Republic of Ireland coach Stephen Kenny has backed Tottenham striker Troy Parrott to have a bright future after the teenager scored twice to help secure his first win as manager.
Ireland were staring further humiliation in the face when the 19-year-old Tottenham striker scored twice inside three minutes to haul them back from a 1-0 deficit in Andorra and rekindle memories of his exploits at under-21 level.
Late strikes from Jason Knight and substitute Daryl Horgan ultimately secured a 4-1 victory at the Estadi Nacional, but it was Parrott's intervention which changed the game.
Asked about the frontman, who spent the second half of last season on loan a League One Ipswich, Kenny said: “There is a bit of pressure when you concede a goal like that when you are in a place like that and not been on a good run. There is an element of pressure, of course.
“Troy has not had his best season, but he showed a lot of character. That is sort of what I felt when I was under-21 manager away to a very good Sweden team.
“Troy came into that game with it in the melting pot and got two goals in a match of that calibre. You can see his character, that ability to elevate.
“It hasn't been perfect for him. He still got learning and improving to do when we play against better opposition than we did today, but it just shows mentally he has the capacity to do that when it was going against us. For one so young, that was encouraging."
