Andy is home alone! - February 15, 2000
Republic of Ireland manager Don Givens has added a panel of stand-by players to his squad to play Denmark on February 27 - and there is still no place for Bradford's Andy O'Brien!
West Ham midfielder Shaun Byrne, Nottingham Forest's John Thompson and the Shelbourne duo of Richie Foran and Richie Baker have been told they are next in line if anyone drops out of the squad.
But O'Brien, who was promised by Mick McCarthy that he would be in this month's senior squad, now finds himself left out of the u21 panel as a result!
McCarthy said he would look at O'Brien and Tottenham's Gary Doherty against Denmark - but changed his mind at the last minute when Kenny Cunningham unexpectedly reported fit and O'Brien was the one to lose out.
But Given, believing O'Brien would be in the senior squad, didn't consider him for the underage assignment!
But Given has thrown a lifeline to Leeds United's tough-tackling central midfielder Damien Lynch. David O'Leary is letting Lynch go at the end of the season and the Dublin-born youngster desperately needs shop windows like the Denmark game to find himself a new club.
Republic of Ireland u21 squad: Joe Murphy (Tranmere), Dean Delaney (Port Vale), Damien Lynch (Leeds United), Jason Gavin (Middlesbrough), John O'Shea (Manchester United), Brian O'Callaghan (Barnsley), Clive Clarke (Stoke), Keith Foy (Nottingham Forest), Colin Healy (Celtic), Barry Quinn (Coventry), James O'Connor (Stoke), John McGrath (Aston Villa), Steven Reid (Millwall), Alan Quinn (Sheff Wed), Liam Miller (Celtic), Richard Sadlier (Millwall), Liam George (Luton), Michael Reddy (Sunderland)