Former Town loanee Shane Duffy finds himself in the final 23-man Republic of Ireland squad following an impressive season playing for Blackburn Rovers.

Defender Shane joined the Glovers for a loan spell in September 2013 and remained at Huish Park until the end of the season, making 37 appearances and scoring one goal.

ytfc.net caught up with Shane at the team hotel in France and asked him if the call-up came as a surprise to him.

“It did come as a bit of surprise to be honest, because during the qualifiers I wasn’t that close to the playing squad. I put in some good performances in some of the friendlies, so there was always hope to get selected.

“Growing up I watched a lot of my heroes take part in major tournaments, so to now be part of the squad here in France is a proud moment for me and my family."

Reflecting on his time in Somerset he added: “Since my time at Huish Park I have come a long way. Being in Yeovil helped me massively, the move got me away from a big city and it was great to play week in, week out in the Championship.

“I learnt so much during my spell in Somerset and it has certainly helped me develop as a player."

When asked about his favourite memory whilst at Yeovil Shane said: “I remember the 3-3 draw with Wigan game fondly, it was a crazy game to be involved in. The 1-1 draw away at Reading was a mad game. I scored my first goal and we went down to eight men, but did so well to hang on for a point. I was getting a bit of a hard time about not scoring enough, so it was nice to pop up with a goal!

“The main thing for me about spending time at Yeovil is that I met so many good people there. I still speak to a lot of the lads and members of staff; the club is a great one to play for.”