Black Cats to face Thoroughbreds
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Kildare County’s so-called ‘Festival Of Football’ has just gotten its biggest addition yet with the news that Steve Bruce’s Sunderland side will travel to Station Road for a friendly on July 29th. While obviously not as glamorous a tie as the Shamrock Rovers/Real Madrid tie, which is due to be played in the Tallaght Stadium on the 20th of this month, this is still a very impressive coup for the First Division’s bottom side.
After their last game against Sporting Fingal, the club’s Director Of Football Joey Somerville called on the Kildare public to come out and support their local team, and it would no surprise at all if there was a substantial increase of the current attendance at the Newbridge ground for the arrival of the Wearside club.
This is a game that should certainly entice Somerville’s No. 2 Keith O’Halloran, as he used to play with Middlesbrough, one of Sunderland’s arch rivals.
In spite of the departure of Roy Keane as manager last November, there is still a strong Irish connection within the club, as the first-team squad still includes a total of eight Republic Of Ireland natives. Daryl Murphy, Andy Reid, Paul McShane, Anthony Stokes, Roy O’Donovan, David Meyler, Conor Hourihane and Michael Liddle may well feature over here, as could Northern Ireland stars George McCartney, David Healy and Trevor Carson.
Of course, former Irish International Niall Quinn is the current chairman of Sunderland, and this fixture will have particular resonance for him as he is currently a resident of the village of Eadestown, some 12 miles from Kildare County’s grounds. They will be staying in Naas’ Killashee House Hotel, a plush accommodation containing 141 opulent bedrooms, as well as a Leisure Centre, Villa Spa, a massive Conference & Banqueting Centre, a variety of dining rooms that you can eat in, along with a proposed golf course which will be open to the public in the near future.
All in all, it is an ideal venue for a Premier side to stay in for a pre-season trip, and it means that there will be two football clubs spending part of their pre-season in Kildare this month, as Real Madrid will be staying 15 miles down the road on the far side of the county in Maynooth’s Carton House.
In these harsh times, clubs will be looking for high-profile friendlies to see if they can increase their revenue in any way, and Kildare County are no different, as they will also take on Dundee United, Leyton Orient and Newry Town FC in the coming weeks.
Dundee have former Shelbourne star Sean Dillon, who played during the Tolka Park outfit’s famous European run in 2005, and former Cherry Orchard youth player Jon Daly in their squad. They also have Greg Cameron, who had a 13 game loan spell at Shamrock Rovers this year, and former Everton star Danny Cadamarteri.
Leyton Orient have Whitehall’s John Melligan and Drogheda’s Sean Thornton in their team, while there will obviously be a strong interest in Newry coming up from the North, as they are a side with a proud history, who include Pat Jennings among their list of former players.
After their last game against Sporting Fingal, the club’s Director Of Football Joey Somerville called on the Kildare public to come out and support their local team, and it would no surprise at all if there was a substantial increase of the current attendance at the Newbridge ground for the arrival of the Wearside club.
This is a game that should certainly entice Somerville’s No. 2 Keith O’Halloran, as he used to play with Middlesbrough, one of Sunderland’s arch rivals.
In spite of the departure of Roy Keane as manager last November, there is still a strong Irish connection within the club, as the first-team squad still includes a total of eight Republic Of Ireland natives. Daryl Murphy, Andy Reid, Paul McShane, Anthony Stokes, Roy O’Donovan, David Meyler, Conor Hourihane and Michael Liddle may well feature over here, as could Northern Ireland stars George McCartney, David Healy and Trevor Carson.
Of course, former Irish International Niall Quinn is the current chairman of Sunderland, and this fixture will have particular resonance for him as he is currently a resident of the village of Eadestown, some 12 miles from Kildare County’s grounds. They will be staying in Naas’ Killashee House Hotel, a plush accommodation containing 141 opulent bedrooms, as well as a Leisure Centre, Villa Spa, a massive Conference & Banqueting Centre, a variety of dining rooms that you can eat in, along with a proposed golf course which will be open to the public in the near future.
All in all, it is an ideal venue for a Premier side to stay in for a pre-season trip, and it means that there will be two football clubs spending part of their pre-season in Kildare this month, as Real Madrid will be staying 15 miles down the road on the far side of the county in Maynooth’s Carton House.
In these harsh times, clubs will be looking for high-profile friendlies to see if they can increase their revenue in any way, and Kildare County are no different, as they will also take on Dundee United, Leyton Orient and Newry Town FC in the coming weeks.
Dundee have former Shelbourne star Sean Dillon, who played during the Tolka Park outfit’s famous European run in 2005, and former Cherry Orchard youth player Jon Daly in their squad. They also have Greg Cameron, who had a 13 game loan spell at Shamrock Rovers this year, and former Everton star Danny Cadamarteri.
Leyton Orient have Whitehall’s John Melligan and Drogheda’s Sean Thornton in their team, while there will obviously be a strong interest in Newry coming up from the North, as they are a side with a proud history, who include Pat Jennings among their list of former players.
About Daire Walsh
Daire Walsh began reporting for Extratime in 2009, when he covered Kildare County's games in the League Of Ireland First Division. He currently reports on games involving the league's Dublin sides and also Bray Wanderers. … View Full Profile