Fringe Players given chance to shine

Last updated : 15 May 2007 By Shane Hetherington

The upcoming friendlies against Ecuador and Bolivia in the U.S. next week will give many of the players on the fringes of the national side a chance to shine. It will also give those hoping to further cement their place in the side.

Most notably it will be the Reading trio of Kevin Doyle, Stephen Hunt and Shane Long that will be under the most scrutiny.

Doyle, the top-scoring Irishman in the Premiership this season, will try to stake his claim for a starting berth upfront, along side Robbie Keane, for the qualifiers against Slovakia and Germany in September.

Stephen Hunt who made two all-action cameo performances in the qualifiers against Wales and Slovakia will again try to convince Ireland boss Staunton that he warrants a place in the starting 11.

Shane Long who has also shown excellent form for Reading will also be trying to convince Staunton of his ability, although competition for places in attack has become increasingly competitive following the emergence of Anthony Stokes and Caleb Folan in recent months, and the return to fitness of Sunderland striker Stephen Elliott.

Following Roy Keane's criticism of Steve Staunton over the omission of several Sunderland players from previous squads, four Sunderland players have been included this time around. Daryl Murphy, Stephen Elliott, Anthony Stokes and Liam Miller will all make the trip stateside, but again there is no place in the squad for David Connolly.

Impressive youngsters, goalkeeper Colin Doyle of Birmingham City and Arsenal's rising star centre-back Joe O'Cearruill are both expected to earn their first caps on the tour, as is Sheffield United's Derek Geary.

It remains to be seen however how much experimentation Staunton embarks on for the two matches bearing in mind that his side's fortunes seemed to have taken a turn for the better over recent months.

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