Ireland Legends v England Legends

IRELAND versus England soccer matches have always been special occasions down through the years.
The next instalment will take place on Wednesday, August 26 (7.30pm), at Tolka Park when an Ireland Legends team will do battle with the ‘old enemy’.
This will be the first Ireland verys England match since the infamous friendly encounter at Lansdowne Road in 1995.
Many of the players that were in the squads that night will be lining out for their Legends teams at Tolka Park and are determined to make it a fun and family friendly game.
Famously known as ‘Jack’s boys’, John Aldridge, Ray Houghton, Paul McGrath and Ronnie Whelan are just some of the names that fans can expect to see.
Ronnie, who made his debut for the Republic of Ireland in 1981 before he began playing for Liverpool FC, made 53 appearances for his country between 1981 and 1995.
The Ireland Legends have recruited some younger legs to give them an advantage – Ian Harte who has won 64 international caps and scored 11 goals, and Gary Kelly who made 51 international appearances for the Republic of Ireland.
Kelly is well known for playing his entire professional career at Leeds United FC, making a total of 531 appearances for the club.
Ireland Legend John Aldridge commented: “It was always very special for me to play for Ireland, especially under Jack Charlton.
“There is always a great competitive spirit when playing with the Legends, especially playing against England.
“We never wanted to lose to them back then and we still don’t now.”
The England Legends have confirmed their secret weapon, Andy Cole, who will give them the competitive edge over the Ireland Legends.
As the second highest goal scorer in Premier League history, Cole scored 187 goals in his professional career.
He is one of the few players in England to have won all possible honours in the English game, winning 15 caps for England between 1995 and 2001.
Paul Parker, Gary Pallister, Chris Waddle and Lee Sharpe have also been confirmed to play on the England side.
England Legend Paul Parker said: “I expect the match in Dublin will be a tough one, especially with the majority of the fans cheering for the other side.
“We hope that the England fans in Dublin will come out and show their support.”
A spokesperson for Legends XI said: “This will be a great game for the whole family to enjoy. We hope the fans will come down to Tolka Park and cheer on their heroes.
“We have some of the most famous players of all time coming to Dublin.”
The game will undoubtedly be a sell out with only 7,000 tickets going on general release.
Adult tickets start from just e14.50 and concessions e9.50, and can be purchased directly from Ticketmaster.ie and all usual outlets.
For further information visit www.legendsxi.com