Irish Squad arrives in Israel

The Irish Senior and Under 21 Squads touched down at Ben Gurian Airport, Tel Aviv a short while ago following a five and a half hour flight from Dublin.

The Senior Squad, with only Alan Quinn withdrawing from the original party, had a full complement including Matt Holland who joined up at Dublin Airport. Matt had been delayed following the riding accident involving his wife who required surgery.

Both skipper Kenny Cunningham and goalkeeper Shay Given, who had sat out training on Tuesday, looked relaxed and confident they would be ready for the fray on Saturday.

The Under 21 Squad included central defender Paul McShane of Manchester United and striker Kevin Doyle of Cork City who had replaced the injured Stephen Kelly and David Bell from the original selection.

The party was ushered through the strict security checks at the airport and will shortly arrive at their hotel. Both squads are scheduled to have a light training session at mid-morning tomorrow, Thursday 24 March 2005.