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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Paul O'Hehir

Ireland scrap plans for friendly at Turkish training camp

Ireland have shelved plans to play an uncapped friendly at their Turkish training camp next week.

Manager Stephen Kenny had been hoping to arrange a game during the nine-day get together in Antalya.

The Boys in Green are using the warm-weather camp to acclimatise for the Euro 2024 qualifier against Greece in Athens on June 16.

Efforts were made over a number of weeks to nail down international opposition from that region, for a bounce match, but proved unsuccessful.

And the FAI also received expressions of interest from a handful of club sides, but none were deemed to be of a high enough standard.

The Ireland players will instead play an internal game among themselves at their plush training base on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

By the time they face Gus Poyet’s Greece, the majority of the Championship players in Kenny’s squad won't have played a competitive game in almost six weeks.

And while he did gather an experimental squad in Bristol for four days last week, that’s why a test against another team was desirable.

Kenny will today name his squad proper for that Greece and Gibraltar double-header with Chiedozie Ogbene and Alan Browne still his chief injury concerns.

Ogbene has a hamstring issue that curtailed the latter stages of his Championship season with Rotherham.

Browne hasn’t featured since early April after damaging medial knee ligaments playing for Preston North End.

Ogbene did report for duty each day of last week’s Bristol-based camp for Championship, League One and League of Ireland players.

But he took no part in any of the training sessions and was restricted to gym work with the physios.

Browne was given permission to skip that experimental camp and rest, and is expected to be named in today’s squad.

As is Jeff Henrick, the midfielder who is free to leave Newcastle United despite having a year to run on his deal.

He also missed the Bristol camp, but will be selected today ahead of Monday’s departure for Turkey.

Skipper Seamus Coleman, Andrew Omobamidele and Callum Robinson were already ruled out of the two games with injuries.

Millwall’s Danny McNamara, Sean McLoughlin of Hull City and Peterborough’s Jack Taylor are among the new faces involved in Bristol hoping to make the cut.

Kenny wanted an up close look at Tom Cannon in Bristol but the Everton striker - who scored eight goals on loan at Preston since January - cried off with tonsillitis.

James McClean will become only the seventh Irishman to break the 100-cap barrier if he plays a part in both the Greece and Gibraltar games.

Last week, Ireland boss Kenny said: “It’ll be important to replicate the conditions we find in Greece.

“Greece are a good team, they won their Nations League group, so we’re going to have to perform to a high level. We need to make sure that we’re absolutely 100 percent.

“Going to Turkey will help us by training for nine days in similar conditions. I think our preparation in Bristol and in Turkey will give us a chance.”

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