Republic of Ireland under-21 manager Don Givens is hoping that some of Arsenal's magic will rub off on his side after naming the Gunners' youth coach, Neil Banfield, as his assistant.
Banfield has been partly responsible for helping the progression of Arsenal's highly productive youth system and Givens has convinced Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and academy chief Liam Brady to allow him to link up with the Irish youths.
Givens is delighted with the appointment and said: "I have worked with Neil before and he is a very good coach. He thinks very similarly to me on the development side of things and I am delighted to get him."
"I had a meeting with Arsene Wenger and Liam Brady and initially their response was 'no' because he will be missing at certain times, but I put my case to them and they can see it will be good experience for Neil and eventually they agreed to it, so I am delighted."
Givens side will take on Poland tomorrow night and despite being hit by several late withdrawals, he is confident that Ireland can get a good result away from home. " You have to look at the drop-out as a positive thing because it means there is a chance for somebody else," he insisted.
Waterford United's Daryl Murphy, Arsenal's Patrick Cregg and Ian Simpemba of Wycombe Wanderers have all been added to the squad after Givens lost the services of Leeds United's Paul Keegan, Borussia Dortmund's Patrick Kohlmann, Longford Town's Stephen Paisley, Hull City's Jonathan Walters and Cork City's Liam Kearney.
Ireland Under-21 team:
Henderson (Villa), Kelly (Spurs), McCarthy (Man City), Capper (Scarborough), Potter (Liverpool), Fitzgerald (Blackburn), Whelan (Man City), Thornton (Sunderland), Flood (Man City), Doyle (Cork), Elliott (Man City)
Filed by Rob Wright
