Townsend may play in Derry

Andy Townsend is one of the players being canvassed as Mick McCarthy prepares to assemble a team to meet Derry City in a game…

Andy Townsend is one of the players being canvassed as Mick McCarthy prepares to assemble a team to meet Derry City in a game in aid of the victims of the Omagh bomb blast.

The fixture, one of several sports events being planned to swell the Omagh fund, will take place at the Brandywell on October 6th when a standard admission fee of £5 should guarantee a big crowd.

McCarthy's selection will be made up predominantly of National League players, augmented by several Republic of Ireland players of the recent past.

Townsend, who announced his retirement from international football after the World Cup playoff defeat by Belgium in Brussels last December, is likely to play if his commitments at Middlesbrough permit.

READ MORE

Other big name players who may be enlisted to raise the profile of the game are Packie Bonner, Kevin Moran and John Aldridge, although McCarthy stresses that it is premature, as yet, to confirm them as definite starters.