Ireland line up autumn date with China

Giovanni Trapattoni’s Ireland are set to face China in a friendly international after the European Championships.

In the months after Euro 2012,Ireland will kick off their World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign with agruelling trip to Kazakhstan on September 7.

Four days later, they have a blank date in the calendar while other group rivals are in action. It now looks like China will supply the opposition on that date.

Ireland last played China seven years ago in a friendly international at Lansdowne Road, which the Boys in Green won 1-0.

Meanwhile Ireland defender Stephen Ward dismissed suggestions that the Wolves dressing room is in turmoil.

Quotes attributed to Ward’s Ireland teammate Stephen Hunt this weekend admitted life at Wolves “can be difficult”, comparing the situation at Molineux to people at work not getting on with their colleagues.

These revelations follow an angry head-to-head exchange between captain Roger Johnson and keeper Wayne Hennessey on the pitch during the 3-2 defeat against Bolton and the appointment of Johnson as captain has created unrest in the dressing room.

Ward played down the comments, however.

“In this situation it is tough, isn’t it? The boys are going to be angry,” said Ward yesterday.

“His (Hunt’s) words were probably taken out of context because I don’t think there is anything here that is too bad.

“It is just the position we are in that is disappointing,” he added.

“I suppose there is a lot of things that have gone on this season that we can’t really affect.

“At the end of the day it is always a tough ask for any team that is in the bottom three and there has always going to be a couple of spats here and there.”