Efe Sodje is set to make history as the first player to win a full international cap while playing League football for Colchester United.

The impressive central defender, who made his U's debut in the Second Division win over Gillingham last Saturday, has been told he will definitely play for Nigeria against Eritrea in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday, April 9, after he was called into his country's 20-strong squad yesterday.

But 27-year-old Sodje, who wears an array of coloured bandanas, will not be the first man to win a full cap as a U's player.

FA Trophy and Conference double-winning striker Mike Masters was the first when he was capped by the USA at the end of the 1991-92 Conference season.

Sodje will join up with the Nigerian squad in Frankfurt, Germany, next Wednesday just four days after playing for the U's against his former club Luton Town at Kenilworth Road.

The delighted Greenwich-born U's new-boy said today: "I have been told I will definitely be playing and I would love to go. But I came to Colchester to play for a new contract and I don't want anything to get in the way of that.

"I will be seeing manager Steve Whitton today to officially sanction my release. If he says I can go I will only miss one match, the home game against Blackpool on April 8.

"If I refuse to go I will lose out either way because I'm told the Nigerian FA will prevent me from playing against Blackpool anyway."

Whitton said: "Of course Sodje can go with the club's blessing. There's no way I would want to prevent a player from playing for his country. His inclusion can only enhance the profile of the club he plays for."

The former Stevenage and Macclesfield favourite's invitation to play for Nigeria was forwarded to him yesterday from Luton where he was a player until his release as a free agent on last Thursday's transfer deadline.

He said: "Although I have already played three times for Nigeria the game against Eritrea could be my first cap.

"The other three games were friendlies in the build-up to the recent African Nations Cup and I don't know if they counted as caps.

"I was also a member of the 16-man squad that played in the finals, but I was on the bench for every match."

Sodje will be the latest in a long line of full internationals who have played for the U's.

They include Ray Crawford and Kevin Beattie (England); Stewart Houston (Scotland); Mark Kinsella (Republic of Ireland); Allan Hunter, Ian Stewart, Colin Hill, Pat Sharkey and Frank McCourt (Northern Ireland); plus Geraint Williams and Andy Marriott (Wales).

Efe Sodje - selected for Nigerian squad.

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