Republic of Ireland Under-21 boss Don Givens has named six previously uncapped players in his 18-man squad for the final European Championship tie against Cyprus in Longford on October 5. Included in the squad for the first time are Arsenal goalkeeper Graham Stack and the only League of Ireland player, promising Bohemian's defender Brian Shelley, as well as Brian O'Callaghan (Barnsley), Ben Burgess (Blackburn), Michael Keane (Preston) and Michael Doyle (Celtic).
There are also recalls from the side which drew 1-1 with Holland in Waterford last month for the Celtic pair of Jim Goodwin and Liam Miller as well as Sunderland's Brendan McGill and Nottingham Forest's John Thompson.
"It's time to look to the future and the next European Championships. We could have used players like Barry Quinn, Colin Healy, Stephen McPhail and Alan Quinn," said Givens. "But they will be ineligible for the next European Under-21 tournament. This is the perfect opportunity to give the youngsters their chance to show that they have an international future ahead of them."
Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad: Murphy (Tranmere), Stack )Arsenal), Shelley (Bohemians), O'Callaghan (Barnsley), Burgess (Blackburn), Keane (Preston), Doyle (Celtic), Goodwin (Celtic), Miller (Celtic), McGill (Sunderland), Thompson (Nottingham Forest), Byrne (West Ham), O'Shea (Manchester United), Barrett (Arsenal), Butler (Sunderland), Foy (Nottingham Forest), Delaney (Leicester), Reid (Nottingham Forest).
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
