This fixture marked Paul Doolin's last game with the Irish youth teams and it was a fixture played in very blustery conditions.

Lukas Nmecha put England ahead in the 24th minute after finishing off a counter-attack with a low strike. Two minutes later Ireland's Connor Ronan fired narrowly wide from the edge of the box.

Marcus Edwards added a second for England in the 34th minute after breaking through the Irish defence.

Zac Elbouzedi fired over from a JJ Lunney cross in the 42nd minute before Ronan had a free-kick from just outside the penalty area that went narrowly wide.

Ireland pulled one back in the 53rd minute when substitute Conor Levingston was in the right place to poke past the advancing keeper.

Levingston forced a save five minutes later as Ireland pushed to level but unfortunately for the visitors Edwards grabbed his second goal of the day with a low shot.

Ireland had a big opportunity to pull it back when Gerry McDonagh was taken down for a penalty in the 66th minute but unfortunately Ronan fired over from the spot-kick.

To add to the Irish disappointment Antony Evans added number four for England 12 minutes from time.

After the game Doolin admitted that the conditions had played a big impact on the game.

"The wind was horrendous and it was so hard for us to get out of our own half of the pitch in the first half," said Doolin.

"We had to cope with it and we eventually settled down and then created some very good chances as the half wore on but then they caught us on break for the second goal which made it more difficult.

"With the wind having such an impact we knew that if we pressed them in the second half it would be hard for them to play and we did well. We got one goal back and were pushing for the equaliser but unfortunately they scored to make it 3-1 and that was a big blow.

"We had a penalty chance then and if we had got to 3-2 it could have been a different end to the game but we've no complaints.

"England were a very decent side with lots of good players. Maybe the score-line was a bit harsh on us but England were coming in after a game against Austria and you can see how much work they are doing with their players.

"Overall we did well but our lads need to realise that U19 is a step up again from this. The next person into this job has a decent group to work with but you can see that it's a very high standard at this level."

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Eric Donnelly; Shane Hanney, JJ Lunney, Tom Cadman, Conor Masterson, Corey O'Keeffe, Zac Elbouzedi, Louis Dunne, Gerry McDonagh, Connor Ronan, Trevor Clarke. Subs: Conor Levingston for Dunne 46 mins; Liam Brady for Cadman 46; Conor Kane for Hanney 65; Sam Warde for Ronan 77; Michael O'Connor for McDonagh 77; Jamie Aherne for Elbouzedi 80; Conor Davis for Clarke 80.

Martin O'Neill's team recently played Switzerland, while they will host Slovakia on Tuesday, March 29 and Netherlands on Friday, May 27 - both at Aviva Stadium.

Following the match against Netherlands, they will travel to the Fota Island Resort in Cork for a pre-UEFA EURO 2016 Training Camp, from Monday May 30, through to Friday June 3.

Their game against against Belarus will take place on Day 2 of Camp.

The match with Belarus will be the first ever meeting between the teams. Alyaksandr Khatskevich's side are currently ranked 64th in the world and will be in action against Montenegro on Tuesday, March 29.

Ticket details for the Three International Friendly will be announced in due course.

Republic of Ireland 0-2 Serbia

Tom Mohan's side failed to hit top gear in a scrappy game on a bumpy pitch and the Irish head coach was disappointed with the concession of two soft goals in either half.

Stefan Ilić put the Serbs ahead in the 24th minute when he turned the ball home after Ireland were caught on the break following a free-kick that was cleared by the Serbian side and the Irish failed to see out the danger.

Serbia added their second goal through Dejan Joveljić in the 61st minute after the Irish failed to clear a dangerous cross.

"It was a disappointing result and it was a poor game on a bad pitch. Serbia were a big side who took no chances on a very hard pitch and played the conditions better than we did," said Mohan.

"The two goals were poorly defended and it was frustrating. Our mistakes were punished while there's weren't. We had three reasonable chances late on but overall it was a stop start game that suited them better than us.

