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.
