Doyle backs Foley to star for Ireland
Thursday 24th March 2011, 2:30PM GMT.
Wolves defender Kevin Foley has been backed to become a Republic of Ireland regular for the long-term – by one of the men who knows him best.
The 26-year-old full-back has been promised a first competitive start by boss Giovanni Trapattoni for Saturday’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Macedonia in Dublin, joining Wolves team-mate Kevin Doyle in the line-up.
Significantly, with Manchester United utility man John O’Shea injured, former Luton star Foley has been selected ahead of Fulham’s Stephen Kelly to win only his fourth cap.
Doyle is the only current Wolves player who trains regularly with Foley at club and international level.
And, with Foley so far having only three caps from friendlies to show for his three years’ travelling with the squad, the £6.5million forward is relishing the chance to see his club-mate in belated action on the pitch.
Doyle said: “It’s good that Kevin has got his chance now because he’s proved his worth in the Premier League.
“I believe he’ll do a great job for Ireland if he’s given a run in the side. We’ve had some good players knocking on the door who can freshen up the Ireland side, so I’m glad the manager is having a good look at Kevin.
“Kevin has been in Ireland squads for some time now, but he hasn’t got that many chances as we’ve had plenty of options in the full-back positions with John O’Shea, Stephen Kelly and Kevin Kilbane.
“But he’s a versatile player and I know he’ll be useful for us.”
UK Sport
Latest Blog — A week is a long time in football
This time last week we were staring down the barrel, third from bottom with a worse record than at the same stage last year, writes Saddlers blogger Mark Jones.
Saddlers Blog
Business Awards
Book a Business Awards table
Join our celebrations of the region's best in business on Thursday March 22 - book your table now
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
