An Irish soccer side made up of members of the Dail and Senate lost out to their Westminster counterparts at Old Trafford yesterday.
Trust the politicians never to miss an opportunity and when it came to getting a chance to strut their stuff on the pitch that hosted the Champions League final just five days earlier, there were no shortage of takers keen to make the trip.
A squad of 19 TD’s and Senators travelled over to take on the English politicians, who in the past have competed against their Welsh and Scottish counterparts. The Irish side contained some of our younger and fitter public representatives although Dermot Aherne, Bernard Allen and Joe McHugh all took part. The side was captained by former Kerry GAA star Jimmy Deenihan who saw his team lose 2-1.
24-year-old Damien English scored Ireland’s goal with an overhead kick that referee and former Manchester United Paddy Crerand described as; “One of the best I’ve ever seen.” It sounds like Crerand could take up a career in politics himself!
