Defender still holds Irish ambitions

Reading defender Alex Pearce has admitted he still hopes he can make it into the Republic of Ireland squad, hoping Premier League football will give him more of a spotlight to impress.

Despite appearing for Scotland U21s on two occasions, the 23-year old has publicly stated his loyalty to Ireland, which he earns through his father. Pearce is now one of the key members of the Reading squad, after working his way up through the academy and also won the Player of the Season award last campaign, with the Royals having the best defence in the league.

Speaking to the Official Reading FC website, Pearce said: ‘I`m dying for an opportunity to get that first call up and show Mr Trapattoni what I can do. It would be a dream come true to pull on the Irish jersey. It`s something that I`ve been dreaming about for a while now. I represented Ireland at under 14 level a while ago, which a lot of people don`t know.’

‘In the Premier League you get much more media coverage, you`re out in the spotlight more – so if I can stay in the team and do well hopefully the call will come. Of course it`s a step up but it`s still about doing the same things that got us to where we are. There`s no need to change too much, we need to do what`s been successful for us.’

Wiki page: Alex Pearce