END-OF-SEASON international friendlies can often be a bit of a chore for players.
Not for Newcastle United goalkeeper Rob Elliot. The 28-year-old, who is uncapped at senior level for Ireland, is getting married next month and had arranged to travel with 16 friends to Las Vegas for his stag party.
The Ireland manager is in Waterford this afternoon to finalise the group he will work with over the coming weeks and Elliot will be there as third choice alongside David Forde and Darren Randolph.
With the chance to make his debut for the Boys in Green, Elliot will give the lads holiday a miss and instead link up with the squad. But that’s not stopping his mates from going.
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“All the lads are heading off without me,” Elliot told Newcastle’s website. ”We planned the stag do more than a year ago, before I had any involvement with Ireland.
“You don’t think that far ahead but in football you never know what’s around the corner.
At least there’s a good reason why I’m not going on my own stag do, and I will be able to look back at it and laugh.
“I’ve had quite a bit of stick from my mates but you can’t put a price on international football.
“You have to make sacrifices and I would never jeopardise my chance of playing for my country.”
Last June, both Shane Long and Aiden McGeady arranged weddings around the time of international games and Elliot explains that he has been given special permission to be absent from the Italy game in order to exchange vows.
“My wedding is right in the middle of it,” explained Elliot.
“So I’ve spoken to the manager and goalkeeping coach, who have both been really good about the situation.
“I’ve been given a few days off for the wedding, which means I miss one match against Italy, and am then able to meet back up with the squad after.
“The wedding and stag do were planned before I’d even got in the squad, so you have to deal with it as it comes.
“My fiancée is okay with it all and says it’s a good opportunity for me.
We’ve delayed the honeymoon and she will meet me out in America after the final games to start from there.
“It’s not what we’d planned but we will still enjoy it.”
Rob Elliot is missing his own stag party for Ireland duty... but his mates are still going
END-OF-SEASON international friendlies can often be a bit of a chore for players.
Not for Newcastle United goalkeeper Rob Elliot. The 28-year-old, who is uncapped at senior level for Ireland, is getting married next month and had arranged to travel with 16 friends to Las Vegas for his stag party.
However, the Magpies’ standby stopper has since been named in Martin O’Neill’s extended squad for the summer friendlies against Turkey (Sunday), Italy (31 May), Costa Rica (6 June) and Portugal (10 June).
The Ireland manager is in Waterford this afternoon to finalise the group he will work with over the coming weeks and Elliot will be there as third choice alongside David Forde and Darren Randolph.
With the chance to make his debut for the Boys in Green, Elliot will give the lads holiday a miss and instead link up with the squad. But that’s not stopping his mates from going.
“All the lads are heading off without me,” Elliot told Newcastle’s website. ”We planned the stag do more than a year ago, before I had any involvement with Ireland.
“You don’t think that far ahead but in football you never know what’s around the corner.
“I’ve had quite a bit of stick from my mates but you can’t put a price on international football.
“You have to make sacrifices and I would never jeopardise my chance of playing for my country.”
Last June, both Shane Long and Aiden McGeady arranged weddings around the time of international games and Elliot explains that he has been given special permission to be absent from the Italy game in order to exchange vows.
“My wedding is right in the middle of it,” explained Elliot.
“So I’ve spoken to the manager and goalkeeping coach, who have both been really good about the situation.
“I’ve been given a few days off for the wedding, which means I miss one match against Italy, and am then able to meet back up with the squad after.
“The wedding and stag do were planned before I’d even got in the squad, so you have to deal with it as it comes.
“My fiancée is okay with it all and says it’s a good opportunity for me.
“It’s not what we’d planned but we will still enjoy it.”
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