Our Boys in Green invade Germany

By Luke Byrne

IT'S not so much Joxer goes to Stuttgart as it is Joxer goes to Gelsenkirchen.

Christy Moore idealised the 1988 Irish travelling football support to Germany and the fans who have travelled for tonight's qualifier are intent on recreating a similar atmosphere.

Around 3,000 members of the Green Army have made the trip to Germany to watch Ireland take on the world champions at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen.

WELCOMING

At the Oisin Kelly Gallery, the sole Irish pub in the north-German town, Dave Murphy, from Cork, said that the first thing he noticed was how welcoming the locals were.

Dave has travelled with his friends Eddie O'Callaghan and Tom Brown, all of whom were in fine form yesterday and settling in well before the game.

"There are three of us here, it's been great fun so far. We'd always support our own. We'd do away games for the rugby and the football. It's been great fun, we dressed up as leprechauns. They gave us a few hats here at the bar," he said.

Dave is confident that the team could get a result today.

"I think we have a good chance of at least getting a point," he said.

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