of the two automatic qualifying berths available from a group that also features mini-group hosts Kazakhstan and Czech Republic.
The long trek to the east and the hot conditions meant careful planning was put in place to keep the Irish players fresh and conditioned for the tests ahead in the three games.
Morling believes the preparatory work, that included a training camp in London last week, will be crucial to how the squad meets the rigours which await them.
He said: "There is a good atmosphere amongst the squad. We feel that we are ready for the qualifiers as we prepared well and spent Thursday and Friday training at Reading FC.
"I think they are ready, everyone is upbeat and looking forward to the games. This is totally different to anything they have experienced before with regard to the travelling and the time zone.
"We have been trying to prepare them for it, but it is all new. It is something that they will benefit from though as they will have experienced playing a team from Eastern Europe.
"It is a big education process for the players and that is what we are trying to do – give them as much education about the game as possible. Ultimately, the more players that make it in their careers the better it is for Ireland."
He added: "We will probably go with the two holding midfielders and one attacking midfielder with one up front and two boys out wide. The players are used to that system at this stage."
REP OF IRELAND U-17 SQUAD: Shane Fagan (Coventry City), Stephen Morris (St Kevin s Boys), Sean Coyne (Cherry Orchard), Sean Long (Cherry Orchard), Kyle McFadden (Norwich City), Dan O Reilly (Fulham), Ryan O Reilly (Stoke City), Conor Whittle (De la Salle), Dylan Hayes (Derby County), Jonathan Leddy (Ipswich Town), Ryan McConnell (Glencar FC), Dylan McGlade (Middlesbrough), Tom Mulroney (Crumlin United), Kevin O Connor (St Patrick s Athletic), Sam Byrne (Manchester United), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Gary O Neill (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Conor Wilkinson (Millwall).
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