Mark Sykes believes his place in the Republic of Ireland squad has been earned solely from his club form for Bristol City following his historic decision to switch allegiances from Northern Ireland, his country of birth.
Sykes became the first Belfast-born player to play for the Republic for 76 years when he made his debut during a friendly against Malta in November. The 25-year-old had previously represented Northern Ireland at Under-21 level up until 2018 and was then included in three senior squads by Michael O’Neill without earning any game time.
After signing from Oxford United last summer, Sykes has been a mainstay of the Robins XI under Nigel Pearson, making 28 Championship starts - only Alex Scott has made more for the club in 2022/23 - across a variety of positions and scored four goals, sufficiently elevating his reputation.
With manager Stephen Kenny indicating Sykes will have a role to play in Wednesday’s friendly against Latvia followed by their blockbuster opening Euro 2024 qualifier against France in Dublin on Monday, the Robins star feels like he belongs in international football, irrespective of any symbolism around his decision.
"I want to play minutes, whether that be a friendly or a qualifier,” Sykes said in a pre-match press conference. “For me the most important thing is getting back on the pitch and building up as many caps as possible.
"I feel like it is always down to me. I don't feel like anyone should have the privilege of coming into a set-up like this. I put it down to myself. If I am playing well with my club then I am always in the picture here at international level.
"I knew I was good enough to play but I don't mind putting that pressure on myself. If I don't put the performances in at club level then I have no right to be here. I feel I deserve my place here. No one deserves to be here just because they declared for Ireland."
Sykes’ move has understandably made for a considerable talking point in Ireland, due to the lack of modern precedent, plus the fact he’s joining a squad with growing promise and excitement around it.
Following an extensive fallow period on the international stage, with young stars such as Brighton & Hove Albion’s Stephen Kenny, Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and Wolves centre-back Nathan Collins emerging, the Republic could be entering another prosperous period.
Speaking before Bristol City’s FA Cup tie with Manchester City last month, a member of Ireland’s previous golden era, Roy Keane, hailed Sykes’ decision as “brave”. Receiving such praise from arguably the country’s greatest ever player is some accolade, but Sykes seemed to play it down when speaking this week.
"I did see it," added Sykes, who hails from the Ormeau Road in South Belfast and revealed he received a hero’s welcome at his former primary school. "It's a nice thing, I suppose.
"Yes, brave in a way because there may be a bit of backlash and people not thinking it was the right thing to do but, as I've said in many interviews, it's not them living my life.
"I'm out there putting the sacrifice in and putting the hard work in. I've made that decision full well knowing what is going to happen.
"I knew it was going to be a difficult decision. I knew if I was to stay, which was something I wouldn't have wanted to do, I felt my foot was already in the door.
"I had never been around the Ireland set-up and I knew it was going to be difficult. Thankfully now, with club performance, I feel like I have deserved my chance here.
“(Making my debut in Malta) was unbelievable for me and a dream come true to represent Ireland. I know it was only a few minutes and wasn’t the biggest game in the world, but for me it felt unbelievable.
“If there was (any backlash) I haven’t seen anything but there shouldn’t be any backlash anyway. An Irish player playing for Ireland, I don’t see the problem. For me it was all positive.”
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