Foran pays for stepping out of line

Shelbourne striker Richie Foran (right) appeared to be paying a hefty price yesterday for a breach of discipline while on international duty with the Irish under-21 squad. Foran missed a Saturday night curfew of 11.30p.m. and skipped training the following morning, and has been told by Don Givens that he will not be selected at the level again. Meanwhile, Aberdeen, who were on the brink of signing him over the weekend, have pulled out of the transfer.

Givens, who has dropped a number of players before for what he has described as their "poor attitude", said yesterday he was disappointed to be let down "after placing a bit of trust in people and attempting to treat them like adults. Richie is a talented lad but it is balanced out by a great deal of baggage." It is not the first time Foran, who recently won his first two under-21 caps, has been in trouble. He was sent off five times while playing for Shelbourne this year while on another occasion the club disciplined him for playing in a Gaelic football challenge match which they only heard about because he was sent off. Givens had earlier said he was reluctant to select Foran because of his disciplinary record at club level.

Foran is, however, clearly talented and having established himself as Shelbourne's leading scorer over the past 10 months, he attracted interest from British clubs. Aberdeen had actually agreed terms with Shelbourne over the weekend, with the Scottish outfit believed to have offered an initial £80,000 sterling which could have risen to around £250,000. The deal was held up only because Foran and his representative, Mick Lawlor, initially failed to agree personal terms.

Yesterday, the club announced they had formally withdrawn their offer.