Nathan Collins is thrilled to see Troy Parrott “shining” and always expected him to star for the Republic of Ireland, who are aiming to reach the World Cup.

Ireland will face Czechia in their qualification play-off semi-final on Thursday as they look to take one step closer to reaching the World Cup finals for the first time since 2002.

And it is because of Parrott that Ireland are in this position in the first place; he netted five goals in the November international break to push them up to second in Group F.

He scored a double against Portugal in a 2-0 home win, and all three in a 3-2 victory over Hungary, snatching the winner with the final kick of the game, to keep Ireland’s dreams alive.

But Brentford defender Collins was not surprised by his performances.

“I’ve played with Troy for many years now. He’s always been a really good footballer,” he said.

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“In football, sometimes, it doesn’t click on the pitch. That doesn’t take away from being a good footballer, from understanding the game or knowing how good he is.

“There are loads of different variables and reasons as to why he might not be clicking at that time.

“But there has always been a footballer in Troy. I am so happy now that it is shining and showing how good he is.”

Parrott’s five goals in his last two games for the national team mean he is the fourth player to net two or more goals in consecutive Eire appearances, after Jimmy Dunne (May 1936), Robbie Keane (June 2013) and Callum Robinson (October 2021).

No one has achieved that feat in three games in a row.