Northern Ireland v England NGXI
International Friendly
7.45pm, Tuesday 13 February 2007
Glenavon FC, Mourneview Park, Lurgan

England's National Game XI will take on the Irish League representative team in their first match of 2007.

Paul Fairclough's side, who won the innaugural European Challenge Trophy in November, travel to Lurgan in Northern Ireland on 13 February to play an Irish side managed by Linfield boss David Jeffrey.

The England squad is yet to be named, but Jeffrey selected his side this week and has included five players from his own club, as well as five from Glentoran and three each from Portadown and Cliftonville, all members of the Carnegie Premier League.

Jeffrey said: "I chose this squad thinking of the best young players in the League, focusing on the young guys who have played for the Northern Ireland U21 squad and those who have the talent to seek careers in England and benefit most from playing in this match."

"Often some of the young players in Northern Ireland are underestimated and overlooked and it's that untapped resource that I wanted to uncover and give them a chance to shine.

"This match isn't about winning or losing, it is about giving Northern Ireland's best young players the opportunity to progress and showcase their skills."

Irish League squad
Goalkeepers: Alan Mannus (Linfield), Elliott Morris (Glentoran).
Defenders: Wayne Buchanan (Lisburn Distillery), Ronan Scannell (Cliftonville), John Convery (Portadown), Colin Nixon (Glentoran), Keith O'Hara (Portadown).
Midfielders: Richard Clarke (Portadown), Conor Downey (Cliftonville), Michael Gault (Linfield), Paul McAreavey (Linfield), George McMullan (Cliftonville), David Scullion (Dungannon Swifts), Sean Ward (Glentoran).
Forwards: Michael Halliday (Glentoran), Gary Hamilton (Glentoran), Thomas Stewart (Linfield), Peter Thompson (Linfield).

We'll bring you more news about this match and other National Game XI fixtures throughout the season.