Houghton and Gallagher Sign Up For Record-Breaking Legends Match
Last updated : 26 September 2008 By Sam
The Legends: England v Ireland takes place at Craven Cottage, home of Premiership Fulham, live on Thursday October 9th live on ITV kicking off at 7.45pm.
The fifteen players already confirmed bring with them an impressive trophy haul of 23 Premiership titles, 20 FA Cups, 12 League Cups, 3 Champions League trophies and 2 UEFA Cup Winners Cups. The two 16-man squads have already totted up experience of 463 international caps and 54 goals.
The England Legends confirmed for Thursday October 9th are Arsenal trio Paul Merson, Ray Parlour and Nigel Winterburn, Manchester United duo Bryan Robson and Lee Sharpe alongside Des Walker, Chris Woods, Steve Hodge and Paul Walsh. For Ireland, Manchester United's Denis Irwin is joined by Houghton, Mark Kinsella, David Kelly, Eddie McGoldrick and Alan Kernaghan.
In terms of average ages, The Irish Legends have over a year on their English counterparts, 41.7 compared to 43. The Irish also have more experience averaging 40.7 caps per man against England's 24.3.
On The Legends: England v Ireland, Gallagher, who, over a 15-year Premier League career officiated at 378 games, commented: "England against Ireland is always a fiercely competitive and prestigious affair, there's every reason to suppose this will continue that trend. I have refereed four Legends games previously and on each occasion the ground has been full of supporters enjoying a Legends game that was competitive, fun and full of goals. I hope this continues on Thursday October 9th."
England will be looking to get back to winning ways against Ireland. The Legends: England v Republic of Ireland is the third game in The 2008 Legends Series. The England Legends beat their Scottish counterparts 2-0 at St. Mary's Stadium Southampton on Thursday May 15th before losing 5-1 to Germany at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane.
Tickets for The Legends: England v Ireland are £14 for adults (over 16) and £8 for OAPs/Students, plus booking fee and available from Fulham Football Club's Box Office on 0870 442 1234. Transmission for The Legends: England v Ireland will begin at 7pm. All Legends football games operate a 'Kid-A-Quid' scheme; all children under 16 will gain entry to The Legends for just £1.
