Irish debutante Clinton Morrison will be given another chance to prove his international credentials against Estonia next Tuesday in Tallin. The Crystal Palace striker was taken off 15 minutes from time in last night's Under-21 1-0 defeat against Portugal at Tolka Park.
Manager Don Givens substituted Morrison after a calf muscle tightened up and maintained that he was satisfied with his performance. "He did well and he will be in the team again when we play Estonia in Tallin on Tuesday. I know he's ambitious to break through into the senior squad as soon as possible but I don't know if he's ready just yet," said Givens.
Givens blamed the failure to score on other underperforming players rather than strikers Morrison and Graham Barrett. "They needed a better service from midfield. Too often we looked to just get on the end of long clearances by our goalkeeper Joe Murphy and that's not our game. Obviously I'm disappointed with the performance and the result. I think one or two players froze out there.
"Portugal are a good side and punished on the break. They also showed they can defend well when we put some pressure on them in the second half," said Givens. Portugal currently lead the European Championship Group Two.
Morrison said: "I had to cope with some strong physical marking, but I enjoyed my debut despite the result, and the reaction I had from the crowd was fantastic. I'm only sorry I didn't score because I aim to do that in every game I play."
Although Londoner Morrison was also eligible to play for England, Jamaica and Trinidad, he has reiterated his commitment to Ireland. "I'm 100 per cent Irish now, fully committed. The thing we have to learn as a team is to keep the ball better but there's a great spirit in the Under-21 side and I'm glad I made the decision to join. All this team has got to do is learn to keep the ball better," he said.
Givens will introduce more new blood into the team, as Ireland can no longer qualify for the European finals. "It might be time to put a few of the younger lads in next week to prepare for the next campaign," he said.
Filed by Greg McKevitt
