A former Irish youth international, Keith Fahey broke into the senior team during the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying campaign after scoring the winning goal in the opening match in Armenia. A former player of the year in his homeland, he is now in his fourth season with Birmingham City FC.

• Early trials in England with Arsenal FC and Aston Villa FC proved unproductive but he launched a successful career in the League of Ireland with Saint Patrick's Athletic FC, winning the League of Ireland Cup in 2003 and reaching the FAI Cup final.

• Moved to Drogheda United FC midway through the 2005 season but returned to St Pats a year later and made his European debut in a 0-0 draw against Odense BK in the first qualifying round of the 2007/08 UEFA Cup.

• Helped the Dublin club to successive runners-up spots in the top flight, scoring a career-best tally of eight goals in the 2008 campaign that helped him win the prestigious PFAI Player of the Year award.

• A move to Birmingham in January 2009 brought immediate dividends as he helped the Blues win promotion to the Premier League four months later, scoring four goals in 19 appearances; played in the majority of top-flight games over the next two seasons and helped the club win the 2011 League Cup, defeating Arsenal FC 2-1 in the final, before the club were relegated back to the Championship.

• Won his first cap for the Republic of Ireland in a friendly against Paraguay on 25 May 2010 and scored eight minutes into his competitive debut, in Yerevan, to get the team off to a winning start in their UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying campaign; he would appear in eight of the 12 matches, seven times as a substitute.