QPR and Ireland midfielder Joe Hodge, speaking alongside Loftus Road teammate Sinclair Armstrong, also outlined his senior international ambitions.
One played with a shoulder that was hanging by a thread and the other raced from Dublin to Cork just after his senior Ireland debut.
“I was struggling a bit,” recalled the 21-year-old. “It came out twice in the week before the Latvia game, so I was just doing my best to get through the game.As much as he battled through the pain barrier to get through the Latvia game, the injury kept Hodge out of the next window - a defeat in Norway and a draw at home to Italy.
As for striker Armstrong, he made his senior Ireland debut as a substitute in the September defeat to the Netherlands,“Listen, it’s all about commitment,” said Armstrong. “As soon as I got the text after the game saying the gaffer wanted me down, all I wanted to do was leave Castleknock as soon as possible and get straight down to Cork.
Next up for the 21s is a trip to Serravalle on March 22 to take on group minnows San Marino, while Italy are at home to Latvia on the same day. “We still want to make it right, what happened in Israel last year,” said Hodge, recalling the play-off penalty shootout heartache last time out. As for the former Shamrock Rovers prospect, he opened his senior account in a 2-1 win away to Cardiff last August. He has followed that up with goals against Bournemouth, Millwall and Leicester.
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