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Elliot Hopeful Of Euros Trip
Written by Newcastle Utd
Rob Elliot hopes his return to the United starting line-up will aid his claim for a regular spot with Ireland, too
By Dominic Scurr
Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Rob Elliot is hoping his recent return to the Newcastle United starting line-up will aid his claim for a regular spot in the national side.
Elliot stepped up for the Magpies' 6-2 home victory over Norwich city on Sunday - the same day Ireland were drawn against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Euro 2016 play-offs.
And with fellow stoppers Tim Krul and Karl Darlow both currently sidelined by respective knee and ankle injuries, Elliot now has the opportunity to get some regular Premier League football under his belt ahead of next month's crucial play-off tie.
"I've been trying to get opportunities to play and now I've got one," the former Charlton man told nufc.co.uk.
"Now I have to make sure I maintain it and hopefully in the long run, that will help me stay in the Ireland squad as well.
"The (Ireland) manager (Martin O'Neill) has told me a few times that I need to be playing and it's totally understandable.
"Firstly, I have to be doing well for Newcastle because if I don't do well then I won't get a chance for my country."
The Irish international also assessed his side's chances of qualifying for next summer's tournament in France following the play-off draw.
"Bosnia is a really tough draw for us," Elliot continued.
"Then again, it's always going to be difficult at international level because all of the nations still looking to qualify are top teams.
"The big positive for us is that we've got the second leg at home, which hopefully we can use to our advantage. On our day we can beat anyone - we've proved that with our recent results.
"We recently beat Germany which goes to show that we're a top quality team with a great team spirit.
"We've just got to go and believe in ourselves, give it our best and hopefully we will get to the finals in France next summer."