WALES V COSTA RICA (Gary Speed Memorial Match. Tonight. KO 7.45)

AS the Welsh football family gathers to pay its respects to the late Gary Speed tonight, the national team’s players and staff have revealed just how difficult the past few months have been.

Wales host Costa Rica, the opponents when Speed made his debut as a player in 1990, in a special memorial match at the Cardiff City Stadium this evening.

It will be the first match for the national team since Speed’s shock death in November last year and is sure to be an emotional night for all concerned.

In a press conference at the squad’s hotel in Cardiff Bay yesterday, new manager Chris Coleman, Speed’s assistant Osian Roberts and star player Aaron Ramsey – the man Speed made his captain – outlined the difficulty of the unique situation.

“You’ve got to remember how tough this is going to be for the players, a lot of them were close to Gary,” said Coleman, who will be merely assisting Roberts tonight as he eases into his new role as Speed’s successor.

“We had a meeting and watched footage of Gary’s career.

“It was productive, you could feel the togetherness and warmth and I think we needed to do it. It was touching and emotional and I think the staff and players have handled the situation very well.

“I know Speedo as well as anybody and I know he’d want us to win and to keep going,” he added.

“We’ll do our best to keep winning.”

Ramsey will miss the match due to an ankle injury but he is set to lead the team out with stand-in skipper Craig Bellamy and Speed’s sons Ed and Tom.

“Gary’s boys will lead the team out with Craig and Aaron and his father Roger has asked if he can come in and wish the team all the best before kick-off,” explained Roberts.

“It’s difficult for all the players and I think everyone is keen to get out there and put in a performance that is worthy of the man himself. We don’t know how the players will react because we’ve never been in this situation before.

“It was important that the players and the staff got together,” he added. “It was our first opportunity to do that and it was important that we drew strength from each other.

“We all want to pay our respects to Gary this week and the best way we can do that is by continuing his good work.”

Ramsey echoed those thoughts, adding: “I think everyone wants to remember a great guy and a manager who started us playing really good football.

“Hopefully we can continue that and achieve what we want to achieve.

“I’m gutted to miss the game but I’ll be there to support the team because it will be an emotional day.

“It had a big effect on me. He made me Welsh captain. He believed in me and saw that I was capable of doing that.

“It was a very hard time for me and all the players and I thought it was important for me to be here to give my support to them.

“He made massive changes and we started playing some great stuff,” added the Arsenal ace.

“Hopefully we’ll win the game, show everyone what he brought to the side and continue to progress.

“We want to qualify for the next World Cup, that’s been our aim for a while, and I believe we have the players to achieve that.”