Brian Kerr will be without two of his original 20-strong squad for this evening's friendly youth international game against Northern Ireland in Newry. Finn Harps defender JP Boyle is required by his club for this evening's FAI cup match against Home Farm Fingal while Sligo's Ian Rossiter, who missed his club's 5-0 hammering by Galway United, is still laid up with a calf strain. Despite the withdrawals, Kerr has resisted the temptation to call up replacements.

With a training session still to come this morning, the Ireland manager has yet to name his starting line-up, but he has confirmed that Dessie Byrne of St Patrick's will captain the side.

The panel is made up entirely of locally-based players, most of whom have yet to play for Ireland at any level, but Kerr insisted yesterday that the potential rewards for those who impress him this evening will be considerable. "The door is open to all of them," he said. "I'm not just talking about the qualifying play-offs against France, but also down the line. Hopefully we might see some of these players at the World Cup next year in Argentina."