"We'll just have to get ourselves back into the right frame of mind for our next game against Macedona on Wednesday."

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Travers, Carroll, Wilson, O'Shea, Browning (McKenna 51), L. O'Connor, Molumby, Byrne, Scully (McAuley 68), Mallon (O'Sullivan 51), O'Driscoll.

SERBIA: A. Popović, J. Popović, Devetak (Terzić 59), M. Ilić, Bosnjak, Jovanović, Maksimović (L. Ilić 73), Joveljić, N. Petrović, Đerlek (Mišković 66), S. Ilić.

FIXTURES

Monday, March 28

UEFA U17 Championships Elite round Group 7

Republic of Ireland 0-2 Serbia, MZOS Znicz, Pruszkow (POL)

Wednesday, March 30

UEFA U17 Championships Elite round Group 7

Republic of Ireland v Montenegro, Stadion ROSRRiT Siedlce, Siedlce (POL) (1.00pm)

Saturday, April 2

UEFA U17 Championships Elite round Group 7

Poland v Republic of Ireland, MZOS Znicz, Pruszkow (POL) (5.00pm)

Although the Irish got off to a lively start with a number of penetrating attacks early on that ultimately failed to test home keeper Grega Sorčan they were playing second best once Slovenia went ahead in the 14th minute.

Ireland went behind after Miha Zajc forced a corner with a stinging free-kick that Ian Lawlor did well to push wide but from Zajc's resulting corner the ball was turned home by Luka

Krajnc from close range.

In the 24th minute the lively Callum O'Dowda showed his threat for Ireland with a shot from distance that narrowly missed the target.

Zajc had a decent effort for Slovenia deflected over in the 29th minute as the home side looked to push home their advantage.

Ireland suffered another blow in the 55th minute when Gregor Bajde converted from the penalty spot despite the best efforts of Irish keeper Ian Lawlor.

Sean Long had been penalised for a challenge on Aljaž Krefl after Lawlor had saved an initial strike from Zajc.

Lawlor was called into action to deal with another powerful strike from Bajde in the 57th minute.

Slovenia should have extended their lead further in the 63rd minute when Zajc led a break then fed Domen Črnigoj on the right and his low cross landed at the feet of Dino Hotič, who somehow turned over an open goal.

Ireland got a boost from that let off and pulled one back when a low shot by O'Dowda squeezed under keeper Grega Sorčan in the 65th minute.

But just seven minutes later Slovenia went 3-1 up with Zajc found the net with a thumping free-kick from the edge of the box.

In the 80th minute Lawlor showed his quality again when he dived full length to push away a strike on the turn from Hotič.

Four minutes later Lawlor made another decent stop to deny Hotič once more and Lawlor made another save to deny Krefl in injury-time.

Ireland head coach Noel King said: "The big frustration is to have conceded from three dead ball situations. The penalty was extremely harsh and it was the turning point in the game.

"We had some good spells in the game but didn't make it pay. We lost key players to injuries in the game also but overall it wasn't a good enough performance and a disappointing result.

"We will look at how the other games in the group pan out in the coming weeks before looking at bringing in the next age group where we have some very talented young players coming through." 

SLOVENIA: Grega Sorčan, Aljaž Krefl, Luka Krajnc, Leo Ejup, Nik Kapun, Gregor Bajde (Luka Zahovič 78), Domen Črnigoj, Žiga Kastrevec (Dino Hotič 55), Miha Zajc, Denis Šme, Žan Benedičič (Leo Štulac 46).

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Ian Lawlor, Sean Long, Sean Hoare, Niall Keown, Darragh Lenihan, Shane Griffin (Dylan Connolly 61), Connor Dimaio, Conor Wilkinson (Seán Maguire 39), Jack Byrne, Callum O'Dowda (Joshua Barrett 75), Jack Connors.

