Mark Kennedy has expressed his pride for the City players who received international call-ups over the recent break.
As a former Republic of Ireland international himself, Kennedy says there is no greater pride than donning your nation’s colours and representing your country.
He said: “The call-ups provided great experiences for our lads. Sean Roughan got his first cap, Oisin Gallagher got his games in, Sam Long and Carl Rushworth were involved with their nations - these are just brilliant experiences for them.
“I haven’t had chance to get around everybody, but representing your country is a huge honour. Just pulling on the colours of your country is a phenomenal experience, so those lads have come back with a spring in their step.
Whilst the break kept a handful of City players busy with football, Kennedy is pleased the majority of his squad were able to take a break and recharge after a long period of hard work.
He added: “It was a good opportunity for us to give the lads some time off after a relentless run of games.
“In terms of training and games, it is an incredibly demanding environment they come into on a daily basis, so there was a bit of relief from our perspective that the players could go away and be with loved ones and come back refreshed, and we have definitely seen the benefits of that this week.
“We don’t just go away and switch off, as players they get to have a break from ourselves, but as staff we are all working or out watching games. That also gives us extra time to get in work for matches we have coming up, so from a work perspective, it has been very good for us,” he finished.