Thomas Morgan, who captained Ireland in the World Youth Championship in Malaysia in the summer, is to make his first appearance in the under-21 team in this evening's European Championship meeting with Lithuania at a venue just outside Vilnius.

A second newcomer is Peter Gains (Tottenham) as Ireland seek to re-establish themselves after last Friday's unexpected 1-0 defeat in Iceland.

That killed off lingering hopes of qualification and it's reflected in the side which Ian Evans will now send into action. With Gareth Farrelly and Neale Fenn called into the senior squad, Evans has named two of his most experienced players, Steve Carr (Tottenham) and Willie Boland (Coventry), among the substitutes.

In their absence much of the responsibility for ensuring Ireland's fourth win in seven games in the competition will now devolve on players like Dave Worrell (Blackburn), Steven Finnan (Notts County) and Dominic Foley (Wolves).