Macken also wins first cap

Last updated : 19 August 2004 By Ben Collins
The City striker came off the bench for the Republic of Ireland in their 1-1 draw with Bulgaria - Nottingham Forest's Andy Reid scoring his first goal for his country - but Macken had little opportunity to make an impact.

He said: "I'm over the moon with my debut and playing in front of my home crowd was fantastic.

"I'm just looking for more of it now and hopefully it will happen in the next few weeks.

"The lads have been fantastic and made me feel more than welcome. It's been a long time coming and it was just nice to be out there."

Meanwhile, Ben Thatcher won his first Welsh cap as a City player against Latvia in Riga.

Mark Hughes' men won 2-0 thanks to late goals from star strikers John Hartson and Craig Bellamy.