Darren Randolph: Andy Carroll’s gunpoint experience left us fearing for safety

Darren Randolph has admitted Andy Carroll’s terrifying gunpoint experience left his team-mates fearing for their own safety.

The West Ham keeper, who is currently on international duty with the Republic of Ireland, and the rest of the squad remained at the training ground after it emerged that the England striker had apparently been held up on his way home.

Asked if Carroll’s experience had proved frightening, Randolph said: “Yes, considering he left first and a lot of us had to go the same way to get back home. Everyone stuck around for a little bit longer just in case.

“I was obviously not nice for him and not nice to hear about anybody. Obviously when it strikes a bit closer to home, it is a little bit scary.

 

“I think players get targeted, but I don’t think it’s something that you wake up and think about every day. When it does happen, it does play on your mind for a few days.

“You just hope you’re not the unlucky one it happens to.”

Randolph’s attention this week is purely on his country and Saturday’s World Cup qualifier in Austria, where the 29-year-old hopes to continue his run as Ireland’s first-choice goalkeeper 13 months after getting his chance against world champions Germany when injury struck for Shay Given.

He was the man in possession for Euro 2016 in France and the last year or so – at international level at least – has been positive for him.

He said: “It’s been brilliant. A lot of highs – I have got the experience of the Euros, so I have come a very long way in just over a year.

“We took a lot of confidence from the tournament and the performances and got off to a good start in this group, so another positive result on Saturday, hopefully taking points from one of the teams that is going to be there or thereabouts, would help us.”

That success, however, has not been matched on the domestic front with Randolph having made just five appearances this season, all of them either in Europe or the EFL Cup, with Spaniard Adrian manager Slaven Bilic’s first-choice keeper.

He admits that is a source of intense frustration, but he has not yet reached the point where he is looking to move in a quest for regular football.

He said: “There’ll be a time when it does come – I don’t think anyone wants to just sit and not play.

“But for the time being, I’m going to stick at it. I’ve only been there a season – this is the start of my second season – I’m not just going to give up and leave and walk away from the challenge, I’m going to keep going and see what happens.

“Obviously, I’m not getting as much game-time as I would like, but I knew that was going to be the case anyway, so it’s the usual, just get your head down and get working and see what happens.”

Randolph is one of three keepers in Martin O’Neill’s squad with Sheffield Wednesday’s Keiren Westwood and Bradford’s Colin Doyle the others.

It is 31-year-old Doyle’s first call-up for seven years and comes after he joined the Bantams from Blackpool during the summer for a nominal £1 fee.

Asked about his price-tag, he said with a smile: “It was one of those clauses where they said, ‘If we get relegated, you can go on a free’. But because I had signed a two-year deal, the FA wouldn’t let me go on a free, so there had to be some sort of fee.

“We just said £1 and they agreed to it. I think they paid it, so I’m still waiting for my 10 per cent. I must chase that up.”