Newtowncunningham schoolboy Ronan McKinley has been called into the Republic of Ireland Under-15 squad for next week’s Invitational Tournament in Prague.
The Deele College student, now on the books of Finn Harps, has been selected for duty by Irish Under-15 Head Coach Jason Donohue.
The young Irish international squad will finish out their season with games against Norway and the Czech Republic in the mini-tournament. They face the Norwegians on Tuesday April 18 and the Czechs two days later.
Ireland’s Under 15s have played four internationals this season with double-headers against Poland in November and the Netherlands in February.
“It’s our final event of the season with the Under 15s. We’re using these games to have a look at some new players who’ve done really well in their ETP centres and with their clubs,” said Donohue.
“In preparation for these we’ve looked at improving our shape from the last games against the Dutch and building on the 1-1 draw we got in the second game over there.
“This will be a three-team triangular tournament so it’s a new experience for the players.
“This will be a great learning tool for the players to get used to playing different opposition in a short space of time at such a young age and can only help their development towards the 2019 UEFA Under 17 Championships Finals tournament which we’re hosting.
“We’ve played St Patrick’s Athletic Under 17s, Bohemians Under 17s and Shamrock Rovers Under 17s in some preparation games recently so I’d like to say thanks to those teams for facilitating us.”
Donohue is delighted with how the squad has developed over the course of the international season.
“When I look at the progression from where we started off to where we are now I feel we’ve made huge strides in dealing with the speed of the game, learning to defend as a team and also that in attack you really need to take your opportunities. They have always showed that they’ve been learning so we’re pleased.
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