BEHOLD THE GHOSTS of Danish games past: they will be stirred a few times this week ahead of Monday’s effective play-off with the Danes for a place at Euro 2020.
Robbie Brady played in the 5-1 hammering at the Aviva two years ago, and that experience stalked his press conference at Abbottstown earlier today.
“I don’t want to feel the disappointment like I did the last time.
“Anytime someone beats you, and in that fashion, it’s a great opportunity to turn it around and drill it into your head to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“But this is a different game, a different year and a different squad of players to push for a different result this time.”
Brady has been pretty peripheral to this campaign thus far. Having scored in the last minute of the 2-0 win over Gibraltar in June, he hasn’t played since owing to the twin drawbacks of injury and lack of match sharpness.
“It just gives me that extra bit of drive now this week to go and perform and get my name on the teamsheet come the big game.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing when I’ve been around it for so long, and a lack of game time has cost me in the last couple of camps, so it was disappointing and it did hurt.”
Uninvolved, Brady was forced to watch last month’s games with Georiga and Switzerland on television…something he isn’t suited to.
“Yeah it was hard, it is always hard when you’re not playing, knowing you can’t affect it.
“But I’m back here now and I can only do all I can to help the team. It’s difficult to sit and watch.”
Was he kicking the cat in frustration?
“ I don’t have a cat. If I had a cat I would have been.”
Brady is expected to feature in Thursday’s friendly with New Zealand, and although the crossover between line-ups for that game and Monday’s do-or-die clash is expected to be meagre, Brady is thought to be one of the few in a position to force his way into Monday’s team.
“Hopefully I can get some minutes on Thursday and show that I’m fit and ready to play and like I said, I’ll be ready for both games.
“I feel really good, I feel fit and this is a good week to show it and get myself back in the team, please God.”
Also expected to play against New Zealand on Thursday is 17-year-old Troy Parrott, who is currently amid his first senior international camp.
“Very good”, was Brady’s early assessment of the Spurs striker. “He’s got great physicality: the size of him for 17, he’s a big lad. He’s come in with a smile on his face, I think Jack Byrne has his arm around him and looking after him.
“The two of them are looking after each other! The two of them are in good form.”
Byrne has also been told he will feature on Thursday, and the Shamrock Rovers midfielder is, like Brady, an alumnus of St Kevin’s Boys.
“I would have been around the club growing up and I’d have seen a lot of him.
“Jack’s a great lad and he is playing some great football.
“He’s had a great year and he looks sharp in training.”
The Irish squad trained in full today, with no new injury concerns following last night’s confirmation that Aaron Connolly misses out with a groin injury.