Central defender proud of return to ROI squad.
Richard Keogh says he hopes to be part of ‘the new era’ with the Republic of Ireland after being named in the provisional 29 man squad for their upcoming friendly with Serbia.Barring a medial knee ligament injury earlier this season which left the centre-back sidelined for five games, Keogh has been an ever-present fixture in the side’s back four, partnering Jake Buxton at the heart of the defence.
Keogh has two Ireland caps to his name thus far, the last of which came against Georgia in May 2013, when he scored on his full debut, and under the new management set-up of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane, the 27-year-old says he is eager to be part of the duo’s plans heading into qualification for Euro 2016.
He told Rams Player:“Serbia have got some great players and a few of them are in the Premier League. But that is why you want to play international football – you want to play against great teams and great players.
“It is a new era for the senior team and I think it is an exciting time to be part of the set-up.
“I spoke to him [Martin O’Neil] before the FA Cup game against Chelsea that he came to watch, and we had a nice chat. He didn’t have to come and talk to me but he found the time to do that, which was nice and it shows what kind of a character and a man he is.
“My first start [for Ireland] was a bit of a whirlwind really; scoring an international goal is something I dreamt of as a kid.
“To score on my first ever start is something that will live with me for the rest of my life. It was a proud moment and a good performance from the team and hopefully I can build on that.”
With attentions on Club football this weekend, Derby County face AFC Bournemouth at the iPro Stadium, with the Rams going into the game off the back of two straight 1-0 victories over Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday.
Last time the two sides met earlier in the season, Steve McClaren’s men garnered all three points with Jamie Ward’s goal proving decisive at the Goldsands Stadium.
However, Keogh believes the Cherries have improved since when the two teams met in November last year and admits the attacking threats of Matt Ritchie, Lewis Grabban and Brett Pitman are players to be wary of.
He added: “It will be a totally different game compared to Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday. Eddie Howe likes his teams to play football and they have got some great players.
“They have adapted to the Championship now and they have got good footballing ability in their team.
“We are expecting a tough game. It was tough when we went down there earlier in the season but we got a good win in the end. But we remain confident and we have had a good few weeks behind us now."
Watch the full pre-match interview with Richard Keogh on Rams Player.