Walsall midfielder Ronan Maher has enjoyed a fruitful week on international duty with Republic of Ireland Under 19s.
Ireland won all three of their first round UEFA European Under-19 Championship Qualifiers with victories over Gibraltar, Wales and Hungary as they secured their passage through to the Elite Phase.
The 17-year-old came off the bench against Gibraltar and started against Wales in the second match.
He made a positive contribution in both matches and thoroughly enjoyed being involved.
“It was brilliant,” Maher said.
“I arrived there on the Sunday after the Leyton Orient match.
“There was a squad of 20 there, myself and John Clarke from Reading were the two new ones to the group so we were greeted by the players, welcomed in and got to know the lads on Sunday night.
“We trained Monday and Tuesday before our first game against Gibraltar on the Wednesday. I started on the bench, came on in the 60th minute and got two assists so I made an impact and everyone was happy with the 6-0 win.
“On Saturday, I started against Wales, did well in that and I was on all the set pieces. We won 2-0 and we knew we qualified after that so we everyone was buzzing.
“On Tuesday we played Hungary, I didn’t play in that game as some people didn’t play in the first two games so they got a full game in that one. We beat Hungary 1-0 so we finished top of the group with nine points, nine goals scored and zero conceded so we go into the Elite Phase as a really strong team.”
It was a good learning experience for Maher who is keen to keep his place in the squad for the Elite Phase round.
He also enjoyed working with the coaches and feels he has benefited a lot from the experience with his country.
“I’ve gained lots of experiences and lessons from it,” Maher commented.
“We have a good Assistant Coach in Jon Walters who gave good information, especially because he was an attacker and he helped me a lot. He was doing the set pieces as well.
“Tom Mohan, the Head Coach, he was brilliant as well. He brought me in for my first international cap so I couldn’t be more grateful.
“It’s different to any other Under 19s football in the world because it’s the best people from each country so it’s the top level.
"It was quite technical, ball on the floor and how to break teams down, especially against Gibraltar because they played a low block so it’s how we can break them down with one or two touch combinations to get past them whereas Wales, it was equal so it was a bit of brilliance from an individual which was what we needed so I gained a lot of lessons and experiences from it.
“I spoke to the Head Coach just as we finished and I thanked him for the opportunity.
“He said I had a great attitude and told me to keep doing what I’m doing at my club and we’ll see what happens when he picks his next squad for the Elite Phase. I’ve come back now and I want to get as much game time so I can get into the squad again for the Elite Phase.”