Pulls out of Northern Ireland squad because his wife is due to give birth. Is this Steve Bruce's first grandkid?
I can just imagine Alex in early December last year: "Get yer pants off, there's an international break in early Sept."
Seems odd that he has just pulled out (so to speak). He has presumably known for several months both the due date and the date of the fixture. On a separate note, if he had pulled out 9 months ago he could have played in this game. (Before anyone else says it).