Remaining tickets for the game are selling fast. Supporters are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to avoid delays and disappointment. There is limited availability from Ticketmaster HERE. Alternatively, Ticketmaster vans will be located at the corner of Northumberland and Pembroke Road (sales only while stocks last) and one van will be in the Ballsbridge Hotel car park (sales and collections) from 3pm. 

Gates open at 17:45 for Premium and Corporate Level ticket holders while general admission is from 18:15. All food and beverage outlets will be open throughout the stadium with full service available. 

Live TV coverage of the game is on Setanta Ireland with live coverage getting underway at 19:00.

For all breaking news including the exclusive announcement of the Republic of Ireland starting XI and behind-the-scenes content, follow our official FAIreland Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Tom Mohan's side were disappointed to lose 2-0 to Serbia on a bumpy pitch in their opening game but the Irish head coach believes the improved surface in Siedlce can work in Ireland's favour against the Montenegrans (1.00pm).

"This will be a much better pitch which will allow us play football. The Serbia game was down to conditions and it was a scrap more than a football game," he said.

"We feel more comfortable on a pitch where you can play football. That's how our players have been taught through our system and it's hard to play that style when it gets reduced to a physical battle.

"That was our first defeat in six games. We were disappointed but we've picked ourselves up and we're ready for this challenge.

“We have to go for it. We need to win to keep our hopes alive. We hhad a recovery session today. The players know the task ahead of them and we're focused on the three points.

"Poland beat Montenegro 2-0 but they were well-organised and dangerous on set-pieces and counter-attacks. Poland were on home soil too so that may have given them an advantage and Montenegro did well. They have to win too so we'll have to be ready for a very competitive game."

RESULTS & FIXTURES

Monday, March 28

UEFA U17 Championships Elite round Group 7

Republic of Ireland 0-2 Serbia, MZOS Znicz, Pruszkow (POL)

Poland 2-0  Montenegro, W.O.S.I.R Polonia, Warsaw (POL)

Wednesday, March 30

UEFA U17 Championships Elite round Group 7

Republic of Ireland v Montenegro, Stadion ROSRRiT Siedlce, Siedlce (POL) (1.00pm)

Serbia v Poland, W.O.S.I.R Polonia, Warsaw (POL) (5.00pm)

Saturday, April 2

UEFA U17 Championships Elite round Group 7

Poland v Republic of Ireland, MZOS Znicz, Pruszkow (POL) (5.00pm);

Montenegrov Serbia, Stadion ROSRRiT Siedlce, Siedlce (POL) (5.00pm)

That makes it now just one defeat in the last 12 games for Martin O’Neill’s side as the build-up to next summer’s finals in France continues. 

The Netherlands are the next visitors to Dublin for a friendly on Friday, May 27th.

Ireland manager O’Neill named ten changes from Friday night with striker Long the only starter from that 1-0 win over Switzerland. 

The Southampton man was partnered in attack by McClean in a 4-3-1-2 formation with Wes Hoolahan in a free role behind them.

Slovakia, captained by Liverpool’s Martin Škrtel, included in their starting XI fellow defender Kornel Saláta and veteran striker Róbert Vittek who both scored in a 5-1 Europa League win for Slovan Bratislava over SSE Airtricity League side UCD on a previous visit to Dublin last summer.

In a lively start to the game, with eventual man-of-the-match Hoolahan prevalent, Ireland’s front two carved the first opening from a 12th minute counterattack.

Long burst clear from the back following a Slovak corner. He fed McClean who cut in from the right to drill a low, left-foot shot which Matúš Kozáčik got down well to stop.

A minute later, though, Slovakia clinically punished Ireland in a swift breakaway of their own.

Erik Sabo’s foot looked very high as he nicked the ball over the head of Paul McShane on the halfway line to race away down the Slovak’s right flank. The midfielder’s precise pullback was powered to the net by Miroslav Stoch with a crisp right-foot finish.

As was the case with Kevin Doyle on Friday, an injury befell Ireland early on as goalkeeper Rob Elliot hurt his right knee in attempting to make the save for the goal and left the field on a stretcher to be replaced by Darren Randolph.

