Glenn Bags Irish Stepping Stone

Wednesday midfielder Glenn Whelan has been rewarded for his fine form by bagging a Republic of Ireland B call-up - and has the chance to move up to the full squad if he impresses.

The Owls midfielder has been in top form for Wednesday this season, and has also attracted the interest of a number of other clubs for his signature.

And the former Manchester City trainee has been selected in the Republic of Ireland B squad to face their Scottish counterparts in Airdrie on November 20.

And although a call-up for the 'B' squad may not be the full monty, manager Pat Devlin has insisted that impressive performances against the Scots could well result in a full squad call-up.

'This B friendly against is a considerable opportunity for every member of this 18-man squad,' Devlin told the Sheffield Star.

'Eight of the players who featured in our first B international last November have since received full caps in Euro 2008 qualification and friendlies.

'It is always a difficult task to narrow an international squad down to 18 as we have a big pool of talented players. I think it is important that we continue working on extending the B schedule, because at senior level sometimes you do not get the opportunity to blood young players.

'We now have that chance to give vital experience to these lads.'

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