Taken from the pages of Shoot! Annual 1980:
What do you remember most about your international debut?
The fear down my spine when I walked out with the international side for the first time against Poland, at Dublin in 1977. My family couldn’t get there and I felt totally alone.
Cripes!
His first cap was while with Preston North End. Hopefully, Brighton would have looked after him better. Although Mark was born in Preston, his mother was from Eire. The defender (and sometime midfielder) went on to make 39 appearances for the Republic of Ireland, scoring five goals from 1977 to 1987.