Keeper Brian Murphy has been named in the Republic of Ireland squad for their friendlies with Paraguay and Algeria next week. Murphy, who is yet to win his first full cap, has been involved in an Irish training camp in Dublin this week with coach Giovanni Trapattoni including him in his revised squad for next week’s matches.
Ireland take on Paraguay on Tuesday and Algeria on Friday, with both matches in Dublin.
Murphy is on the bench for Friday's training game against Ireland Amateurs, having been left out of the side which played in a similar match on Tuesday against Ireland’s U23s, which ended 1-0 to the senior side.
The former Bohemians keeper says he will be determined to stay Town's first choice next season, regardless of who Roy Keane signs in the summer, with Sunderland's Marton Fulop understood to be a target: "Richard [Wright] obviously wasn't kept on and I don't know who he's going to bring in. But hopefully, I'm still his number one at the minute and it's mine to lose.
"There is a long pre-season and whoever comes in, I'll be up for the challenge. There were good keepers there when I went there in the first place and I had to do my best to get past them. I did that and hopefully I can try and impress in pre-season."
Republic of Ireland: Keiren Westwood (Coventry), Joe Murphy (Scunthorpe), Brian Murphy (Ipswich), Eddie Nolan (Sheffield Wednesday), Stephen Kelly (Fulham), Paul McShane (Hull), John O’Shea (Manchester United), Greg Cunningham (Manchester City), Sean St Ledger (Preston), Kevin Foley (Wolves), Darren O’Dea (Celtic), Damien Duff (Fulham), Keith Treacy (Preston), Glenn Whelan (Stoke), Keith Andrews (Blackburn), Liam Lawrence (Stoke), Keith Fahey (Birmingham), Paul Green (Derby), Robbie Keane (Tottenham), Kevin Doyle (Wolves), Leon Best (Newcastle), Shane Long (Reading), Anthony Stokes (Hibernian), Cillian Sheridan (St Johnstone).
Photo: ITFC