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Irish Eyes Are Smiling
Written by Newcastle Utd
There was good news for Newcastle United pair Rob Elliot and Michael Newberry on Monday
By Dan King - Newcastle United Digital Editor
The Republic of Ireland booked their place at Euro 2016 with a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday night.
And that means Rob Elliot could join the ranks of the Newcastle players at the European Championships in France next summer.
The Magpies goalkeeper was not part of the squad for Ireland's play-off double header due to the thigh injury which has troubled him in recent weeks.
West Ham's Darren Randolph instead kept goal for the two legs as Martin O'Neill's men drew 1-1 in Zenica on Friday before sealing their qualification in Dublin.
But with Tim Krul ruled out for the season, Elliot knows that if he can hang onto the Newcastle number one shirt - and continue to perform as he did in the 1-0 win at Bournemouth - he could be part of the Ireland squad for the finals.
The 29-year-old has won three caps for his country since making his international debut against Turkey in May 2014.
Last month, he told Newcastle's official matchday programme: "There's five of us goalkeepers who have been regularly in the fold but you just hope to get opportunities to play, show what you can do and impress the manager.
"To be part of a major tournament would be an amazing thing.
"If you are playing for your club then you have more chance of representing your country. With Tim's injury, I hope I can get some games for Newcastle and then build a platform for myself from there."
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland's under-19s were also celebrating on Monday - despite losing 2-0 to Slovakia.
They qualified for the Elite Round of the UEFA European Under-19 Championships as Group Nine runners-up, with Newcastle youngster Michael Newberry playing in all three games.