Preston North End will host Burnley in a pre-season friendly that every football fan on these shores will have at least a passing interest in as two clubs who have shown a serious soft spot for Irish players will go head to head.
The latest League of Ireland arrivals Preston are former Cork City men Kevin O'Connor and Seanie Maguire are in line to make their debut as they have both been named on the bench for Alex Neil's side, and the pair are the focus on the cover of the match-day programme.
This evening's matchday programme is available around the ground for just a pound! #pnefc pic.twitter.com/iFoanBqRVM
— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) July 25, 2017
Despite O'Connor and Maguire not playing from the start, there will be an Irish presence throughout as both teams have named their lineups for tonight's friendly which may very well be the most Irish match of football played outside of Ireland in recent history.
For Preston, Andy Boyle, Daryl Horgan, and Eoin Doyle will all play from the start, with Greg Cunningham, Alan Bronwe, and the former Cork City pair ready to spring from the bench:
#pnefc starting Xl: Maxwell, Grimshaw, Boyle, Spurr, Earl, Welsh, Pringle, Johnson, Horgan, Harrop and Doyle.
— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) July 25, 2017
#pnefc subs: Hudson, Vermijl, Cunningham, Huntington, O'Connor, Pearson, Browne, Meulensteen, Robinson, Barkhuizen and Maguire.
— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) July 25, 2017
And for Burnley, Kevin Long, Robbie Brady, and Jon Walters will line out from the beginning of the game (as will Jack Cork, but he's only Irish in surname).
Jeff Hendrick and Stephen Ward have been named on the bench.
Burnley team to play @pnefc : Heaton, Lowton, Taylor, Anderson, K Long, Brady, Gudmundsson, Westwood, Cork, Walters, Vokes.
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) July 25, 2017
Burnley subs: Pope, Mee, Gray, Barnes, Hendrick, Defour, Ulvestad, Ward, C Long, Agyei.
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) July 25, 2017
That's 12 Irish players, enough to field a full team and have a sub left over, although there'd be some race to the goalposts to determine who gets stuck playing as goalkeeper.
We'll be sure to feature any highlights from the game as we imagine it would be tough to imagine any significant moment in the game not involving an Irish player.