Slovakia’s lead was short-lived, however, as Ireland were level on 21 minutes.

Eunan O’Kane put Long in on goal and he was adjudged to have been taken down by Kozáčik. Long picked himself up to send the Slovak keeper the wrong way from an emphatic penalty, his 15th goal for Ireland.

If the award of that spot kick by Norwegian referee Ola Ober Nielsen was somewhat harsh, there was no doubting a second penalty given to Ireland just three minutes later.

Again it was Long’s marauding running causing the visitors’ defence problems as Škrtel took down the Tipperary man as he surged into the Slovakia box. 

This time, McClean took the spot kick. Kozáčik dived correctly to his left but couldn't prevent the West Brom winger’s drive finding the corner of the net for what was his fifth goal for his country.

Ireland were close to extending their lead from a 33rd minute corner, but skipper John O’Shea’s header was blocked by a defender before being frantically cleared.

In an action-packed first half, an own goal then gifted Slovakia an equaliser right on 45 minutes.

Stanislav Šesták put Peter Pekarík away on the right and his cross from the end line ricocheted into the net at the near post off Vittek.

In a less frenetic second half, it was the hour mark before the game produced a shot on target as Stoch galloped forward to shoot straight at Randolph.

Ireland responded with half-time substitute Robbie Brady having a free kick deflected over the bar two minutes later. Hoolahan’s shot was then blocked as Slovakia failed to properly clear Brady’s resulting corner.

The Slovaks had more work to do minutes after that when scrambling clear following Brady’s header after Cyrus Christie did well to get forward on the right to cross.

RepublicofIreland: Elliot (Randolph 16); Christie, O’Shea (Pearce h-t), McShane, Ward (Hayes 79); O’Kane (Pilkington 66), Whelan, McCarthy; Hoolahan (McGeady 73); McClean, Long (Brady h-t).

Slovakia: Kozáčik; Pekarík, Škrtel, Saláta, Švento (Tesák 88); Greguš (Hrošovský 74), Sabo (Duda 65); Šesták (Weiss 66), Hamšík, Stoch (Mak 65); Vittek (Nemec 65).

Referee: Ola Ober Nielsen (Norway).

Tom Mohan's side now know that a victory over Poland in their final group game is likely to seal their place in the finals tournament in Azerbaijan this May.

A goal in first half injury-time from Jayson Molumby put the Irish in contract then two late finishes from Stephen Mallon and Thomas Byrne sealed a vital three points.

"We played very well. We were the dominant side and played a good brand of football," said Mohan.

"They were a big, physical, outfit and we had to deal with a lot of long balls that they played and I was pleased with how we defended. We did well in attacking areas and probably could have scored some more goals.

"It is not just the result that pleased me. The performance was very pleasing. It was good to play on a decent pitch that suited our style of play and the boys showed great courage and skill. We were patient and were dominant in possession."

Declan Rice returned from illness and Thomas O'Connor recovering from injury but one blow for the Irish is that Thomas Byrne picked up a second booking so unfortunately will miss the Poland game on Saturday.

Ireland took the lead in the 43rd minute when Molumby turned the ball home with a Jamie Vardy-style flick after his initial effort following a break hit the crossbar but Glen McAuley reacted first to square the ball to Molumby.

Mallon added the second in the 71st minute after knocking the ball home from six yards after connecting with a low pass across goal from Lee O'Connor.

Byrne made it 3-0 in the 79th minute after a long sequence of Irish passes that led to great combination play where Byrne fed O'Connor and he supplied Anthony Scully, who played Byrne in to fire in from 15 yards out.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Mark Travers, Tyreke Wilson, Declan Rice, Dara O'Shea, Lee O'Connor, Jayson Molumby, Thomas Byrne, Daniel McKenna, Glen McAuley (Anthony Scully 53), Thomas O'Connor, Rian O'Sullivan (Stephen Mallon 67).

