Heat an issue for Kerr's troops

Brian Kerr's approach to coaching his players may have attracted some interested spectators from the FIFA Technical Studies group over the past week or so, but there was nothing too new or innovative about his final training session before this afternoon's crucial Group C match against Australia.

The Irish boss wanted to give his players an idea of just how tough it's going to be to play a game in the heat of the day here, so yesterday morning he took his squad out for a 90-minute session in which the focus was on getting the opposition to work hard when they don't have the ball.

Kerr said afterwards that he was happy with the way everybody had coped, but he knows well that, given their greater tolerance of the heat, the Australians should still be able to force the pace. He concedes, however, that the narrow advantage in goal difference which the Irish hold over their rivals may yet prove vital. "Yeah, I'd rather be in our position than theirs, that's for certain," he said. "They'll be strong and they'll give us a lot of problems, but they need the win because a draw doesn't give them any guarantees and that's an important advantage for us to hold."

The injury situation within the squad continued to look fairly promising yesterday. Apart from Alex O'Reilly still receiving treatment for stomach problems and, it appeared, minor cramps in his legs during yesterday's session, nobody else in the panel was suffering from anything more serious than a minor bout of diarrhoea.

If O'Reilly is completely fit then he may come back in for Dean Delaney, although if he is not it is difficult to see where Kerr is going to make the changes he made passing references to yesterday. Kerr said "freshness" was important, but Shelbourne's Richie Baker has yet to start a game and it is doubtful that he'll want to alter a midfield line-up he was clearly impressed by on Wednesday night.

Still, Ger Crossley could be rested for one game, or Damien Duff may be used, as Kerr said he would be last week, used in a more central position for this game. Elsewhere, the manager's assertion that the Australians give away a lot of chances when quick and agile players get in amongst them might mean a recall for Liam George who was replaced by Richard Saddlier midweek.

At the back, Keith Doyle's slight fatigue continues to cause some minor concern, but here, once again, Kerr didn't seem to see a change as being particularly necessary. Whoever plays in the end, the fact that the Australians need to win and will have to take the game to the Irish should suit Kerr's game plan nicely.

A win would still mean that Ireland would have a chance of winning the group, staying put and playing a third-placed team from another group. With Mexico playing the Saudis later in the evening, though, the runners-up position is far more plausible.

That would mean a trip north to Kano and a game against any one of the four teams in Group A : Nigeria, Germany, Paraguay or ever Costa Rica. A repeat of last summer's European final against Germany looks the most likely. Defeat would leave Kerr and his players forced to sit through Sunday's games in other groups hoping that three points would be enough to get them through.

If it is, and depending on which other groups produce qualifiers, they would either head for Lagos to play Group A's winners (probably Nigeria) or towards Kano and as far as Kaduna for a game against the winners of Group B : Ghana, Croatia or defending champions Argentina.

Which ever way it works out, full back Thomas Heary knows that it's not going to be easy. Yesterday he was trying not to even think that far ahead. Heary is one of those who had stomach problems in recent days and the Huddersfield player said yesterday that he had suffered with headaches too, although the situation had improved yesterday after he'd taken medication.

Heary certainly doesn't see the problems as affecting his ability to play this afternoon and, as one of the most consistent performers for Kerr over the past couple of seasons, he is virtually assured of his place in the starting line-up. The Dubliner plays in his preferred midfield role for his club, despite having international success as a defender. "I don't mind playing there," he said. "I mean the first time I played for Brian was at left full in Porto a couple of years ago and it's gone very well for me, I'm delighted to be involved with the team. Midfield is where I prefer to be, but as long as I'm getting a game then I'm not complaining."

At club level, last year's European Championship success in Cyprus proved costly for the 20-year-old, who started his footballing career back at home with St Martin's Boys.

"The fact that I missed pre-season training left me struggling to get a look in all right, but I've been doing okay in the reserves and I'm hoping that the fact that I played a few games over here will do me a bit of good when I get back to Huddersfield."

Being part of another winning team would obviously be a boost to his cause but, like Kerr, the player is cautious enough about looking beyond this afternoon's game. That test will be a great deal easier to overcome if the weather is dull and cool, and the Irish boss admits to having a large percentage of Ireland's Nigerian-based clerics working on the matter for him.

"We've got them looking for a nice cool day with a drop of rain," laughed the Ireland manager as the team finished their training and boarded the team bus.