Ivan Sproule admits he is pondering his international future after being left on the sidelines for Northern Ireland once more.

The City winger has been unable to forge his way into the reckoning under Nigel Worthington. His last appearance for the Irish was in March as a 90th-minute substitute.

Ivan exclusively told bcfc.co.uk today: "It was very, very frustrating, going away for ten days and not playing.

"In both games I thought I could have come on and affected the game but obviously that wasn't in the manager's thinking.

"Maybe I have to sit down and rethink what I'm going to do because ten days away is a long time to be away from your club when you're not getting involved.

"I'm not saying this is going to spell the end to my international career but it's certainly something I'm going to have to sit down and think about over the next couple of days."

The Irish look to have an uphill struggle now to qualify for Euro 2008. Realistically they would need results on visits to Sweden and Spain in the coming months.

"It's going to be very hard to qualify," Ivan added. "The two defeats have really set us back.

"If we could have even won one of the games it wouldn't have been so bad, but to lose both was criminal.

"It's a big hill to climb but our players have done it before with wins over Spain and Sweden, and we can certainly take inspiration from Scotland's recent results."

Despite only rejoining City's squad this morning following international duty, Ivan insists he is ready to play against Coventry if required.

"It's not ideal preparation for the gaffer or me, and this is why I say it's frustrating not being involved with Northern Ireland," he added.

"The one thing is does is make me even more keen and eager to do well when I come back here. It's important I do well for Bristol City because I've still got a point to prove."