Oisin Gallagher has been called up to the Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad for their upcoming European Championship qualification fixtures.
The midfielder will join the Ireland Under-21 setup for their March training camp, with fixtures scheduled against Moldova Under-21 and Kazakhstan Under-21 as they continue their qualification campaign.
Gallagher has previously represented his country at Under-19 level, earning six caps, and this call-up marks his first involvement with the Under-21 squad. The camp represents an opportunity for the City youngster to continue his international development while gaining experience at a higher age group.
Gallagher is currently on loan at Boston United, where he has become a key figure for the Pilgrims. He played centre back under Graham Coughlan, but has recently shifted into midfield under new boss Paul Hurst. He’s played 2066 minutes since his move and has become a solid and functional part of their squad.
Irish duty calls
He now breaks for Irish duty, with his nation currently chasing qualification for the European Under-21 Championship and looking to close the gap on England and Slovakia in their group. The upcoming fixtures will be important as they attempt to keep pace with the group leaders heading into the latter stages of the campaign.
Gallagher could make his Under-21 debut when Ireland host Moldova at Tallaght Stadium on Thursday, 26 March, with kick-off scheduled for 5.15 pm. The second fixture of the international break will see Ireland travel to face Kazakhstan at the Turkistan Arena on Tuesday, 31 March, with kick-off at 3 pm.
This call-up is massive for Oisin, who has had a tough time in recent seasons. Billed as a huge talent, he picked up a nasty injury on loan at Boston and was ruled out for a while, which set back his progress. He’s made sporadic appearances in the Imps team, usually in the EFL Trophy, but has finally got a run of senior games at a decent level.
International recognition is, hopefully, confirmation that one of our big hopes for the future is now reaching his potential, which can only be a good thing, even if the next move is a Football League loan.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | +13 | 15 |
| 2 | Slovakia | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 13 |
| 3 | Republic of Ireland | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 7 |
| 4 | Andorra | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 6 |
| 5 | Kazakhstan | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 4 |
| 6 | Moldova | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 12 | -5 | 4 |
In other international news, there is some ambiguity as to whether Reeco Hackett has been called up by St Lucia. The club confirmed this last week, which contradicted their official tweet on the subject. However, in today’s press release, it’s noted that three Imps could be in action this weekend, Varfolomeev, Conteh and Oné, with no mention of Reeco.