Rep of Ireland U23 v Slovakia U23, Dalymount Park, 7.45:  It's been a helter-skelter season for Longford Town striker Dave Mooney.  Despite having finished the campaign as the league's top scorer his goals were not enough to save the club from relegation last weekend.

But his scoring exploits have been remarkable, a fact not lost on Ireland's new under-23 manager Pat Fenlon who has included the 22-year-old in his international squad for tonight's game in Phibsboro.

Mooney is likely to move across the water in the coming months with a number of English and Scottish clubs monitoring his progress.

Southend, Colchester, Brighton and Dundee United will send scouts to Dalymount Park tonight to keep tabs on the in-form frontman.

"Yeah, I'm a bit down after last Friday but the lads here in this Ireland squad really rally around you.  They've brought me back up," said Mooney who is determined to impress tonight but first needs to shake off a minor knock.

"The Drogheda lads are buzzing after winning the league while the lads from Cork are on a good run too.  I think everyone is confident going into this game.

"Hopefully, I can finish the season on a high by playing against Slovakia and then beating Cork City in FAI Cup Final," he said.

The tournament will be played on a group basis over the next 18 months, with each group winner contesting the final.

Fenlon's squad consists entirely of League of Ireland players and meet Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Belgium in their group. The other group sees England, Italy, Wales and Finland compete.

St Patrick Athletic's Mark Quigley misses tonight's game through injury while Stephen O'Donnell (Bohemians), Killian Brennan (Derry) and Mooney are slight concerns.

"It's not easy putting a team together in just a couple of days, but we have a good squad here and training has been excellent," said Fenlon.

"We've done as much as we can in our preparations to play the Slovakians. They are using an under-20 squad which is a new team for them so it's been difficult to get team information on them.

"I know about most of their players, all of them except one are home-based.  Rob MacDonald, the former Sligo Rovers manager, is involved with a club over in Slovakia and he's given us a little bit of help."

Republic of Ireland U23 squad:Barry Murphy (Shamrock Rovers),  Darren Quigley (UCD), Gavin Peers (Sligo Rovers), Conor Kenna (UCD), Conor Powell (Bohemians), Seamus Coleman (Sligo Rovers),  Ger O'Brien (Shamrock Rovers), Darren Murphy (Cork City), Sean Kelly (Cork City), Kevin Deery (Derry City), Cillian Brennan (Derry City), Paul Keegan  (Drogheda United), John Paul Kelly (Bohemians), Stephen O'Donnell (Bohemians), Stephen Bradley (Drogheda United), Stephen Rice (Bohemians), Patrick Cavanaugh (Bray Wanderers), Conor Sammon (UCD), Denis Behan  (Cork City), David Mooney (Longford Town),  Mark Quigley  (St. Patrick's Athletic), Ger Rowe (Shamrock Rovers).