Soccer Under-21 European Championships: Like senior boss Brian Kerr, Don Givens is looking for a dramatic improvement from his under-21 side against Switzerland at Tolka Park tonight as the Irish attempt to wrap up what has been a disappointing European Championship campaign with a win.
Ireland are seven points adrift of the Swiss who are only third in the Group Four table but Givens, who must make a couple of changes after losing Darren Potter (suspension) and Keith Keane (injury), feels that in front of a home crowd, pride should be motivation enough to inspire a better pereformances than Friday's.
"I'll certainly be looking for more out of most of them than I saw (in the 1-1 draw) against Cyprus ," said Givens yesterday.
"If we don't manage that then they're in for a bit of an awakening because this Swiss side will be a lot better than the one that we faced over the weekend."
Derry City's Kevin Deery, who joined up with the squad on Sunday, goes straight into the team for Keane while Glen Whelan of Sheffield Wednesday replaces the suspended Liverpool midfielder.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND UNDER-21: Henderson (Brighton); Deery (Derry City), McShane (Brighton), Fitzgerald (Bury), Painter (Birmingham City); Flood (Coventry City), O'Brien (Bolton), Whelan (Sheffield Wednesday), McGeady (Celtic); Tabb (Brentford), Ward (Bohemians).