MONTENEGRO: Lazar Carević, Radule Krulanović, Jovan Jablan, Miloš Drinčić, Miloš Zečević, Božidar Damjanović, Ognjen Stijepović (Aleksa Marušić 60), Zvonko Ceklić (Martin Prenkočević 74), Danilo Lekovic (Deni Piranić 49), Ilija Vukotić, Sergej Grubac.

RESULTS & FIXTURES

Monday, March 28

UEFA U17 Championships Elite round Group 7

Republic of Ireland 0-2 Serbia, MZOS Znicz, Pruszkow (POL)

Poland 2-0  Montenegro, W.O.S.I.R Polonia, Warsaw (POL)

Wednesday, March 30

UEFA U17 Championships Elite round Group 7

Republic of Ireland 3-0 Montenegro, Stadion ROSRRiT Siedlce, Siedlce (POL)

Serbia 2-1 Poland, W.O.S.I.R Polonia, Warsaw (POL) 

Saturday, April 2

UEFA U17 Championships Elite round Group 7

Poland v Republic of Ireland, MZOS Znicz, Pruszkow (POL) (5.00pm);

Montenegro v Serbia, Stadion ROSRRiT Siedlce, Siedlce (POL) (5.00pm)

The reigning WNL champions added the Shield to the Continental WFAI Cup they won last November as their successful streak rolled on.

The opening stages of the first Shield final at Ferrycarrig Park was a close affair with Claire O’Riordan finding the side netting for Wexford after 11 minutes.

While Orlaigth Conlon blocked Pearl Slattery’s close range strike after Wexford failed to clear Siobhan Killeen’s 32nd-minute corner, kept it nil all.

Wexford opened the scoring on 34 minutes, Ruth Fahy rising high to head a free kick off the inside of goalkeeper Amanda McQuillan’s post.

Kennedy raced to plant the ball into the empty net, her first goal in the shield campaign and her eighth goal in all competitions this season.

O’Riordan came close to doubling the lead three minutes later getting between Pearl Slattery and McQuillan to head Fahy’s cross goal bound, Keeva Keenan clearing off the line.

Shels came close to equalising 60 seconds after the restart, Tamara Furlong with a reflex save to deny Slattery’s header from Killeen’s corner.

O’Riordan showed great trickery on 50 minutes to nick the ball from Shels stopper McQuillan outside the box, McQuillan’s sliding tackle saw the ball fall to Linda Douglas.

Douglas however couldn’t get a shot away at the empty goal thanks to the pressure of Killeen.

Wexford settled into the second half with O’Riordan stinging the fingers of McQuillan on 59 minutes, the Wexford centre forward blasting straight at the Shels keeper.

Second-half substitute Alex Kavanagh made Furlong go full stretch to keep out her edge of the box effort, as Shels searched for an equaliser.

Leanne Kiernan pulled her attempted chip of Furlong wide with three minutes remaining, a big chance going a begging.

However it was to Wexford’s day as they now aim to complete a clean sweep of Continental Tyres Women’s National League trophies this season.

Wexford Youths AFC: Furlong, Gleeson, Kennedy, Conlon, Hansberry, Sinnott, Murphy, Cassin (Walsh 86), Douglas (Frawley 68), Fahy, O’Riordan (Wall 74).

Shelbourne Ladies FC: McQuillan, Keenan (Donnelly 61), Slattery, Walsh, Beirne, Killeen, Graham, Lynch (Kavanagh 74), Murray, Watters (Kiernan HT), Creagh.

Referee: Michelle O’Neill.

Don O'Riordan's side have emerged as title contenders this season due to a run of terrific form and Fox has been instrumental in that by taking on a leadership role in a relatively young team.

The Galway native, who previously starred for Castlebar Celtic, insists their form simply comes down to hard work on and off the pitch - something which the entire squad subscribed to in pre-season.

