Sean McDonnell is the singer with Cork based ska/punk band Pontious Pilate and The Naildrivers (“Yes we know we’ve spelled Pontious wrong!”).

ON the train down to Mannheim, the morning after watching Brazil do just enough to edge out Croatia in the Olympiastadion in Berlin, we fell in with a friendly group of Croatian Football Association staff in the restaurant car.

Colm O’Connor

IRELAND team manager Brian Kerr yesterday stressed how important the upcoming two European Championship ties in Dublin against Albania and Georgia were but indirectly suggested that the best they could hope for was to finish second in the group to Switzerland.

BOHEMIANS striker Glen Crowe has retained his place in Brian Kerr’s 23-man squad for the Republic of Ireland’s two Euro 2004 qualifiers against Albania and Georgia next month.