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Martin O'Neill hopeful of "boost" for League of Ireland after Dundalk duo selection

Martin O'Neill hopes calling up Dundalk duo Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle will be of benefit to the...



Martin O'Neill hopeful of...
Soccer

Martin O'Neill hopeful of "boost" for League of Ireland after Dundalk duo selection

Martin O'Neill hopes calling up Dundalk duo Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle will be of benefit to the League of Ireland in both the short and long-term.

The winger and centre-back were recognised for their exemplary form domestically in the League of Ireland as well as in the Champions League qualifiers and Europa League for Dundalk.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's Ireland's 2018 World Cup qualifier against Austria, O'Neill spoke positively about how recognition of Irish domestic players could have a good knock-on effect.

"Hopefully, it's a boost for the league and obviously for the players themselves," he said.

Seamus Coleman ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

"The two players have deserved their call-up, probably because of their exploits in European football. Dundalk, their team, have done fantastically well. They're still fighting in the Europa League, so I think it's a great boost not only for them but obviously for the League of Ireland back home." 

Ireland captain Seamus Coleman, who started out in the League of Ireland with Sligo Rovers before transferring to Everton, is well aware of the Austria danger men to look out for on Saturday in Vienna.

"It's obviously going to be a very tough game. We found it difficult to come here in the past and obviously the players that we're aware of and played against a few times is [Marko] Arnautovic, who's a good player, strong player. And obviously they've got David Alaba, who's a world class player. So they've got top players and it's going to be a very tough game for us tomorrow. But we're looking forward to it," said the right-back. 

With reports that there could be some snow in Vienna overnight which could have some impact on conditions, Coleman is taking that in his stride.

"As footballers, you've just got to adapt to the conditions," he said.

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