Sir, – May I commiserate with your contributor James McDermott on the breaking of his 30-year sequence of constant attendance at Ireland soccer home games due to the current Covid restrictions ("My glorious home run will Finnish where it started", Sport, September 2nd). His first game against Finland in 1990 was near enough to my last prior to my moving here. For that period I have patiently waited for my club side, Shamrock Rovers, or the national side to draw Finnish opposition to provide the chance to cheer for them here and to flit home for the return bout.
Those circumstances have arrived at last but attendance home or away not possible.
Nonetheless the village I live in will have a native in attendance, the Finnish forward Ilmari Niskanen, a left-sided forward.
Needless to say Ireland will be supported in subdued tones in the local bar with satellite TV on Sunday. – Yours, etc,
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DAVID FitzGERALD,
Kiuruvesi,
Finland.