Finn Harps Aidan Friel and Mountcharles native Gavin Mulreany where both part of the squad that helped the Irish Defence Forces team draw with France 0 -0 on Friday.
After the French were down to ten men in the early stages, the Irish pressed to take advantage of creating numerous chances with Lee Delaney, Tony Smith and Chris Kenny producing top-class save from the French goalkeeper.
The French posed their own threat causing some upset in the Irish defence, with two quick breaks but Ken Deegan and the Irish defence were up to the challenge.
The second half started in similar fashion with the French happy to settle for the draw which would qualify both teams.
The Irish pressed hard to get the goal but were thwarted by an excellent French keeper and defence. Chris Kenny came closest to winning it for the Irish and was close to winning the game with an audacious chip with 15 minutes to go.
Irish legs tired in the last 10 minutes with France getting a foothold in the game but the Irish dug deep and nearly nicked it in the last minute with a header from Kenny.
Manager Richie Barber was delighted after the game with his team, he said: “This is the culmination of a years’ planning and work from the staff and players. We set our goals and achieved them. We could have won the game today but we achieved what we came to do.
“I can only praise the backroom staff and players for their commitment and desire. I must mention the staff Colm Kavanagh, Anthony Jinks, Lloyd Murphy and Frank Carolan who have given personal time to ensure the team were 100% ready for anything.
The DF Soccer President Brigadier General Peter O’Halloran has given his backing to this team also and supported us in every way, this wouldn’t be possible without that support”
