The Worthington Cup second-round second-leg match at Kenilworth Road last night between Luton and Sunderland was a chance for Irish friends to meet up.

Liam George and Dean Brennan played for the home team while Sunderland made Paul Butler captain and started with Michael Reddy up front. Peter Reid also gave a debut to Brendan McGill and gave Thomas Butler his season's bow.

Sunderland went into the game with a 3-0 first leg lead so Reid decided to experiment, leaving out ten of the players that starred in his team's 1-1 draw at Anfield last weekend.

The experiment worked as Graiguenamanagh-born striker Reddy gave Sunderland the lead in the 31st minute after Daniel Dichio flicked the ball onto him. Reddy made no mistake from close range as he slipped the ball past Marc Ovendale in the Luton goal.

Eight minutes later Paul Butler doubled the scoring when a John Oster corner fell to Alex Rae whose attempted shot deflected into the path of the Irish defender and he fired the ball home.

Liam George, who scored his first goal of the season last weekend, looked back to somewhere near his best and had two early chances to give Luton the lead but goalkeeper Jurgen Macho smothered both attempts.

Thomas Butler was playing his first game of the season for Sunderland after coming on as a 70th minute replacement for Roy but the story of the night was the first-team debut of the talented 19-year-old Dubliner Brendan McGill.

McGill was an unused sub in the first leg of the tie but last night he got his chance to play with the big boys as Reid introduced him at half time for Darren Williams.

The former Rivervalley Rangers midfielder, who earned an u16 European Championship winners medal with Ireland in 1998, acquitted himself well in his time on the field and the confidence he showed should lead to a few more appearances this season.