St Ledger: Fans can be 12th man

LAST month, Sean St Ledger experienced the colour and excitement of an All-Ireland football final at Croke Park and the Leicester City defender is banking on a similarly passionate atmosphere at the Aviva Stadium tonight.

The Birmingham-born international got his hands on a ticket for the Dublin-Kerry showdown courtesy of Martin Sludden, the referee who allowed Joe Sheridan’s controversial goal stand in the Leinster final between Meath and Louth last summer. Sludden is related to St Ledger’s mother and the professional footballer was suitably impressed by the noise, passion and commitment in a tie decided at the death by Stephen Cluxton’s sensational free-kick.

Such drama and, indeed, such crowds have been in short supply during the latest European Championship campaign but the Aviva will be close to full occupancy this evening for a game which Ireland will be hoping to negotiate with less recourse to late heroics.