Ronan Hale happy to keep following scoring trail for Ross County as he waits for FIFA clearance over international Northern Ireland switch
Ronan Hale says he is putting thoughts of a senior international debut to one side to focus on scoring goals for Ross County.
The 25-year-old hit his third goal in three games for the Staggies against Celtic, scoring a first half penalty to send his side into the interval ahead.
Off the pitch, Hale has been the subject of plenty of attention as he has been convinced by Michael O’Neill to switch allegiances from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland.
Hale had represented the Republic of Ireland at under-19 and under-21 level, scoring a combined five goals in 12 appearances.
A senior call-up was not forthcoming though, and having been born in Belfast Hale is eligible to turn his allegiance north of the Irish border.
That is a process that needs to be ratified by FIFA, and while waiting for that international clearance Hale is determined to keep himself in contention by performing well for Ross County.
“What I’ve heard is that it’s still with FIFA – I don’t know how long the process takes,” Hale explained.
“It’s good in a way that I can focus on Ross County and enjoy scoring goals, so long may that continue.
“It’s out there that I’ve switched. It’s more about getting the ball rolling and seeing where it goes, but at the moment I’m fully focused on Ross County – any international call-up would be a bonus.
“For strikers the main thing is scoring goals. It’s all about confidence, and luckily in the last three games I’ve scored.
“For me it’s more about my overall play, which I think has improved since I got here.
“We’ve got a good connection amongst the boys. It was a tough day on Sunday, but we’ll bounce back.
“We’ve got a break now, but going into the next set of games I’ll be looking to add to the goals I’ve scored.”
While Hale found the net against Celtic, the team came away empty-handed as the defending Premiership champions sealed a late comeback to claim victory.
“Obviously we were right in the game, and 1-0 going into half time, but Celtic have got players that can hurt you,” Hale added.
“We gave them too much time on the ball. It’s always going to be tough, but we thought we had enough to hold on for even a point.
“It wasn’t meant to be, but the boys dug in and that’s all we can ask for.
“We knew they were going to come and attack us, so we just had to stay in the game as much as we could.
“A draw would have been a great result as well, but we can be pleased with the character we showed to dig in until the 88th minute.”
