Troy Parrott doubled his international goalscoring tally in the space of a remarkable four days last November – taking his total from five to 10 goals.
Parrott and Robbie Brady are the only players in Ireland’s 25-man squad on double digits when it comes to rustling the onion bag.
Brady’s 10 goals have been accumulated over a 12-year span, his first coming in 2012 and his most recent in 2024.
So, if not Parrott in Prague on Thursday night, who can Ireland look to for a goal?
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Some 11 players – including Parrott and Brady – in the squad have previously scored at international level. Four of those – Seamus Coleman, Jason Knight, Liam Scales (suspended for the Czech game) and Finn Azaz – have just one goal to their name.
In terms of Ireland’s top goalscorers, the continued absence of Evan Ferguson with an ankle injury does shave some of the edge off the team’s attacking threat. Ferguson has scored eight goals in green, including three in his last four appearances.
Below Parrott and Brady in the scoring chart is Adam Idah with six. His injury-time equaliser against Hungary at the Aviva last September was a crucial goal in preventing Ireland’s World Cup hopes from burning out at the very outset of the campaign.
He did feature off the bench in four more fixtures over the Group F schedule but failed to add another goal. The Swansea striker has endured a frustrating period at club level recently, where he has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since December.
The fourth highest scorer in the Irish dressingroom this week is midfielder Alan Browne – who has five goals to his name. His recall to the squad comes on the back of impressive form with Middlesbrough – Browne has already scored four goals in the Championship this season, and all since January.
Chiedozie Ogbene has scored four times for Ireland but the 25-year-old has been hampered by hamstring and Achilles issues in recent months. He did bag a goal for Sheffield United against Oxford in February but his game-time has been very limited since then.
John Egan has scored three international goals but the Cork man last hit the net for Ireland against Armenia in 2022, and it remains to be seen if he will feature in Prague.
Nathan Collins has netted twice for Ireland, with the captain’s most recent goal coming against Greece three years ago.
But could there be a bolter from the pack for Ireland?
Sammie Szmodics has yet to score for Ireland but he netted twice in the Championship for Derby County over the last month.
The uncapped Harvey Vale has scored three goals for QPR in the Championship so far this season while Ryan Manning has bagged six for Southampton.
And then there’s Azaz, who has scored 10 goals in the Championship (nine for Southampton, one for Middlesbrough) this season.
Goalscorers in current Irish squad
Troy Parrott: 33 caps, 10 goals (Most recent v Hungary, November 2025)
Robbie Brady: 72 caps, 10 goals (Most recent v Finland, October 2024)
Adam Idah: 37 caps, 6 goals (Most recent v Hungary, September 2025)
Alan Browne: 37 caps, 5 goals (Most recent v Norway, November 2022)
Chiedozie Ogbene: 30 caps, 4 goals (Most recent v Latvia, March 2023)
John Egan: 37 caps, 3 goals (Most recent v Armenia, September 2022)
Nathan Collins: 36 caps, 2 goals (Most recent v Greece, June 2023)
Seamus Coleman: 77 caps, 1 goal (v Georgia, October 2016)
Jason Knight: 41 caps, 1 goal (v Andorra, June 2021)
Liam Scales: 13 caps, 1 goal (v Finland, October 2024)
Finn Azaz: 12 caps, 1 goal (v Bulgaria, March 2025)
