While 2018 was a throughly miserable year for the Republic of Ireland, one of the lone bright spots was the emergence of Callum Robinson onto the international scene. The Preston striker put in a few excellent showings in a green jersey and looked like he wold have a major impact during the Euro 2020 qualifiers.
Unfortunately for Robinson and Ireland boss Mick McCarthy, he would suffer a hamstring in injury in November that would rule him out for three months. He has been getting back to full fitness in recent weeks and looks to be well on his way to getting back to his best.
He started for Preston in their clash against Ipswich this afternoon and it didn't take him long to get going. He would open the scoring after just six minutes, drifting in from the left to curl this beauty into the corner of the net.
He would double his tally in the 22nd minute, with this one perhaps being even more spectacular.
The ball fell to Robinson just inside the penalty area, where he controlled it with his knee before unleashing a cracking volley into the far top corner.
Unbelievable stuff. While Preston's promotion hopes are finished barring a remarkable set of results, Robinson's return to form is fantastic news for Irish fans. He would add some serious fire power to the Ireland squad, bringing some much needed pace and finishing ability to the team.
He is also versatile enough to slot into a number of positions, being equally comfortable playing out wide or through the centre.
Mick McCarthy will be keeping a close eye on his progress over the remainder of the season, with Ireland set to face Denmark and Gibraltar in two key qualifiers at the start of June. Hopefully Robinson can play a big part in securing two positive results.
