Givens brings in new men

Under-21 Preview Don Givens will give debuts to Keith Keane of Luton and Birmingham City's Marcus Painter as the Irish Under…

Under-21 PreviewDon Givens will give debuts to Keith Keane of Luton and Birmingham City's Marcus Painter as the Irish Under-21s take on Cyprus in the penultimate game of their European Championship campaign at Larnaca this afternoon.

The team, though, will have a good deal of experience, with the likes of Willo Flood, Wayne Henderson and Aidan McGeady all set to feature in the starting line-up.

"With qualification out of the question now I want to have a look at a couple of new lads," said Givens, who says he has sought to field an attacking team.

"We would like to win, but a lot will depend on how we use the ball, so I'll be looking to the more natural ball-players to get on it and to use it well."

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND UNDER-21: Henderson (Brighton and Hove Albion); Keane (Luton Town), McShane (Brighton and Hove Albion), Fitzgerald (Bury), Painter (Birmingham City); Flood (Coventry City), O'Brien (Bolton Wanderers), Potter (Liverpool), McGeady (Celtic); Tabb (Brentford), Ward (Bohemians).

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Emmet Malone

Emmet Malone

Emmet Malone is Work Correspondent at The Irish Times