Ireland will play just one game less in June this year than they did in the same month last year: friendlies with Mexico and Uruguay on either side of the Atlantic before the crucial World Cup qualifier with Austria.
Martin O'Neill named a 38-man squad for these games earlier today, with the only surprising inclusion that of Burnley defender Kevin Long. The squad's second Long made his first Premier League start last weekend, eight years after joining the club from Cork City.
Otherwise, it;s as you were, with David McGoldrick and Kevin Doyle among the forwards once again. This is despite the good form of Cork City's Seán Maguire, and Cillian Sheridan, who recently joined Polish league leaders Jagiellonia Białystok, and has scored six goals and created another four in his first ten games.
O'Neill told the media that Maguire and Sheridan were both under consideration, but that others are ahead of them in the pecking order.
He [Sheridan] was in consideration, but other people are ahead of him at this moment. I will keep monitoring Sean Maguire, as I will with other players who haven't made the squad. We are preparing for the games at this minute and it's good to see him do well but there are are other players in front of him.
There's no reason why he can't make it, a couple of lads from the League of Ireland have made it before but there are players ahead of him, with experience as much as anything else, something we will need to draw on against Austria.
O'Neill also admitted that Scott Hogan, the Aston Villa striker long since linked with a call-up to the Irish squad is likely to declare for England.
The Irish manager revealed that he has had a "short conversation" with the player's agent, and that he is "not necessarily" positive that it will lead to Hogan choosing Ireland.
