A FORMER Bedale High School pupil faced a last-minute dash to get a new passport so that he could play in his first international football match.

Michael Duff, who plays for Cheltenham Town in the Nationwide Football League, has been called up by Northern Ireland for a friendly match against Poland in Cyprus on Wednesday.

When it was discovered that he had lost his passport, however, his father had to make a special trip to the nearest office to get a new one.

The fixture means that Michael will be unable to watch Cheltenham take on his former club, Darlington, in a league match at home.

Michael originally signed for Darlington but moved to Cheltenham Town when his RAF family was posted to Oxford.

He played for Cheltenham at Wembley when they won the FA Trophy and he scored the winning goal against Yeovil which saw Cheltenham promoted to the Football League from the Nationwide Conference.

On Saturday, February 16, Michael plays for Cheltenham against West Bromwich Albion in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Martyn Coombs, head of PE at Bedale High School, said: "He is the first international footballer we have had."