Josh Cullen in action against Cobh Ramblers and, inset, Corey Sheridan and Gavin McAteer
Three Donegal men have been named in the Republic of Ireland squad for the upcoming Under-17 World Cup being held in Qatar.
Finn Harps trio Gavin McAteer, Josh Cullen, and Corey Sheridan have all been named in Colin O’Brien’s squad for the competition, which will be run from November 3-27.
Milford native McAteer has been a regular in the squad over the last year and a half since making his First Division debut at 15, making 45 league appearances since, as he scored his first goal at Finn Park last month against Wexford.
McAteer was part of the squad that qualified for the competition, assisting one of the goals in their 5-0 win over Iceland, which confirmed second spot and a best placed runner-up in their Group.
Donegal Town man Cullen made his debut this season for the Ballybofey-based club and has been a mainstay in the team, playing across the backline and in midfield, also netting his first goal this season in the FAI Cup win over Bray Wanderers in Finn Park in August.
Cullen made his Ireland debut in June against Norway.
Ballyshannon native Sheridan caught the attention of O’Brien as he came into the Finn Harps team in June, keeping four clean sheets in his first four games.
Sheridan had previously represented Northern Ireland at underage level, but changed allegiances over the summer.
Along with Shamrock Rovers, who also have three players named in the squad, Finn Harps are the best represented club in the 21-man squad.
Finn Harps boss Kevin McHugh admitted it’s a massive day for the club to have three players named in the squad and credited their youth clubs for helping to make it such a big day for the county.
“As a football club, this is as big as it gets in terms of news,” McHugh told DonegalLive.
“International call-ups are massive but if we were to get one of the boys on the plane to Qatar, it would have been massive but to get three in, it tells its own story.
“We’re absolutely delighted for the players themselves and their families and the clubs they came from, Donegal Town, Erne Wanderers and Milford United and the input they’ve had, it’s big for them and a big day for football in Donegal.
“It’s a huge credit to the coaches who have worked with these boys all through the years in the academy.
“When Ian (Harkin) came in all these years ago as chairman, his first job was to try and turn things around in terms of sustainability and make sure there’s a club for many decades to come because we were going down a road that wasn’t sustainable in modern day League of Ireland.
“The second job was making sure we put time and investment into our academy, and something has to show, so I think that is there for all to see over the last number of years.
“By properly focusing on the development of these players, it’s okay to give players debuts and any club can do that, but to give them that many minutes and throw them back in again, regardless of their performance, you have to reassure them that they’re good enough for this level, and that’s the way you properly develop players.
“I’ve no doubt that those 16 and 17 year olds that have been in our team this year, that’s the reason they’re going to be on the plane to Qatar, by playing senior men's football compared to a lot of their peers around the country and in the UK.
“It’s a credit to everything we’re trying to do at the club and it really reassures us that we’re going in the right direction and hopefully it’s the start of things to come.”
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Ireland will begin their Group J campaign against Panama on November 5, before taking on Uzbekistan three days later. They will conclude their group against Paraguay on November 11, with the top two teams going through automatically to the last 32, along with the eight best third placed teams.
McHugh also praised the Finn Harps fans for their support throughout the season to help the trio make the squad
“We want to build on this, and we want to wish the boys the best and I’m sure everyone involved in football in Donegal and the North West will be tuned into the games when they’re live on TV, so it’s an exciting couple of weeks for the boys and the club in general.
“The Finn Harps supporters have played a huge part in this. We’ve had good runs and bad runs this year and during the bad runs, these kids were in the team, and there was nothing but support from the terraces, and that means everything for their development.
“They are proper supporters of the team, regardless of performances or our position in the league, they’ve really supported them and they can be proud to go and watch three of the current players in a World Cup.”
Republic of Ireland Men’s Under-17 FIFA World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: George Moloney (Southampton), Alex Noonan (Shamrock Rovers), Corey Sheridan (Finn Harps).
Defenders: Ryan Butler (Wexford), Josh Cullen (Finn Harps), Vinnie Leonard (Dundalk), Ade Solanke (FC Lorient), Oisin McDonagh (Venezia), Finn Sherlock (Hoffenheim), Sean Spaight (Dundalk).
Midfielders: Rory Finneran (Newcastle United), Ramon Martos (UD Almeria), Grady McDonnell (Club Brugge), Kian McMahon-Brown (Burnley), Goodness Ogbonna (UCD), Victor Ozhianvuna (Shamrock Rovers).
Forwards: Max Kovalevskis (Shamrock Rovers), Brody Lee (Cork City), Gavin McAteer (Finn Harps), Michael Noonan (Shamrock Rovers), Jaden Umeh (SL Benfica).
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