"Before the season started we were aiming to be one of the better teams," said Fox modestly with Galway in a four-way tussle with UCD Waves, Wexford Youths AFC, and Shelbourne Ladies to finish in top spot.

"Last year didn't go as expected for us, but we knew that we were capable of doing well in the League and so we're not shocked that we are in this position because we have worked hard to get here.

"A lot of it comes down to the influence of our strength and conditioning coach, Susie Cunningham, and the gym sessions that all of the girls do. In this League, fitness is so important and we have managed to keep performing in the last 20 minutes of games and that has helped us hugely."

Even though Galway are flying high and confidence is not hard to find within their dressing room, Fox insists that they will stick to the same work ethic that got them close to the summit.

In fact, she is quick to share the plaudits that are starting to come in for the Player of the Month award with her team-mates - without whom she acknowledges nothing can be won.

"I was told (about the award) after the UCD loss, so it gave me a little boost. But I would like to accept it on behalf of the squad and the management," stated Fox.

"We work together as a team and that is what is most important. Every one of the players has bought into what we want to achieve this year and the management have been great for us.

"We have done well but we're looking forward to the remaining games now, particularly against Wexford. People always think of us as the underdogs and that suits us but we'll continue to work hard to keep winning games."

Fox was presented with her Continental Tyres WNL Player of the Month Award by Eddie Ryan, Marketing Director at Advance Pitstop.

One of the founding members of the League, the County Mayo club reached the FAI Women’s Cup Final in 2013 – narrowly losing to Raheny United after extra-time – and were also runners-up in the WNL Cup on two occasions.

From the fantastic work done by the late Jeremy Dee through to the emergence of international players like Emma Hansberry, Sarah Rowe and Jessica Nolan, Castlebar have made a significant impact on the League during their involvement.

However, the club is unable to field the required number of players to fulfil their remaining fixtures this season. Therefore each of their results in the 2015/16 season have now been expunged.

“We are very disappointed with the club’s decision, especially considering that we recently met with the club regarding their future in the League,” said Fran Gavin, FAI Director of Competitions.

“Castlebar’s decision is very disappointing for a number of reasons, particularly when the FAI gave them as much support as possible and the current season is showcasing just how strong the domestic game has become for women’s football with four teams currently in the mix to win the title.

“Huge strides have been made in the development of the League – on and off the pitch – and the results can be seen in more international players than ever before representing the Republic of Ireland at various age levels and the improved standard of play.

“We will continue to push forward with plans to further enhance the League – along with our terrific sponsors Continental Tyres – and hope that each of our clubs continue to show the same level of commitment.

“We have received a strong application from another team in the north west with regard to joining the League next season. That application will be considered by the League Committee in due course.”

Reflecting on the club’s withdrawal, Castlebar secretary Michael O’Dwyer remarked that it “wasn’t an easy decision to make” but he was proud of their successes during a five-year stretch.

“Initially we have some very good seasons in the League when we first joined, which was under Jeremy Dee and he was the real driving force behind our women’s team,” said O’Dwyer.

“Unfortunately, Jeremy passed away in tragic circumstances. But we have had some great days, particularly the Cup Final at the Aviva Stadium against Raheny United – that was a real highlight for us.

“Some of those games will be forever in our memory and will be part of the history of the club. Unfortuntaley, we just couldn’t keep it going and had to make the difficult decision.”

Tom Mohan's side know that victory over the Poles will be enough to send them through to the finals in Azerbaijan next month.

With both sides holding identical records from their first two fixtures, a draw would send the tie into a penalty shoot-out to decide runners-up spot in the group.

“It’s like a cup final now. After the first game when we lost to Serbia we'd have settled for this position so now destiny is in our own hands and it’s a matter of delivering a performance that can lead to the result we want," said Mohan.

“If it’s a draw it’ll go to penalties so we have to be prepared for every eventuality.

“The players showed great character to bounce back from their first loss of the campaign and delivered the type of performance we knew we were capable of to beat Montenegro.

