Hourihane senses door has opened for his big Irish chance

IRELAND’s Premier League difficulty is an opportunity for Conor Hourihane, with the Aston Villa player admitting that the shortage of top-flight options could open the door for a proper run in the side.

The 27-year-old has waited in line to become a regular and Harry Arter’s self-imposed exile and Declan Rice’s dilemma have cleared the path.

Jeff Hendrick is the only Premier League midfielder in Martin O’Neill’s squad for tonight’s match in Cardiff and Hourihane sees that the profile of the squad has changed since his first call.

“When I first came in we had good players in the Premier League and that’s not the case now,” he said.

“Places are up for grabs and I want to work hard in training and get a nod for one of the games.”

There are other reasons why he now feels like a more established presence in the group.

As a teenager, Hourihane felt like a bit of an outsider as a Cork player in international squads dominated by Dublin voices. Ireland’s assistant Roy Keane would relate to his point.

The tables have turned slightly now. There are half-a-dozen Leesiders here, although the return of Hendrick and Stephen Ward has swelled the Dublin gang to seven.

Hourihane’s progression is a source of personal satisfaction.

“There were a lot of Dublin lads,” he recalled.

“I’ll be brutally honest. It was heavily populated with Dublin lads through the age groups, from U-15 all the way to senior level.

“It’s spread all across the country and there is a lot of Cork lads in or around the squad now, which is good.

“There are a couple of guys (Dubs from his age group) still going around like Jeff (Hendrick) and Robbie (Brady), but a lot of them probably aren’t playing football any more. Maybe they peaked at that time. I’d prefer to be peaking now.”