Midfielder Keith Andrews says he’d love his Republic of Ireland side to take on England in a pre-Euro 2012 friendly once they have completed the job of qualifying when Estonia are in Dublin on Tuesday evening (Sky Sports One/HD1 7pm). Andrews was named the man of the match by various sources as he scored the opening goal as the Irish won the first leg 4-0 in Tallinn on Friday.
Ireland and England haven’t met in a friendly since 1995 and talks are ongoing regarding a game in May, which Andrews feels would be the perfect preparation for the finals: "Absolutely, it would be fantastic. We haven't played England in such a long time.
"They have well and truly qualified for the Euros and it would be nice to pit ourselves against them.
"They had a fantastic result [on Saturday]. We play against them week-in, week-out in the Premier League, and to play against them would be something I am sure both sets of fans would love."
Alternatively, Andrews wouldn’t mind a more competitive fixture next summer: "It would be nice, yes, we would settle for a 1-0 win maybe in the group stages if we got them. But I am sure it would be a fantastic game if that could be sorted."
Before then, the 31-year-old, who has said he would like to stay at Town beyond his current loan until January despite reported interest from Wigan and Swansea, is keen for his side to complete their qualification in style at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday: "We want to win the game. There is hopefully going to be a full house and we want to produce a performance and a result to give the fans something to celebrate.
"I'm sure it was a good night in Dublin on Friday night. The country certainly needs a lift. It has been well documented about the recession and the tough times that people are having.
"We are a nation that always gets behind our teams, no matter what sport it is. It is a special country we have in terms of real togetherness. To give everybody something to look forward to in the summer is very pleasing.
"We can't get too carried away and we have still got a job to do on Tuesday. We want to sign off in style and put on a performance and get the result worthy of the evening. Once that's done, then we can celebrate."
Andrews, whose goal was his third at full level in his 25th game, says even the squad seemed shocked by the ease of their victory in Tallinn: "It was strange after the game. We had won 4-0 but the dressing room and the journey back was very quiet. I don't think it had fully sunk in what had happened. Over the weekend it has sunk in more.
"It's weird that we have made it relatively easy for ourselves,” he added.”It is not like us at all, is it? Normally we make hard work of everything we do, but thankfully on Friday the performance was certainly there.”
Andrews isn’t the only Town player still away on international duty. Carlos Edwards is with Trinidad and Tobago, who face Guyana for the second time in five days in a World Cup qualifier in Port of Spain on Tuesday.
The Soca Warriors, who lost 2-1 to the Golden Jaguars on Friday, are already out of the competition. If he plays, 33-year-old Edwards’s 82nd cap could be his last.
Keeper David Stockdale is with England for Tuesday’s friendly with Sweden at Wembley and may have an outside chance of making his full international debut (ITV1 7.30pm).
Midfielder Josh Carson is with the Northern Irish U21s who take on Serbia in a European Championship qualifier in Coleraine, also on Tuesday. Former Blues striker Caolan Lavery is a late addition to the squad.
Striker Tamás Priskin is with Hungary for a friendly in Poland. The 25-year-old’s two goals in Friday’s 5-0 victory over Liechtenstein saw him win a bet with his father which led to Priskin Senior giving up smoking, according to reports in the Hungarian media.
After netting his second goal, the Blues frontman sent a message reminding his father of the bet via a TV camera.
Keeper Cody Cropper is likely to play for a US side taking on an U19 team from Bayer Leverkusen, again on Tuesday. Cropper, 18, is currently with a US U23 squad at a training camp in Duisburg in Germany.