Dan hopes for Kenny call

Kenny will next week name his squad for this month's U21 championship qualifiers against Italy (home) and Luxembourg (away), competition for places intense as players like Aaron Connolly and Troy Parrott may drop back down to the U21s after a spell with the senior squad.

Mandroiu was in the squad, but didn't feature, in the November qualifiers but the former St Kevin's Boys player has enjoyed a superb start to 2020, three goals in four starts for Bohs, the most recent in Friday's derby win at home to Shelbourne.

"It's an honour to play for your country and I just hope I get picked," says Mandroiu.

"That's three goals in five games, four starts, for me, some of those games were live on TV so hopefully the manager is watching.

"It's hard to get into that squad, you are up against top-class players in good leagues but I hope that if I keep doing what I am doing here for Bohs it will be enough.

"We have two big games on the way with the U21s and I'd love to play a part."

Mandroiu got the second goal in the 2-0 win over Shels, insisting the goal was his even though some felt that team-mate Danny Grant got the final touch.

"That's my goal, he is claiming it but no way is Danny getting that one," he joked, Mandroiu's lob going over the head of keeper Jack Brady as Grant tried to get a head to it.

"It's always good to score. We didn't have the best of starts against Shels and got a bit of a bollocking off the manager at half time, we deserved it as we were well below our best.

"It took us a while to get into the game but once we got a grip we were a lot better in the second half and a clean sheet was a bonus."