Duff relishing N Ireland return

Northern Ireland defender Michael Duff cannot wait to get into action in the friendly against Hungary on Wednesday.

The Burnley defender returns after missing the last games through injury and he does not view the Windsor Park game as a meaningless friendly.

"I don't think you'd ever call an international game an unwelcome distraction or a pain," he said.

"You want to win as many caps as you can, and this is a great opportunity - it's something to look forward to."

"People pull out because of niggles or whatever. But for me, it's a great chance to get back with the squad.

"If you can't motivate yourself for an international match, whether it's a friendly or not, you're in the wrong game."

"We haven't got a game after this until the qualifier in San Marino in February - so it'll be good to go into the long break on the back of a good performance and, I hope, a win."

Northern Ireland are fourth in World Cup qualifying Group Three with four points from four games, but Duff believes it is too early to rate their chances of reaching South Africa in 2010.

"It's gone okay so far, and it was good to get the win against San Marino in the last match.

"But it's too far ahead to say whether we'll qualify. We need to get our heads down and then see where we are after another three or four games.

"That's why it's important to put in a good performance against Hungary and carry some momentum into the next qualifier."

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Irish Football Association
NI fans' website
NI supporters' site
Football on the BBC
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites