Youth World Cup: Sean Dillon was playing his guitar, serenading his team-mates with "Irish stuff and Oasis" in the Horse and Jockey, the pub in the team hotel, after the Mexico game on Friday night, when goalkeeper Wayne Henderson complained he was strumming too quietly, writes Mary Hannigan in Al-Anin, UAE

"Hendo shouted 'Louder', so I played louder - and broke a string. Have no spares with me, don't know where I'll get one either."

Mind you, as the only member of the squad yet to make an appearance at these championships, the Longford Town defender, a native of Ronanstown in Dublin, would be happy enough to do his playing on the field from tomorrow, when Ireland meet Colombia in the second round, and leave the strumming to the hotel's resident band.

"It's a bit of a pain, to be honest with you, a bit frustrating, but hopefully I'll get my chance soon, I'll keep plugging away," he said.

"It is disappointing, but we're all in this together. The lads make you feel part of it, even though I haven't got on, you're never left out on your own. I'm very grateful to be here, but it's not the same when you haven't played, you want to be part of it all.

"The worst thing is you're always kind of hoping something wrong happens to the others, which is not the right way to do things, but if that's your chance to get in you take it. As soon as somebody goes down in a game I'm up like a light, dying to get on. So far it hasn't happened, but I'm as ready as anyone to come in. Please God it will happen."

With right-back Stephen Kelly suspended and left-back Stephen Capper struggling with a foot injury (he did not train yesterday) Dillon, who can play anywhere in defence, is hoping his time might finally come when manager Gerry Smith names his team for the second-round game.

An appearance would, he says, complete what has already been a happy season, one that saw him win the FAI Cup with Longford.

"Ah, it'd be the best. You always get disappointments, and I've had a few," he said, referring to his release by Aston Villa last summer and his omission from the original squad for the World Youth Cup (he was a late replacement for the injured Stephen Brennan), "but if I could get on that would make up for everything."

Dillon, who plays part-time with Longford, is studying architecture in Coláiste Íde in Finglas. "I've lot to catch up on when I get home," he says.

You didn't bring your books?

"No, I didn't, no chance, busy enough as it is."

Stephen Paisley (Dillon's Longford Town team-mate) brought his books (for his Leaving Certificate).

"So he says. I could tell ye that I brought mine, but the truth be known I didn't bother. I'd be honest. And I tell you something, I haven't seen Paso do much studying since he got here," he says, nodding towards the very same Paso in the hotel pool. True enough, biology, business studies and geography seem to be the farthest things from Paisley's mind.

Has he talked you through his two goals?

"Ah stop, he's killing me."

Your last goal?

"An o.g. against Pat's."

If it wasn't for the reflection of the sun you'd have seen the blushes on his cheeks.

Meanwhile, after going to Colombia's game against England on Friday (0-0), Don Givens has been sharing his observations with Smith. "I just told him they were a good side, with no brilliant individuals - but a very solid unit," said the Irish under-21 manager.

"Having said that, they played conservatively against England because the point was enough for them, so I didn't see everything. Technically good, a big side, and of course they can cope comfortably enough with these conditions.

"They play 4-4-2, but it's very fluid - two in front of the back four, who were fairly rigid, but the other four seemed to be free to go wherever they wanted. They've stuck, more or less, to the same team through their three games (0-0 against Egypt and England, 4-1 against Japan), so we won't expect them to make too many changes for our game.

Did England trouble them?

"No, but England wouldn't trouble a blind school.

"Our lads have done very well so far, and if it comes down to digging deep mentally I'd back us against anyone."

Givens believes Ireland can cause the Colombians significant trouble at set-pieces, a view shared by the Colombian coach. In fact, Reinaldo Rueda, by the sounds of it, is expecting the mother of all aerial bombardments.

"We think Ireland will be very similar to England," he said. "They both play a lot of their football in the air, spreading it wide to get crosses in from the flanks. We must, then, be cautious, dominate possession, control the pace of the game and avoid those 'aerial centres'."

Smith, meanwhile, has been bombarding the media - including a hapless television reporter from a Spanish-language channel in the United States - with his thoughts on the game. "Tuesday," he said, "is the day when the cowards get brave, the non-runners run their arses off and the unskilled become skilled."

"Gracios," said the reporter, wearing an expression that said "Que?".