RESULT! Squad are nailed on says Roy
The Sheffield Wednesday keeper, 31, was dumped out of the Republic’s squad for a spell last season – but made it back into O’Neill’s plans for the Euros. Yet after going 11 months without a cap for Ireland it looked like Westwood’s international career was set to fizzle out. Now, though, he aims to leave Ireland duty with a bang rather than a whimper. He said: “I don’t know why I was out of favour for a spell. The manager makes his decisions and I stick by them. “I am just happy to be involved now and the aim is to get in ahead of Darren Randloph. If it was the other way around, I am sure it would be Darren’s aim, too. But remember, it’s not just me and Darren. “There are a few keepers vying for that shirt but the fact is it belongs to Darren at the moment. But he knows, because we are really good pals, that I am breathing down his neck. “Any footballer will tell you that they want to play matches. I am no different because I am conscious of the fact that before I know it my career could be over – you want to be in a position whereby you can look back on your career and see how many games you have CAPTION: hdc kjkjnsdc lknsdc k;lsc l;sc;knk hdbjk IRELAND midfielder Harry Arter is relishing the prospect of a Belgrade baptism of fire. International appearances have so far been limited to friendly games for the Bourenmouth ace, 26, but with James McCarthy out he is in line to start against Serbia in Ireland’s opening World Cup qualifier. “These are the sort of games you look forward to playing in,” he said. “If I get the nod I’ll be very excited.” played in. You’re not in the game to be a squad player. I’m thrilled with how things are going for me at club level with Wednesday and I have been in and around the Ireland squad for a good few years now, too.”
Westwood has only been first-choice for a brief spell following Shay Given’s initial retirement in 2012.
Since then, he has been back-up to David Forde, Given and Randolph – but says he has no axe to grind with O’Neill.
“I am a grown man and if you don’t get picked then, like anyone else, I try my damnedest to get back in,” he said. “I was delighted to get picked. I worked really hard. “The manager has said he knows what I can do, he has put his faith in me and put me in the squad. “We haven’t had any difficulties between us. “If other people had a look at the Ireland squad and saw I was playing club football but wasn’t being called up, perhaps they put two and two together and got six.” ROY KEANE has laid down the law to Ireland’s Euro heroes – saying they will get ‘nailed’ if they become lazy.
The Boys in Green laboured their way through qualifying but then defied the odds in France to make it out of their group and reach the last-16.
But Ireland No.2 Keane insists that counts for nothing now as they kick-off their World Cup 2018 qualifying campaign in Serbia tomorrow.
Keane (below) said: “We didn’t come back from France on a massive high, did we? We didn’t win the competition.
“We had a good go at it and it was a great experience but there’s no doubt in my mind – or the players’ minds – about the importance of the game coming up.
“I don’t have a feeling that this group of players have taken their eye off the ball. Far from it. Anyway, it is our job to make sure that does not happen. And obviously if it did, we would nail people.
“But I’m certain, unless I’m missing something, that these lads are not still on holiday mode.
“They are a good group of players and we wouldn’t tolerate any lax attitude for a split second. If we thought we had one or two players in our group still having a jolly from the Euros, we would nail them.” In any case Keane and Co have yet another tough group up ahead – with Ireland paired in the same group as Wales, Austria, Georgia, Moldova and tomorrow’s opposition – Serbia. Keane said: “We gave the Euros a good crack and came up short. But we tried. Come tomorrow night, we’ll have a good crack at qualifying for the World Cup. “Does that mean we’re going to win the game? No it doesn’t. But whoever we’re playing, since we’ve walked in the job, we have always felt going into a big game that the group of players we’re working with will give it everything we’ve got. “The players can take a lot of heart from what they achieved in the Euros – but it’s history now. Tomorrow night is a completely different animal. You can’t turn up on Monday thinking ‘Well we kinda played okay at the Euros, and that means we should get a decent result tonight’. “We are back to the idea of being hungry. So let’s see where hunger takes us.”