Peyton did not feature in Italy with the last Cherries player to secure match minutes at a major tournament being ex-Northern Ireland striker Colin Clarke at the 1986 World Cup. “So it’s bad news, but it could have been a lot worse”.
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An FAI spokesperson confirmed to Independent.ie that Arter has returned home to England for treatment. That issue, sustained during training on Saturday, kept the country’s captain and all-time top scorer out of this final warm-up and placed his previously guaranteed inclusion in the 23 in doubt right up until the manager’s declaration. James McCarthy did a little bit of work today and there was a good improvement in that sense.
But he kept himself occupied at the side of the training ground pitch by playing hurling with Dick Redmond of the backroom staff.
Ireland start their Euro 2016 campaign on June 13th against Sweden in Paris, before they travel to take on Belgium in Bordeaux five days later. David McGoldrick and Daryl Murphy will be on the plane with Murphy expected to start up front against the Belarusians tonight. The Oxford winger Callum O’Dowda and Darron Gibson, a passenger for much of the 2-1 defeat at Turner’s Cross, have also been cut.
He continued: “Every time you get a knock, you don’t have to go for a scan or take pain killers or have two days recovery or sit in the pool for an hour and a half”. “Robbie is very hopeful that he will make it”, he said. We’ve previously seen him with the Under-21s, but it’s good to get a close look at him. “Some other players haven’t played for a while either”.
Quite a unusual atmosphere encompassed the buildup because of O’Neill’s determination to leave his squad announcement until after full-time, at which point he broke the bad news to the unfortunate quartet.
“I’ve seen him play at club level and he is a good player who can deal with the ball, which really helps in global football because you do get a bit of time”. It’s not easy because someone is going to be disappointed.
Keane’s difficulty could yet re-open the door to Kevin Doyle who, having been told by O’Neill that he need not, after all, fly in from the United States for tonight’s game, was nevertheless advised by the manager that he should be on standby.
Amid the apprehension Belarus were somewhat ignored before the game.
O’Neill rarely gives anything away about his team selection, even to the players, and Randolph and his fellow goalkeepers have become used to that.
Mikhail Gordeichuk smashed the opener after 20 minutes but Ireland had chances and Ciaran Clark went close to equalising on three occasions. He galloped forward before squaring to Gordeichuk. “Not only Irish goalkeepers, but most goalkeepers, he’s up there with the top ones”. “But again, we’ll have – I’m, pretty sure – a different starting XI against Sweden and if we have injuries, we have lads to come in, so that’s the challenge we face”.
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Murphy, still awaiting his first senior goal for Ireland, might have claimed it within seconds of the restart, but he headed over from Aiden McGeady’s floated cross when he might have done better.
