FOOTBALL: GERRY ARMSTRONG COLUMN: A bridge too far

THE debate over whether Irish League players should be called into the Northern Ireland team rages on.

It's a difficult one because the only thing that will change it after 792 minutes of goalless football is someone to put the ball in the back of the net and for them to get a result.

But what people don't appreciate is that it's such a massive step going from the Irish League to playing international football.

There are players who can do it, but you're asking a lot of them - both from a fitness and technical point of view. You have to bear in mind that the Irish League is not too dis-similar to the Nationwide Conference - the players are part-time, train twice a week and then play Saturdays.

Glentoran's Andy Smith has got a case for a call from Sammy McIlroy, but even then he is one of the rare few.

Back in the seventies, I played with a few of the Irish League players at international level Peter Rafferty and such was the gulf many of them played just two games - their first and last.

We lost 6-1 the next game, but the simple fact is that the English game has more quality players - and that is what will get Sammy through this tough spell.

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