JOEY O'BRIEN has hinted he may make himself unavailable to Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni unless he starts to see more action in a green shirt.
The versatile and well regarded 22-year-old has yet to feature under the Italian and, in an interview with a Sunday newspaper, suggested that his recent omission from the Bolton team may be the result, in part at least, to his absence while on international duty.
"I love playing for my country, love meeting up and I have great friends," he said, "but I don't like walking around in a tracksuit saying, 'I play for Ireland'. I'm like a fan in a tracksuit.
"I'm gutted about the whole thing. The manager is the manager and he's a great manager, but I'm not in his plans. When you look at the team that played against Cyprus, it proved to me how far down the list I was in the dressing room.
"Look at the right-back or centre midfield positions where I play - we were missing the first and second choice right-backs in Steve Finnan and Stephen Kelly, and there was even a lad on the bench ahead of me. In the middle, I must be about fifth choice."
FORMER BRAY Wanderers striker John Ryan resigned as manager of Kildare County over the weekend. Ryan had been in charge for three years, having taken over from Eric Hannigan.
His assistant, Barry O'Connor, also decided to leave in the wake of Friday night's 2-0 defeat at Sporting Fingal.
The first division game between Longford Town and Shelbourne at Flancare Park which was postponed on Saturday has been rescheduled for this evening at 6pm.
- Emmet Malone
