Striker injuries provide opportunity for ‘impressive’ Afolabi and ‘meteoric’ Armstrong according to Stephen Kenny

Jonathan Afolabi in action against Derry City last month

Jonathan Afolabi in action against Derry City last month Credit: Martin Doherty (ETPhotos)

Macdara Ferris reports from FAI HQ in Abbotstown.

The loss of Brighton & Hove Albion hat-trick hero Evan Ferguson due to injury last week was a major blow to the chances of the Boys in Green qualifying for next summer’s Euros.

Coupled with other missing players and Will Keane’s short cameo in Ireland’s 2-0 loss in Paris ending in injury, it means that with Ireland’s striking options limited it means that Stephen Kenny has drafted in fresh talent squad for Sunday’s game against the Netherlands.

Bohemians striker Jonathan Ofolabi and QPR striker Sinclair Armstrong got the late call to join up this weekend.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Ireland boss Stephen Kenny described Afolabi’s time with Bohs as ‘very impressive this year’ and described the Rangers player rise as ‘quite meteoric’.

Afolabi is one goal off the top scorer spot in the League of Ireland having netted 11 goals. He has been in a superb form in the second half of the season.

The 23-year-old has scored 11 in the last 13 league and cup games for the Gypsies (although he only has one in the last three having been shut out by St. Patrick’s Athletic and Shamrock Rovers in the last couple of Dublin derbies).   

It has taken time for 23-year-old Afolabi to get his career back on track and Kenny talked about seeing him perform previously on the international underage stage.

“I was at the Euro championships a few years ago, the U19s, when he was voted the third best player at the European Championships,” said Kenny. “He was in the team of the European Championships, and subsequently played Under-21 level.

“Everyone wanted to sign him then, he chose to go to Celtic, it didn’t work out. But he’s rejuvenated himself at Bohemians and been very, very impressive this year.”



For Sinclair Armstrong, he made his first team debut as a 15-year-old with Shamrock Rovers in an FAI Cup tie away to Drogheda United. He played with the Rovers II team in the First Division for a season before making the move to QPR.  

It took him some time to break into the first team but Kenny noted that “he played for QPR in the Championship this year consistently, his rise has been quite meteoric.”

The 20-year-old player has established himself as a fan favourite at Loftus Road. 

 

“We probably wouldn’t have anticipated him moving so quickly into the first team, but obviously with Evan Ferguson, Michael Obafemi, Troy Parrott, Callum Robinson, they were some of the strikers we were building the team around...so it’s an opportunity for Sinclair, because he has performed very well for QPR.

"He has attributes we can certainly use, he has done very well at Championship level.”  

About Macdara Ferris

Macdara Ferris is a contributor since 2007 to Hoops Scene (Shamrock Rovers' match day programme) and is the co-author of two books on Shamrock Rovers - 'Tallaght Time: Shamrock Rovers 2009 to 2012' (with Karl … View Full Profile