Tottenham for Talka

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR will provide the opposition for the first of a series of under-21 games between the National League and various English Premiership sides next Wednesday at Tolka Park. A home squad of 16 was announced yesterday by manager Turlough O'Connor.

This innovative addition to the domestic calendar is being sponsored by Premier Computer Group, and is the brainchild of the St James's Gate manager Pat Byrne. Blackburn are next on the itinerary, sometime later in the season.

By comparison, there was only one game for the domestically-based under-21 players last season, against their Irish League counterparts in Lurgan. Five survive from that scoreless draw: Bohemians Michael Dempsey, the UCD trio of Eamonn McLoughlin, Jason Colwell and Mick O'Byrne, and Cork's Gareth Cronin.

In addition, Derry's Gary Beckett represented the Irish League on that occasion, and also included are two of Sligo Rovers' English recruits, Andy Ramage and Brendan Aspinall.

None will appreciate the opportunity of taking on Tottenham's Republic of Ireland under-age internationals - Andy Turner, Stephen Carr and Kevin Maher - more than Shelbourne's ex-Coventry midfielder Tony Sheridan.

It's a platform for the players to play against guys who are full-time at the game," said O'Connor yesterday. "The problem we have is that they're a club side, playing together every week, with full-time fitness levels. We're a part-time squad who will only come together once beforehand.

O'Connor will also be in charge of a full National League selection when they entertain their League of Wales counterparts in this season's return fixture at Cobh's St Colman's Park, at a date in late March/early April.

A National League First Division selection have accepted an incitation to plan their Vauxhall Conference counterparts on February 27th in Telford.