West Brom minnow gets Irish Call

West Bromwich Albion defender Paul McShane has been called up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad for next month's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Cyprus and the Czech Republic.

McShane, who left Manchester United to join the Baggies in August, has been a regular at under-21 level, scoring one of the goals as Don Givens's side defeated Greece in a Uefa qualifier last month.

With his time in the under-21 now at an end, the 20-year-old earned a debut call-up to the senior squad when Steve Staunton named a 25-man squad on Monday lunchtime.

Staunton said: "Paul is an excellent prospect and he has greatly benefited from his move to West Brom after successful loan spells at Walsall and Brighton last season.

"We are developing a team for the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign and I want players like Paul battling to be part of that. While we want to win every game and will be trying hard to qualify for Euro 2008, the main priority is building a squad capable of mounting a serious challenge in two years' time."

Other notable inclusions are Charlton Athletic midfielder Andy Reid and Ipswich Town striker Alan Lee.

Reid has been out of action for the past fortnight with a hamstring injury but earns a recall having missed out on a place in the squad to take on Germany, while Lee also makes a return to the Irish set-up after a fine run of form, including a match-winning brace against Sunderland on Saturday.

Barnsley's Nick Colgan replaces first-choice goalkeeper Shay Given, who is out for up to two months after surgery to repair a perforated bowel - Sheffield United's Paddy Kenny, who has also been sidelined through injury for the past two weeks, will, fitness permitting, be given the starting role for Ireland next month.

Among those omitted from the squad are Norwich City's Gary Doherty, who had been called up for the first time under Staunton for the game in Stuttgart, and Birmingham City defender Stephen Kelly, who has been struggling with a calf injury for the past three weeks.