"We showed great confidence in that fixture and did very well in our attacking play to score three goals."

As the hosts Poland will have a big crowd behind them so Mohan will be looking to his squad to show their character once again to clinch qualification for the finals for the second year running.

“We know the strengths Poland have and the qualities in attacking areas that they possess but I’ve full confidence in these group of Irish players to come through this test - they've shown great quality all season," added Mohan.

“Obviously as the hosts Poland have had big crowds at their games and as it’s a winner-take-all game there will lots of excitement about this game but it’s down to what happens on the pitch.

"Our preparation has been good. All of our players are fit but unfortunately Thomas Byrne will be missed through suspension. He did very well for us but it opens the door for somebody else and that’s what football is all about."

RESULTS & FIXTURES

Monday, March 28

UEFA U17 Championships Elite round Group 7

Republic of Ireland 0-2 Serbia, MZOS Znicz, Pruszkow (POL)

Poland 2-0  Montenegro, W.O.S.I.R Polonia, Warsaw (POL)

Wednesday, March 30

UEFA U17 Championships Elite round Group 7

Republic of Ireland 3-0 Montenegro, Stadion ROSRRiT Siedlce, Siedlce (POL)

Serbia 2-1 Poland, W.O.S.I.R Polonia, Warsaw (POL) 

Saturday, April 2

UEFA U17 Championships Elite round Group 7

Poland v Republic of Ireland, MZOS Znicz, Pruszkow (POL) (5.00pm);

Montenegro v Serbia, Stadion ROSRRiT Siedlce, Siedlce (POL) (5.00pm)

The Irish U16s will play the Turks at Home Farm FC's Whitehall ground on Wednesday, April 6 (7,00pm), and Friday, April 8 (12.00 noon).

Turkey will provide the Irish with a serious test as their side has a 100 per cent winning record in internationals this season including against victories over Italy, France and the USA.

"There's a lot of players who are coming in for the first time from both Irish clubs and abroad so it will take time for them to gel as a unit," said Osam.

"The main priority at this level is to look at players and give them an opportunity at this level. The only way to do that is by bringing them in and working with them.

"No matter what league you play your club football in, international football is different. The thoughts and actions of every player have to be much quicker. Every mistake gets punished. If you slip up at the back it is almost always a goal and you'll get less opportunities to score as well.

"I've been surprised at how good a lot of our players are in terms of technical ability but the challenge for us is always going to be getting more games so that we can work more on the tactical side of things.

"I know this Turkish side has played 10 games since October and that's obviously going to have an impact on their players' development.

"We try to give them as much information as we can in a short period of time. It was the same with the Victory Shield and we performed well in the games given the time we had to work with them.

"It's going to be difficult but hopefully we get positive performances and produce players who can play for Ireland U17s in the UEFA Qualifiers next year."

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND U16 SQUAD:

Nathan Tormey (Arsenal)

Cian Lee (Belvedere)

Kevin Healy (Belvedere)

Richie O'Farrell (Belvedere)

Rowan Roache (Blackpool)

Ruairi  Patton (Belvedere)

Cameron Moore (Bolton Wanderers)

Aaron Connolly (Mervue United)

Ronan Manning (Mervue United)

Jordan Doherty (Sheffield United)

Cian Hughes (St Francis)

Jack Connolly (St Francis)

Aaron Bolger (St Joseph's Boys)

Ryan Burke (St Joseph's Boys)

Joe Redmond (St Joseph's Boys)

Brian Maher (St Kevin's Boys)

Dominic Peppard (St Kevin's Boys)

Luke Nolan (St Patricks Athletic)

Tom Murphy (UCD)

Conor Coventry (West Ham)

FIXTURES

Wednesday, April 6

U16 International Friendly

Republic of Ireland v Turkey, Whitehall (7.00pm)

Friday, April 8

U16 International Friendly

Republic of Ireland v Turkey, Whitehall (12.00pm)

UCD Waves midfielder Jetta Berrill has received her first senior call-up for the two matches.

