Republic of Ireland under-21 manager Don Givens has called up five uncapped players for the friendly international against Scotland at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock on February 11th.
Stephen Brennan (Newcastle), Stephen Paisley (Manchester City), Sean Thornton (Sunderland) Gary Dempsey (Dunfermline) and JJ Melligan (Kidderminster) are all called into the panel as Givens uses the game as a chance to take a look at a number of new players.
Paisley and Dempsey have both been called-up before and will be hopeful of starts while Brennan impressed Givens at the recent Under-20 tournament in the United Arab Emirates - a tournament Thornton missed because Sunderland needed him for first team action at the same time.
Givens said: "I don't really think of Stephen Paisley and Gary Dempsey as new boys. Both have been called up before and Stephen looked good while Gary had to pull out through injury.
"He's doing very well at Dunfermline and hopefully will be able to join up with us.
"I've seen Stephen Brennan a few times now and he's really impressed me as has JJ Melligan while I saw Sean Thornton a few times when he was on loan with Blackpool and he did very well.
"Since then, he's got into the Sunderland first team and has continued his progress."
"A number of the players in the squad are currently on loan in the lower divisions or abroad with Sunderland's Clifford Byrne at Scunthorpe, Manchester United's Paul Tierney at Crewe and Arsenal duo Graham Stack and Graham Barrett at Belgian club Beveren and Brighton respectively.
Givens continued: "There comes a stage in all the young players' careers when they need experience of playing competitive games.
"Cliff Byrne is one example - he can't learn any more in the reserves and has done a good job at Scunthorpe since going out on loan.
"There are a few others who have also benefited and there are others who could benefit from going out on loan."
This will be the Republic's first Under 21st get-together since October's 3-2 defeat by Switzerland in Kilkenny.
Squad: Murphy (West Brom), Stack (Beveren), Brennan (Newcastle), Goodwin (Stockport), Thompson (Nottm For), Byrne (Scunthorpe), Butler (Sunderland), Paisley (Man City), Tierney (Crewe), Dempsey (Dunfermline), Miller (Celtic), Melligan (Kidderminster), Thornton (Sunderland), Daly (Stockport), Reid (Nottm For), Barrett (Brighton), Hoolahan (Shelbourne), Hunt (Dunfermline).