No fears for Cregan

HOCKEY: Eimear Cregan holds no fears ahead of tonight's World Cup qualifying tournament encounter with Korea in Rome having enjoyed her finest moment in an Irish shirt against the Asians less than a year ago.

The former University of Limerick striker, now playing alongside Irish team mate Jill Orbinson with Push in Holland, claimed a hat-trick against tonight's opponents in the KT Five Nations Cup tournament in Korea last June.

Realistically though such a personal or even collective Irish tally in the return fixture would be unlikely in the extreme.

Cregan's father, Conor, was a victim of the petty crime which is rife in the Italian capital earlier in the week when a thief stole his camera on the metro while he was on a sight-seeing trip, a pleasure denied to the Irish players for whom this is strictly business.

However, the camera can be replaced unlike the two points which were lost in the opening 1-1 draw with United States on Tuesday. On that occasion the Americans committed a greater felony when they scored the equaliser with just 29 seconds of the match remaining to steal a draw.

While the bulk of the Irish squad was in dejected mood at the circumstances, Cregan was quick to confine the initial disappointment to the memory bank as she looked ahead to tonight's meeting with the Koreans.

They opened their account with a 4-1 win over their Italian hosts on Tuesday night and will be expecting a similar outcome against the Irish this evening.

"There is no way we are afraid of them because we know we can score against them from past experience" said Cregan.

Anything other than a defeat against a team ranked seventh in the world would be regarded as a surprise result but national coach Riet Kuper does not feel the Koreans are in the same bracket as the top European sides. "They don't have the finesse of Holland for example, or the individual class," said the Dutch woman.

If they lose more significance will be added to the remaining pool games against New Zealand, Italy and Azerbaijan as Ireland chase a top-five finish overall, which would take them to the finals in Madrid in September.

Bridget McKeever did not take part in the match with the United States but Kuper indicated that the Ballymoney player would be involved in tonight's second Pool B game as midfield cover having regained full fitness after sustaining a fractured cheek bone against Argentina in Rosario last month.

WORLD CUP QUALIFIER (at Rome) - Yesterday - Pool A: China 1, England 2; Ukraine 1, Japan 4. Today - Pool B (Irish times): New Zealand v USA, 2.30; Ireland v Korea, 5.0; Azerbaijan v Italy, 7.30.