Ireland to play England in Cork

The Republic of Ireland Under 19s will face England in a friendly international at Turner’s Cross, Cork on Thursday September 9.

Manager Sean McCaffrey has a talented panel of players at his disposal including Celtic starlet Aiden McGeady and Manchester United’s Paul McShane.

The game will be part of Ireland’s preparations for UEFA Under 19 Championship first phase qualifiers in October when Ireland will face Andorra, Cyprus and Russia and McCaffrey believes that it’s a perfect preparation for his side.

“It’s a great fixture for us,” he declared. “We want to get as friendlies against top quality opposition as we can to assess the players and England will certainly prove a tough challenge.”

McCaffrey is hoping for a great night in Cork and is also hoping for more luck in this year’s qualifying campaign. “These games are all about preparation for the competitive fixtures and hopefully we have more luck this year with injuries and the availability of players.

“We used 44 players at Under 19 level last season which was great from the point of view that we have widened the base of players that will now progress through the ranks but it meant our preparations for the qualifiers were more fractured.”

McCaffrey will hope to have a full-strength side available in Cork against what will be a top class England side boasting several players primed to explode in the Premiership this season such as Ian Henderson of Norwich City and James Morrision of Middlesbrough.

It will the first Ireland Under 19 game to take place in Cork since April 2002 when Brian Kerr’s Under 19s earned a 0-0 draw with Holland in front of 7,000 people to book their place in the UEFA Championships that summer.

http://www.fai.ie/NR/exeres/183FFEF4...CDB285A259.htm