CHARLTON skipper Matt Holland says he is relishing the prospect of playing international football at The Valley this summer.

Holland is part of the Republic of Ireland squad that faces Jamaica and Nigeria in the Unity Cup later this month.

It will be a unique opportunity for the 30-year-old to play for his country at his club ground and will give the Republic of Ireland a chance to bounce back from the disappointment of failing to qualify for Euro 2004.

Holland said: “It will be a special experience to play at The Valley and a strange one as well. It’s quite odd to play international games at club grounds, particularly for Ireland coming over to England to play in a tournament.

“We were disappointed to miss out on Euro 2004. We’ve had some good friendlies against the likes of Brazil and the Czech Republic, who we beat, since then.

"Every player wants to play at the top level in major tournaments. Missing out on this one was a big blow and hopefully we can qualify for the next World Cup.”

Charlton’s growing reputation has been enhanced further by hosting an international tournament and chief executive Peter Varney has expressed an interest in staging an England game.

Holland said: “The club has gone from strength to strength since Alan Curbishley took over. The fact we are looking to add to the capacity of the stadium and are hosting international games is testimony to a lot of people’s hard work.”

Holland believes the Addicks players will look back with mixed emotions on their season. The club were in with the chance of clinching a Champions League place earlier in the year but fell away in the final weeks and are left hoping for a spot in the UEFA Cup through the Fair Play League.

He added: “We’ve got a mixture of feelings about it. We are pleased with the way it’s gone, but still a bit disappointed after the first half of the season.

“I don’t think you can ask any more of the lads in terms of effort. We haven’t played that badly in the later stages of the season. The games have been tight and with a bit more luck we could have picked up a lot more points.”

Meanwhile, Charlton will undertake a two-match trip to China in July as part of their pre-season preparations.

Players’ agent Andrew Mills flew to China on Monday to check on hotels and training facilities and will report back at the weekend. Providing his report is favourable, the club will embark on their most ambitious overseas tour.

As long as there are no hitches, Charlton will play Chinese Premier League side Shenzhen and then a Shanghai team.

The Addicks are also close to confirming Dutch giants Ajax as visitors to The Valley for a pre-season friendly.