The Republic of Ireland will play their first-ever senior international against Canada in the Saputo Stadium, Montreal, tonight. Heimir has called four League of Ireland players into his squad. Shamrock Rovers duo Matt Healy and Josh O’Dwyer, St Patrick’s Athletic’s Kian Leavy and Dawson Devoy of Bohemians. The Irish squad has been further bolstered by the arrival of goalkeeper Mark Travers (Everton) and Conor Coventry (Charlton Athletic). As part of the pre-arranged squad management plan for this end of season double-header, four players left the camp following the game against Qatar: Caoimhín Kelleher, Dara O’Shea, Jayson Molumby and Jack Moylan have all returned to their respective clubs. With two League of Ireland goalkeepers in the squad for the Canada game, McGinty of Rovers and Cork City’s Brann there is a good chance we will see a goalkeeper from a League of Ireland club capped for the first time in 55 years. The last to do so was Paddy Roche, who was playing for Shelbourne when he made his debut against Austria in October 1971.
Squad for Canada game: Goalkeepers: Mark Travers (Everton), Ed McGinty (Shamrock Rovers), Conor Brann (Cork City). Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Jake O’Brien (Everton), Liam Scales (Celtic), James Abankwah (Watford), Corrie Ndaba (Lecce), Alex Murphy (Newcastle United). Midfielders: Joe Hodge (Tondela), Killian Phillips (St. Mirren), Jamie McGrath (Hibernian), Conor Coventry (Charlton Athletic), Dawson Devoy (Bohemians), Matt Healy (Shamrock Rovers), Kian Leavy (St. Patrick’s Athletic). Forwards: Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar), Mason Melia (Tottenham Hotspur), Jaden Umeh (Benfica), Adam Brennan (Shamrock Rovers), Chiedozie Ogbene (Ipswich Town). Owen Elding and Josh O’Dwyer are with the squad as training players onlyT
The Republic won their second end of season friendly last week, beating Qatar 1-0 in the Aviva, but most of the after-match talk was about the “Tennis Balls” protest by some supporters on the upper deck of the West Stand who threw tennis balls onto the pitch in protest about the FAI plans to play Israel in Dublin in October and Jack Moylan’s sending off. Captain Nathan Collins scored the only goal of the game after 5 minutes when he got his head to Moylan’s free kick. Just before half time Moylan, who was playing his first international in Dublin, having scored a hat-trick in this debut against Grenada in Murcia on May 16, was sent off after a tackle on the half-way line. Most pundits agreed that it was a harsh decision by Northern Ireland referee Jamie Robinson and that a yellow card might have been more appropriate.
The Irish team were well on top for most of the game and Qatar’s only chance of a goal came midway through the second half when goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was forced into an excellent save after a shot from the edge of the penalty area by Alaaeldin took a deflection off Collins. The change in direction forced the Irish goalkeeper into action, and he did well to push the ball away for a corner kick. Qatar were reduced to ten men as Almoez Ali was also shown a straight red card following an altercation with Jason Molumby. Late in the game Irish manager Heimir Halalgrimsson introduced three new caps. Cork-born Jaden Umeh, who was withdrawn from the training camp in Murcia by his club Benfica, and Dubliner Corrie Ndaba, who now plays for Lecce in Italy and they both added a bit of spice to the Irish attack. Then in the 89th minute Mason Melia, who joined Spurs from St Patrick’s Athletic earlier this year, also made his senior debut.
