Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long has expressed his delight at being named captain for their friendly against Georgia tomorrow.
Long will take over the armband from Robbie Keane, who is among nine players rested by manager Giovanni Trapattoni ahead of the World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands on Friday.
The announcement ends a successful week for the 26-year-old, who gave Ireland a lead against England during their friendly on Wednesday night.
"I didn't think the week could get any better after Wednesday night. It was obviously a great thing for me to score at Wembley, but I think the biggest honour you can get is to captain your country and I was delighted to get the nod from the gaffer," said Long.
"The boss kept the team close to his chest. He asked how many caps I had - and I might have exaggerated a little bit. But he told me I was the most-capped player and he me wanted to lead the team out tomorrow, and obviously it is a personal highlight for me. It's the first time I have been captain in my senior career, so I am really excited. In underage football, I got the captaincy quite a bit, but I have always been the young one in every squad so far, so it's nice to get the nod.
"It kind of came up fairly quickly on me. I have been squad long time, I suppose, I have been with the lads a long time. I always dreamt of this day coming, so I am delighted it's finally here. Normally, I'm fairly quiet on the pitch, but I think tomorrow will be different and I will be trying to help out the team as best I can."
Long, who is suspended for Friday's match against the Faroe Islands, will captain the side on his 36th appearance.
Barney Corkhill
