Ireland hit with major defensive injury blow ahead of Bosnia play-off

Martin O'Neill's brow has just got more furrowed.

https://twitter.com/CaulkinTheTimes/status/663049213782138880 The Ireland manager is already trying to figure out how to try and stop Bosnia on Friday in the opening leg of our Euro 2016 play-off without Jonathan Walters and John O'Shea who miss the game through suspension. Losing two key players for the first leg would have been bad enough, but at least Walters will be back for the second game. Unfortunately O'Shea has, according to his manager Sam Allardyce at least, no chance of playing against Bosnia due to his ongoing injury woes that has seen him getting treatment on a hamstring injury picked up on duty for his club. Speaking after today's 1-0 loss to Southamapton, the Sunderland boss confirmed that the Waterford native will not be fit for the second leg at the Aviva on November 16th after injuring the muscle again in training on Friday,

“No, I don’t think so, but he will be talking to them. I wouldn’t have thought that, with the recurrence in his hamstring, he would be anywhere near available “He’s not been able to get fit for us in two weeks, so he’s not going to get fit with a hamstring in 10 days. Sadly for us today, he was missing and sadly for them.”

The Ireland squad are due to assemble in Dublin on Sunday night but it seems likely that O'Shea will not travel which leaves Ireland looking likely to stick with the same defensive partnership that could start Friday's match for the return leg three days later. Already Ireland are without Shay Given for both games,while Shane Long is also rated as doubtful for next weekend. But at least Daryl Murphy is in good goalscoring form.