Crawford on track to pick League of Ireland XI in Montenegro

IRELAND under-21 manager Jim Crawford may be forced to select a League of Ireland XI for their crucial away qualifier in Montenegro on October 12 as Covid regulations will mean players based in England and Germany won’t be able to travel to the Balkan nation. Montenegro remains on the ‘red list’ for both countries and that poses a serious problem for Crawford, whose team will play Luxembourg in Tallaght next Friday as part of their doubleheader. Their European championship campaign has started well, with Crawford’s team taking four points from their first two games. Under current guidelines in Britain and Germany, any Ireland under-21 player would be forced to undergo a period of quarantine before returning to their clubs if they travel to Montenegro. FIFA, the Premier League and the English football league have appealed to the UK Government to relax these rules for professional; footballers on international duty and the FAI are working closely with their English FA colleagues on this developing situation. As the FAI awaits a possible ruling, Crawford has named an extended squad for the second game with 13 home-based players called up for the first time. ‘If that does go down those lines of having home-based players, they won’t let themselves, their families, their clubs or their country down,’ Crawford said. ‘It will be exciting for the players but we will see how it evolves.’ While Drogheda United’s David Odumsou, Brian Maher of Bray Wanderers. the Bohemians trio of Andy Lyons, Ross Tierney and Dawson Devoy, and UCD duo of Liam Kerrigan and Colm Whelan are in the squad for the Luxembourg game, they will be joined by a number of League of Ireland players for the trip to the Balkans. Republic of Ireland Under-21s squad for Luxembourg: Goalkeepers: Blair, Maher, Odumosu. Defenders: Bagan, Lyons, McEntee, McGuinness, Jake O’Brien, O’Connor.

Midfielders: Coventry, Devoy, Gilbert, Kilkenny, Noss, Tierney, Watson. Forwards: Ferguson, Ferry, Kayode, Kerrigan, Moran, O’Neill, Wright, Whelan. Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad for Montenegro (pending UK/German Covid-19 travel restrictions): Goalkeepers: Blair, Maher, Odumosu. Defenders: Bagan, Lyons, McEntee, McGuinness, O’Brien, O’Connor, Boyce, Ledwidge, Honohan, Murphy, O’Keefe, Quinn, Weir.

Midfielders: Coventry, Devoy, Gilbert, Kilkenny, Noss, Tierney, Watson, McLaughlin, Morahan, Nugent, Phillips.

Forwards: Ferguson, Ferry, Kayode, Kerrigan, Moran, O’Neill, Wright, Whelan, Kenny, Kavanagh, Kavanagh, Williams.