DONEGAL PAIR Tyler Toland and Amy Boyle Carr have been selected for the Republic of Ireland Schools Under-15 Girls squad to take on Northern Ireland in a friendly this weekend.
Manager Lorraine Counihan has named Toland and Boyle Carr in a panel that takes on their Northern counterparts in what is a warm-up fixture ahead of the Bob Docherty Tournament, scheduled for April.
A total of 68 players took part in the interprovincial series in November with both Toland and Boyle Carr surviving the cut.
Toland has been injured of late and has only just returned to training. While the St Johnston woman, who plays for Maiden City Academy, is back in action, she remains a doubt for the weekend’s game.
Toland missed Deele College’s run to the Ulster Senior Schools final as a result of her injury and hasn’t played competitively since December, but will be aiming to be at full-tilt for the Tournament in April.
Boyle Carr also missed the recent friendly against the MGL Under-16s, but the Donegal Town FC player and St Columba’s Glenties student is expected to feature on Saturday at Oriel Park.
“I am delighted to have so many familiar faces return to the set-up,” Counihan said.
“There are several young players that have forced their way into the squad through some hard work over the last few months and I am looking forward to seeing them stake their claims to a starting eleven position as it’s all to play for on Saturday.
“We are well aware of the talent at England and Scotland’s disposal but the girls will give to everything in the tournament. The main thing is for the girls to enjoy their first real taste of International football in this setting”.
Next up for the Schools select is a trip to Manchester in early March as they take on England Schools in another friendly at Bury FC.
They will have one final training session following that outing as the squad meet in Dublin on Saturday, March 19.
The finishing touches will be applied to the squad before they travel to Wales for the International series.
