The team it is a-changing
As it was “only” a friendly, it could have been an easy option for some players to possibly opt out and concentrate on the intense club schedule, but it shows the team spirit we have and the only absentees were entirely genuine.
As I was coming out of the tunnel just before the game to head to the bench I met James Nolan’s family, who were there to accept an award from Uefa for the Irish fans at the Euros. I have no idea what the family must still be going through on a daily basis and I know this probably won’t mean a lot in the grand scheme of things but, from a players’ point of view, what happened to James genuinely touched us all. Anyone who was over in Poland will know what I mean when I say that our fans made that tournament what it was and to think we came home without one of those great supporters was an absolute tragedy. My thoughts and prayers will always be with James and his family.