Roverjoyed Sami wants his chance to perform

MARK MCCADDEN

BY

SAMMIE SZMODICS didn’t expect to be listed among Ireland’s late bloomers - but the Blackburn Rovers man is determined to make up for lost time.

Szmodics is expected to make his international bow in Saturday’s friendly against Belgium, just six months shy of his 29 birthday.

He joins a long list of Ireland stars who arrived late onto the international stage.

But it could have been so different for the Colchester-born man had injury not scuppered his chance in the summer of 2021.

He was still at Peterborough United when Stephen Kenny announced him as a late call-up up for the friendlies against Andorra and Hungary.

His 16 goals in all competitions, including 15 in the league, fired Posh to promotion from League One into the Championship and his reputation as a goal-getter was growing.

A shoulder injury forced him out of the camp before the trip to Andorra and he returned home for the closeseason.

Then last October, after arriving in Dublin for the double-header against

Greece and Gibraltar, he left the squad due to family reasons.

Szmodics (below) addressed that yesterday when he said: “I was disappointed - the personal reason was only over that October camp.

“It was something, family comes first, I’m not going to speak about the issue. I had to go home, I had to get back.”

Szmodics was disappointed not to get the nod a month later for the Netherlands and New Zealand games. But now he’s finally set to pull on the green jersey and he can’t wait.

At the age of 28, he will be one of the older Irish players to make a debut, but that doesn’t bother him.

“I was excited three or four years ago to make my debut at 24, I am 28 now but I still feel like I am quite young,” he said.

“Whatever age you make your debut it’s still a proud moment, if you make it at 17 or 35.”