EC Elite Round
21.03.2015 at 11:00 - Amica, Wronki
The Irish meet the Greeks in Wronki, Poland, as both sides bid to get off to a solid start in the battle to secure a place in the finals tournament in Bulgaria in May. Hosts Poland and Belarus make up the group.
“We have had a good weeks preparing first in Johnstown House and this is our third day in Poland now,” explained Mohan.
“Unfortunately we lost Brandon Payne with a groin injury so we had to send him back to club but these things happen and we have a strong squad here. We have brought in Eoin Stokes and he is settled in well.
“Everything is going well otherwise. The staff working very hard and we are just concentrating on getting the players in the right frame of mind for their opening game of the Elite Phase.
“We have watched a lot of Greece. They did not concede a goal in qualifying. They are well organised and powerful. Dangerous from set-plays.
“We have scored a fair few goals this season but this is going to be a test. We have played Greece three times before through the qualifiers and they have always been well organised and full of pace.”
With two teams potentially qualifying for the finals there is less of the do-or-die element that often surrounds opening games in groups where just one team progresses but Mohan is determined to secure the three points to set the tone for the week.
“Your first game sets you up for the rest of the group. You want the three points. You go out to win the game – we want to win matches and that is our mindset. It has to be the mindset with the quality of attacking players we have but it is also about getting it right at both ends of the pitch and being hard to beat,” he added.
Mohans side beat Gibraltar and the Faroe Islands then drew with Scotland in their qualifying round matches in September.
The group winners and seven runners-up with the best record against the sides first and third in their section progress to the finals to join the hosts Bulgaria in the 16-team UEFA European Under-17 Championship finals from 6 to 22 May 2015.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND U17s:
Caoimhin Kelleher (Ringmahon Rangers)
Thomas McDermott (Tottenham Hotspur)
Luke Wade-Slater (St Kevins Boys)
Corey O Keeffe (Birmingham City)
Conor Masterson (Liverpool)
Shane Hanney (Shamrock Rovers)
Oisin Connolly (Sligo Rovers)
JJ Lunney (Preston North End)
Daniel Mandrou (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Eoin Stokes (Templeogue United FC)
Conor Levingstone (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Avis Ganiyu (Sunderland AFC)
Connor Ronan (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Zachary Elbouzedi (West Bromwich Albion)
Jamie Aherne (Lucan United)
Trevor Clarke (Unattached)
Darragh Leahy (Coventry City)
Josh Barrett (Reading)
FIXTURES
Saturday, March 21, 2015
UEFA U17 Championships Elite Qualifying Round Group 4
Republic of Ireland v Greece, Amica, Wronki (POL) (11.00am Irish)
Monday, March 23, 2015
UEFA U17 Championships Elite Qualifying Round Group 4
Belarus v Republic of Ireland, Amica, Wronki (POL)(11.00am Irish)
Thursday, March 26, 2015
UEFA U17 Championships Elite Qualifying Round Group 4
Republic of Ireland v Poland, Groclin Dyskobolia, Grodzisk Wielkopolski (POL) (5.00pm Irish)
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