Able deputies aplenty, but Moran's absence still a case of what might have been
How the Republic of Ireland U21s could have done with a player like Andrew Moran.
Ok, well, that wasn’t really their issue against Norway on Friday when they were beaten 3-2 or against Italy on Tuesday when they led twice only to be pegged back twice.
But still, it is a case of what might have been had the talented Blackburn Rovers midfielder, who is on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion, featured in those two potentially decisive U21 European Championship qualifiers.
With seconds remaining at Turner’s Cross on Tuesday night, Ireland were top of Group A, two points clear of Italy in second and three points clear of Norway in third.
But by the time the final whistle was blown against the Italians, Leeds United’s Wilfried Gnonto’s injury-time leveller, his second goal of the evening, changed the complexion of the standings and the mood on Leeside.
The Group will likely be decided by the finest of margins once it finally concludes. Maybe it will come down to the Moran factor.
But as the Dubliner continues to impress with Blackburn, his future may potentially lie with the Ireland seniors and the Ireland seniors only, regardless of whom ultimately replaces Stephen Kenny.
If that is to be the case, Ireland’s young guns need to prove they have enough about them to compete against the best. And they did.
“He's been excellent but as soon as Andy was gone, as ruthless as it sounds, he's gone from us. We need to concentrate, we got Adam Murphy in, and we need to get our heads down,” insisted Crawford recently.
In an interesting twist of fate that’s the same Adam Murphy who had initially been called up by the Republic of Ireland U19s for their crucial European Championship qualifiers against Albania, Slovenia and Belgium only to be
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