The friendly home match against Northern Ireland on the 6th February will be the seventh in a series of encounters which started on 21st June 1988 in a World Cup 1990 Italy group match played in Northern Ireland and which ended with a 3-0 victory for the hosts. The match should spark great interest from the Maltese especially those who have British football at heart.
Since that match in 1988 the two countries have met each other five times, with the Irish coming out tops on every occasion except the last one, a friendly played in Malta which ended in a 1-1 draw in August 2005. That was the only time the Maltese managed to find the net against their opponents. Ireland, traditionally a gritty team which plays a predominantly high-tempo type of game blended with a modicum of tactical nousand resilience, have thus proved a hard nut to crack for the Maltese. Statistics bear this out as Northern Ireland netted 11 times against the solitary goal conceded. They twice won with three clear goals, sandwiching a 2-0 victory and followed by two 1-0 wins. It is hoped that after the last drawn match seven years ago, this third home tie will at last yield a positive result which would extend our recent excellent run of five friendly wins on the trot. Pietro Ghedin has given our team a new lease of life, backed by self-belief and tactical adaptability in the defensive and offensive phases. He will certainly go for several collective and individual variations while making sure that the team will prevail physically against opponents renowned for this facet of the game. Previous matches between Malta and Northern Ireland: 21.06.1988 World Cup N. Ireland 3 Malta 026.04.1989 World Cup Malta 0 N. Ireland 228.03.2000 Friendly Malta 0 N. Ireland 302.09.2000 World Cup N. Ireland 1 Malta 006.10.2001 World Cup Malta 0 N. Ireland 117.08.2005 Friendly Malta 1 N. Ireland 1 MATCH TICKETS Match Tickets will be out for sale from Friday 25th January 2013 and will be available online on www.mfa.com.mt and www.MaltaTicket.com - It is very important for tickets bought online to be printed by the purchaser Tickets will also be available for sale at the Stadium Ticket Booths on Match-Day Ticket prices are as follows: West Stand A and C (Upper) - €25West Stand A and C (Lower) - €15Millennium Stand - €8South Stand - €5Children U12 (any Sector) - €2. N.B. The West, Millennium and South Stands will be opened for this match.While Sectors West B and West C upper will be on allocated seating, all the other Sectors will be on a free seating basis.Sector West A is being reserved for visiting fansThere will also be a limited number of spaces at the Millennium Stand for persons confined to a wheelchair. Such persons will be admitted into the stadium Free of Charge (upon prior request and on a first come first served Basis). These persons will however need to be accompanied by another assisting person who needs to be in possession of a match ticket bought at the standard rates. CLICK HERE to buy your ticket On-Line GOAL CARD HOLDERS All Goal Card holders are to note that their card is also valid for this match and entitles them FREE ENTRANCE to the particular Stadium Sector, (except for the North Stand which will not be opened for this match), on presentation at the turnstiles. Those in possession of a North Stand goal card will be allowed access to the South Stand.