With the play-off for Euro 2020 a month away, a lot of the recent discussion on the squad Mick McCarthy is set to announce on March 13th has been on the strikers - will Troy Parrott be named, has Shane Long's recent form earned him a recall, will David McGoldrick be recovered in time, can Aaron Connolly get back into the Brighton starting XI, does Scott Hogan's recent good form count, etc.
However, we think another conversation should be happening - who is going to be in goals against Slovakia?
Since the final whistle was blown against Denmark in November, first choice Darren Randolph played once for Middlesbrough before a thigh injury sidelined him. On recovering, he earned a move to Premier League side West Ham during the January transfer window. Unfortunately the Bray native has only appeared three times for the Hammers since the move, with his last appearance coming a month ago against West Brom in the FA Cup.
Mark Travers was named on the bench against Denmark, and has had a similar player record to Randolph since November - appearing three times for Bournemouth, twice in the FA Cup and once in the Premier League. Fellow unused substitute against the Danes Kieran O'Hara has played more games than any other number 1 since then, he's named in the starting XI for loan side Burton Albion, 21 times since that night in Aviva stadium. The Brewers currently sit twelfth in League One.
Looking at the other Irish goalkeepers playing outside Ireland, only five men - James McKeown, Jack Bonham, Max O'Leary, Danny Rogers, and Conrad Logan - have ten or more appearances since November, and none of them at a higher level than mid-table in England's third tier.
Of the other players capped at, or called up to, senior international level, Joe Murphy has appeared six times for Shrewsbury Town, Kristiansund's Sean McDermott's season ended in early December, and the Norwegian 2020 season will not kick off until early April. Caoimhin Kelleher has played twice for Liverpool, but is expected to be on U21 duty, and Kieren Westwood clarified on Twitter recently why he has not appeared for Sheffield Wednesday since the end of November.
So, with all that in mind - do we have a goalkeeping crisis?
Who would you like to see named in the squad?
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