Fleetwood Town trio have all received good news this week as Stephen McMullan, Carl Johnston, and Bosun Lawal have all been called up for their respective nations, whether that be the First Team or Under-21s squads.
Young goalkeeper McMullan has been named in the Northern Ireland senior squad for the second time this season after impressing in the younger age groups and has managed to keep his spot in the side alongside St Mirren’s Caolan Boyd-Munce – both players are yet to make their senior debuts.
The 19-year-old is one of eight from League One as he will be joined by Luke Southwood (Cheltenham Town), Ciaron Brown (Oxford United), Eoin Toal (Bolton Wanderers), Paddy Lane (Portsmouth), Josh Magennis (Wigan Athletic), Dion Charles (Bolton Wanderers), and Jamie Reid (Stevenage).
Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland have two games coming up as they are set to face Romania at the Arena Nationala in Bucharest on Friday 22 March (7:45pm kick-off) before facing Steve Clarke’s Scotland side at Hampden Park in Glasgow (7:45pm kick-off).
Another player who has been called up to the Northern Ireland setup is Johnston, who will join up with Tommy Wright’s Under-21s next week. The full-back has worn the captain’s armband on multiple occasions for his nation and will hope to be doing the same again – he will be joined by Barry Baggley who is currently on loan at Waterford FC.
The first of their two games is set to be a friendly against the Czech Republic on Thursday 21 March in the CFIG Arena in Pardubice (5:30pm kick-off), with an Under-21 UEFA Euro 2025 Qualifier against Serbia to follow that up on Tuesday 26 March. That game is being staged in the Gradski Stadion Dubocica in Leskovac (6pm kick-off).
Last, but not least, defender-turned-midfielder Lawal has been named in the Republic of Ireland Under-21s squad for their clash against San Marino on Friday 22 March at the San Marino Stadium (5pm kick-off) as Jim Crawford’s side looks to push for a place at their first-ever Under-21 EUROs.
The player who featured in the EFL Team of the Week not long ago is one of five League One players in the squad – he will be joined by Sean Roughan (Lincoln City), Baba Adeeko (Wigan Athletic), Ollie O’Neill (Leyton Orient), and Tony Springett (Northampton Town, on loan from Norwich City).
