Martin O'Neill was in Tallaght Stadium last Thursday to see Dundalk beating Shamrock Rovers. There followed lusty calls for the Ireland manager to seriously consider drafting the likes of Daryl Horgan into the squad.
If they're good enough to star in a team which has beaten BATE Borisov and Maccabi Tel Aviv, then surely it can't be too outlandish to see them as viable options for the Irish national team?
O'Neill has called up two new players for the (glamorous) upcoming double header against Georgia and Moldova but neither of them play for Dundalk. Aberdeen goal-getter Adam Rooney and Man City goalkeeper Ian Lawlor have been called up as cover.
At the press conference, O'Neill was asked why he hasn't considered any Dundalk players. As is his won't, he batted away the question with a joke.
If they'd ten minutes handy, he might have brought them in but they've about "15 games in the next two days."
Martin O'Neill on Dundalk: "If they've got 10 minutes to spare I'd pick the whole lot. "They've only got 15 games in the next 2 days."
— Daniel McDonnell (@McDonnellDan) October 3, 2016
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Between League and Europe, Dundalk have five games left to play this month. And four in the next 17 days. Between 11 and 20 October, they enter into a defining nine days, playing Cork City, Shamrock Rovers and Zenit. They lead Cork City by four points in the title race. A loss at home to Cork would make it a very nervy finish.
Stephen Kenny might not be too distressed to see his players overlooked.
O'Neill said that he believed the Borisov win was the best ever but that last Thursday night topped it. Since the beginning of the Charlton era, eleven League of Ireland players have been called up to the Ireland squad while still operating in the League.
Charlton picked four of them and three of them he only used in his first few months in the job. The remaining 'call-up' in the Charlton era was Johnny Glynn, who just happened to be holidaying in Boston while Ireland were out there in 1992.
Here's the full list of LOI call-ups since 1986.
