Darragh Lenihan and Greg Cunningham have both been named in the Republic of Ireland squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers with Georgia and Switzerland.

Lenihan has been handed his first chance to work under boss Mick McCarthy with Richard Keogh and Shane Duffy out injured for the Group D games.

Cunningham meanwhile, trained with the squad in Portugal in the summer and was but hasn't won a cap since 2013.

However, there is no place in the squad for Derrick Williams who like Lenihan and Cunningham, were in the provisional squad for the last round of matches, only to miss out on the eventual squad.

Lenihan and Cunningham impressed McCarthy’s assistant Terry Connor who watched Rovers’ win at Reading ahead of upcoming matches against Georgia on October 12 and Switzerland on October 15.

“Terry Connor has been to watch Darragh and Greg play for Blackburn and they have shown him they will be good additions for this squad,” manager McCarthy told FAI.ie

“Enda Stevens is suspended for the game in Tbilisi against Georgia and Greg is one of the most experienced left-backs available to us. He was with us in the summer and he knows what we want.

“We’ve watched Darragh a number of times and Terry and the other scouts like his footballing ability. He has been in and around the squad before so I look forward to working with him.”

Lenihan has two caps to his name, the last of those coming against Northern Ireland in November 2018.

Cunningham meanwhile, on loan from Cardiff, has won four caps but the last of those came in 2013, despite being a regular at Championship level.

Ireland are aiming to take a stranglehold of Group D, currently occupying top spot, in the qualifying double-header.

Rovers face QPR at Loftus Road on Saturday before the international break, and return with a home game against Huddersfield Town in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Saturday, October 19 (12.30pm), four days after the second of Ireland's games.

McCarthy has injured problems with contend with, as first choice central defensive pairing Keogh (knee) and Duffy (calf) are both ruled out, with Lenihan competing alongside Kevin Long and John Egan for a place in the side.

With Stevens suspended for the Georgia fixture, Cunningham’s competition at left back will come from James McClean.

“I won’t even start thinking about the team for that game until the players turn up at the hotel on Sunday and I see who we have available,” added McCarthy.

“We have injuries and suspensions and I know that better than anyone. But there’s nothing I can do about them. It happens in football.

“That’s why we changed almost the entire team for the Bulgaria game last month and look how well the players who came in like Josh, Alan Browne, John Egan and Kevin Long did.

“They put their hands up for selection and gave me something to think about. Now it’s time to think about them for Georgia and I look forward to getting back on the training ground on Monday and starting the countdown to these two massive games in earnest.”

Goalkeepers: Darren Randolph (Middlesbrough), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth), Kieran O’Hara (Burton Albion)

Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Kevin Long (Burnley), John Egan (Sheffield United), Darragh Lenihan (Blackburn Rovers), Greg Cunningham (Blackburn Rovers), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United)

Midfielders: Alan Browne (Preston North End), Josh Cullen (Charlton Athletic), Glenn Whelan (Heart of Midlothian), Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), James McClean (Stoke City), Ronan Curtis (Portsmouth), Jeff Hendrick (Burnley), Callum O’Dowda (Bristol City), Jack Byrne (Shamrock Rovers)

Forwards: James Collins (Luton Town), Sean Maguire (Preston North End), Callum Robinson (Sheffield United), Alan Judge (Ipswich Town), Scott Hogan (Stoke City)