The Girls in Green will be looking to build on a promising Cyprus Cup campaign over the next two games with the squad congragating on Sunday, April 3.

The first game see’s Ireland face Montenegro on April 7 in Petrovac before facing group leaders Spain on April 12 in Madrid.

Republic of Ireland Women’s National Team Squad

Goalkeepers: Emma Byrne (Arsenal), Niamh Reid-Burke (Shelbourne), Grace Moloney (Reading)

Defenders: Louise Quinn (Eskilstuna United), Jessica Gleeson (Wexford Youths), Niamh Fahey (Chelsea), Sophie Perry (Brighton & Hove Albion), Meabh De Burca (Galway) Aine O’Gorman (UCD Waves).

Midfielders: Karen Duggan (UCD Waves), Denise O’Sullivan (Houston Dash), Diane Caldwell (Kóln), Ruesha Littlejohn (Glasgow City), Julie-Ann Russell (UCD Waves), Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Emma Hansberry (Wexford Youths), Jetta Berrill (UCD Waves)

Forwards: Stephanie Roche (Sunderland), Fiona O’Sullivan, Clare Shine (Glasgow City)

Republic of Ireland WNT’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 Qualifiers fixtures for April are:

Thursday April 7th: Montenegro WNT v Republic of Ireland WNT, Petrovac, 13:00 (Irish Time)

Tuesday, April 12th: Spain WNT v Republic of Ireland WNT, Madrid, 19:30 (Irish Time) 

After making it through the First Phase of qualifying, Ireland were drawn into Group 1 where they will meet Germany (Tuesday, April 5), Azerbaijan (Thursday, April 7), and Poland (Sunday, April 10).

The three Ireland games will be hosted at Tallaght Stadium and Connell is hoping that a big crowd turns out in support of the girls as they set about securing passage through to this summer's finals in Slovakia.

"I think that home advantage could help us as we will be playing in familiar surroundings, but it's up to us to make it work for us on the pitch by doing everything that we can to win each game," said Connell.

"We would like to encourage people to come out to support the girls. Each of the players have done brilliantly in our games to date and they are fully focused on these next three games, which are huge for us.

"The girls have adopted a really positive attitude since the first time that we got together and I can see a lot of the same characteristics in them that was evident in the 2014 squad that went all the way to the European semi-finals."

Connell is aiming to guide a third different team to a European Championships in as many years following on from the U19 side that went to Norway in 2014 and the U17 side that went to Iceland last year.

The experienced coach has been able to call on recent Glasgow City signing Savannah McCarthy, reigning U19 Player of the Year Amanda McQuillan, and three players based in the United States in Niamh Nelson, Hayley Nolan, and Jessica Gargan.

Republic of Ireland Women's Under 19 squad
Goalkeepers: Brooke Dunne (Peamount United), Amanda McQuillan (Shelbourne Ladies)

Defenders: Lucy McCartan (Peamount United), Niamh Nelson (San Diego Surf), Savannah McCarthy (Glasgow City), Keeva Keenan (Shelbourne Ladies), Chloe Moloney (Galway WFC), Niamh Prior (UCD Waves)

Midfielders: Roma McLaughlin (Peamount United), Jamie Finn, Sophie Watters, Megan Lynch (Shelbourne Ladies), Evelyn Daly (Cork City WFC), Hayley Nolan (Hartford Hawks), Jessica Gargan (Quinnipiac Bobcats)

Forwards: Jessica Nolan (Galway WFC), Dearbhaile Beirne (Shelbourne Ladies), Rachel Kearns (Castlebar Celtic)

Fixtures

Republic of Ireland v Germany, Tuesday, April 5, Tallaght Stadium, KO 19:30
Republic of Ireland v Azerbaijan, Thursday, April 7, Tallaght Stadium, KO 19:30
Republic of Ireland v Poland, Sunday, April 10, Tallaght Stadium, KO 14:00