When the neighbours are around, the good silver usually gets an airing and certainly Malahide will have pulled out all the stops this Friday but the days of Ireland bestowing a hospitable welcome on their guests have passed.

Much like that one evening a year you’re forced to exchange pleasantries with the couple from down the road, England visit Dublin this week for a perfunctory rendezvous. You certainly get the feeling our near neighbours see this biennial fixture as one of those neighbourhood socials you’re forced into attending because it would be rude not to make an appearance.

Just as it was two years ago, England’s squad selection has engendered rumblings of discontent from some quarters - the cheek of them to bring that cheap stuff from Lidl rather than a time-honoured bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, I hear you say. The paying punters will be left short-changed, some might say.

Indeed, Peter Moores will arrive in Dublin - weary-eyed no doubt after dashing from Barbados - with six new faces in his ranks. The congested nature of the international itinerary has forced England’s hand but truth be told, this side are arguably the most dynamic and purposeful Three Lions one-day outfit there has been for some time.

For all intents and purposes, the XI we’re likely to see on Friday will contain those players who will carry the burden of being England’s salvation army - the bright future, apparently.

Yet many of those names - Billings, Roy, Vince and the like - are unlikely, with all due respect, to register with many of the capacity crowd in attendance. But the natives haven’t taken a day off work or travelled from all parts of the country to see Zafar Ansari or Lewis Gregory make their ODI debut - as momentous an occasion as it's sure to be.

This isn’t about those in the visiting dressing room. This is about Ireland sticking its chest out, as a nation with serious cricketing pedigree, and showcasing its undisputed credentials once again. Sure, England have the right to treat this game in whichever way they want but, as John Bracewell said during the week, teams can treat Ireland at their peril because Ireland are no longer the underdog of years gone by.

We've known for some time now that England would be affording some of their 'senior' players a rest this weekend. It came as little surprise given the respect, or lack thereof, which has been hurled in Cricket Ireland's direction by the ECB and the rest of the top brass.

After all, we're just the minnows from across the water. We’re just the neighbours from across the way that are the minnows of England’s game. We’re just the neighbours that have thirteen players holding their own in their domestic game. We’re just the neighbours that had two county captains last year. We’re just the neighbours that has gifted them with their one-day captain. We may be the Paddys across the water but as Sir Alex Ferguson once described Manchester City, we’re now the noisy neighbours and we’re not going away anytime soon.

The game, as we know, won’t mark the official beginning of the Bracewell reign with his inauguration delayed until June. Since his appointment, there has been some speculation surrounding the 57-year-old’s credentials for the job but having sat down with the man during the week, I’m not sure there are too many coaches around the world with the same level of enthusiasm and drive as Bracewell.

From the moment we met, it was evident he is a straight-talking individual. Bracewell doesn’t mince his words: “I love a cause and want to deliver Test cricket to Ireland,” was his opening salvo. He’s an old school coach with an emphasis on man-management, communication and hard work. “I like to pull up my sleeves and get dirty,” was another statement which stood out.

Referring to the role as an ‘unique’ one, Bracewell relishes a backs-to-the-wall, underdog scenario during which resourcefulness, doggedness and application are key facets for success. Not one to be too tied down by numbers or data but his results speak volumes of his propensity to ingrain a winning mentality and insatiable appetite for betterment.

“An us against the rest mentality,” he refers to it as. It starts in Malahide. Friday 8 May 2015 could just be the beginning of something very special. If John Bracewell has anything to do with it, you can bet he’ll get his way.