O'Neill curse strikes again

Keith O'Neill is out of the Republic of Ireland's squad for Wednesday's meeting with Paraguay at Lansdowne Road, just 48 hours after being summoned as a replacement.

Over the last two seasons, the Norwich player has acquired an unenviable reputation as one of the unluckiest players in the game, with a sequence of injuries putting him out for long spells.

Even by those standards, however, it was a particularly galling weekend for the man whose international comeback lasted just five minutes in the opening European championship qualifying game against Croatia in August.

After leaving him out of his original selection because of a lack of match practice, Mick McCarthy invited him to join the squad on Saturday morning when he learned that neither Jeff Kenna nor Rory Delap would be available for Wednesday's game.

In the event, O'Neill's joy was short-lived. Making only his second appearance for Norwich since recovering from a protracted injury, he missed a penalty against Stockport and then suffered a thigh strain.

Now the weeks ahead are again strewn with self-doubt for the player who, in his infrequent appearances in the national team, has seldom failed to excite McCarthy.

"It's yet another setback for a player who has had more than his share of bad luck. You wonder when it's all going to end for him," said McCarthy. "He works so hard to get himself fit, and then, when he thinks he's ready to go, something like this happens."

The news will renew doubts about O'Neill's fitness for next month's European championship game in Macedonia, an assignment which the Ireland manager regards as crucial to their hopes of qualifying for the finals.

O'Neill's disappointment was shared to some degree by Steve Carr, Tottenham's consistent full back, who may have sensed that his first senior cap was within reach when Kenna withdrew because of a damaged hamstring.

McCarthy may have thought so, too, for he revised his arrangements on Saturday to watch Carr in action against Coventry City. Sadly, Carr finished the game with a hamstring problem and was immediately withdrawn by the club.

Yet the manager's visit to White Hart Lane did not go unrewarded. Gary Breen started his first game for Coventry since losing his place to Paul Williams in November and contributed significantly to the acquisition of an important championship point for the visitors.

Now he threatens to present McCarthy with an additional problem as the manager ponders the options available in central defence, where Ken Cunningham and Phil Babb are other prime contenders for places in the starting line-up.

Cunningham, like Mark Kinsella has been given permission to delay his arrival in Dublin until tomorrow morning. The players will be on opposite sides in this evening's Premiership meeting of Wimbledon and Charlton Athletic in which Mark Kennedy may also have a role to fill.

Tony Cascarino, who scored for AS Nancy in their 2-1 defeat by Lyon on Saturday, arrives in Dublin this morning, as does Denis Irwin, who had a pressing family commitment in Manchester yesterday.

Roy Keane was present, however, at yesterday's training session at Clonshaugh and looks set to lead out the team against the South Americans on Wednesday.

Michael Evans, the West Brom striker, has withdrawn from the "B" squad for tomorrow's meeting with the National League at Bray, but earlier doubts about the availability of Everton's Gareth Farrelly have been allayed.