Four Finn Harps youngsters are on the Republic of Ireland Schools team that faces Scotland tonight in the Centenary Shield at Somerset Park in Ayr (7pm).
Lee McLaughlin, Jack Doherty, Corey McBride and Daragh Ellison are all on the Irish squad, managed by Finn Harps coach William O’Connor.
Finn Harps senior manager Ollie Horgan is on the backroom team while Milford man and Harps underage physio Mickey McGlynn is also with the Irish side.
McLaughlin, Doherty, McBride and Ellison are all members of Joe Boyle Harps Under-19 panel.
McLaughlin, Doherty and McBride are all from Carndonagh Community School and played in the winning Carn CS team in the Dr Tony O’Neill Cup final.
Ellison (pictured) is a student at St Eunan’s College and was last year’s SSE Airtricity Under-17 League Player of the Year.
This will be the Irish scholar’s first competitive outing while Scotland will be looking to get some valuable points on the board having suffered a narrow one-nil defeat away to Northern Ireland and a two-nil defeat against England at home last week.
Last season, O’Connor’s Ireland enjoyed a three one victory over Scotland to lift the Centenary Shield in Home Farm FC last April.
Following the outing on Thursday, the Republic will have three games on the bounce with England coming to town on April 12. This will be followed a week later with a short trip to Belfast to entertain Northern Ireland who are currently enjoying top spot in the table while our campaign ends with a Welsh visit to Dublin on April 25.
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