Cabinteely manager Pat Devlin has described Tuesday evening's friendly game against New Zealand as an "opportunity of a lifetime" for his players, with members of the first division team getting to test themselves against a full international side.
“The occasion is a celebration for the club, but when it comes to the match itself the lads will want to make it competitive,” he said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them; a challenge to see how good they are, and most of them, to be fair, might never get that chance again so it will be an important game from our lads’ perspective.”
Surprise
Preparations at Stradbrook have been going on for a couple of weeks and Devlin says the club is happy with the setting, although it might yet come as something of a surprise to the All Whites, who are using the game as part of their preparations for the Confederations Cup.
Anthony Hudson’s side lost to Northern Ireland 1-0 at the weekend in Belfast where they conceded just six minutes into what turned out to be a feisty enough game, and after this they head for Belarus for a final friendly before moving on to Russia.
West Ham's Winston Reid is missing through injury as, most likely, is Jason Byrne for the locals, with the striker struggling since limping off early on against Athlone last month. Tickets for the game will be available at the gate priced €20 and €10 (concessions), with family tickets starting at €30.
