The Strabane Chronicle

A FORMER youth coach of Shay Given’s has admitted he was shocked the legendary Ireland goalkeeper had called time on his international career but insisted that no-one had the right to question the Lifford man’s decision.

On Monday the Aston Villa goalkeeper announced his retirement on twitter, just 48 hours before Ireland were scheduled to play Serbia in a friendly international.

In a statement he said, “After a lot of thought and consideration, I have made the most difficult decision to retire from international football.

“It’s been a great honour and privilege to play and on occasion captain the team.

“I shall remain a huge fan of the team as I have been all my life. I wish them every success for the future. I wish to thank all the players, managers, staff and most importantly the most wonderful fans in the world.”

Read the full story in this week's Strabane Chronicle

To read this full story visit your local newsagent and pick up your copy of this week's Strabane Chronicle.

For as little as 80p per week you can view the current edition of the Strabane Chronicle online - click here for further details