Kelly back to reclaim position

Gary Kelly was entitled to believe that he had played himself into Mick McCarthy's World Cup plans after being named in the Republic of Ireland team to meet the Czech Republic at Lansdowne Road this evening.

Kelly, surplus to requirements for the majority of McCarthy's four-year term of office, is preferred to Tottenham's Steve Carr for the daunting task of replacing Denis Irwin at right back.

As anticipated, Paul Butler of Sunderland wins his first cap as Kenny Cunningham's partner in central defence and Mark Kennedy, a left sided player by inclination and training, is given another opportunity to solve a perceived problem on the opposite flank.

Inevitably, however, it is Gary Kelly's return to favour at right back which will be seen as most significant, as the manager embarks on the task of settling on his best formation at the start of the build up to World Cup qualifying games in the autumn.

With the exception of Phil Babb, perhaps, nobody has more reason to pine for old times than the Leeds player who, in the closing phase of the Jack Charlton era, had established himself as something of an automatic choice in the team.

Twelve caps in four years, only two of them in his specialist right back position, is the sum total of his honours from the current regime but McCarthy was at some pains to talk up his man after yesterday's training session at Richmond Park.

"Gary's had a bad couple of years but he's now back to where he was in 1994," he said. "I've watched him on a number of occasions this season and I haven't seen a better right back in the Premiership.

"He's done a number of useful jobs in different roles for Ireland but he's now playing as well as he's ever done in his best position. And while Stephen Carr may feel aggrieved, I'm happy to go with Gary in this game."

Gary Breen, an established first team player throughout the European programme, must content himself with a place on the bench as McCarthy prepares to watch Butler in tandem with Cunningham in the first of several experiments in central defence.

At a later stage, players like Phil Babb, Andy O'Brien and possibly, Richard Dunne are expected to enter the equation in the manager's determination to appraise all his options before the critical World Cup assignment against the Netherlands in September.

Breen is the first to feel the pinch but McCarthy had words of consolation for the deposed Coventry man. "If we were playing for points tomorrow, Gary would probably be in but this is a good opportunity to take a look at Paul Butler. At the end of the day, the competition for places can only be healthy."

Butler, well recommended by Sunderland manager, Peter Reid, is likely to bring added physical presence to the back four.

On McCarthy's admission, not more than two or three places in his best World Cup formation are still at issue. It is reasonable to assume that one of them is on the right side of midfield where Jason McAteer's decline in form, has destroyed many pre-conceived ideas about the formation of the middle line.

The Ireland manager has long been an admirer of Mark Kennedy and is prepared to prolong the experiment by playing Kennedy out of position down the right. For some, this has the effect of unbalancing the line but McCarthy counters by saying that as a natural winger, the Manchester City player is better fitted for the challenge of delivering crosses for the two front men, Robbie Keane and Niall Quinn.

The Czechs now rate as one of the more likely challengers to take Germany's crown in the European Championship finals in the summer. And proving they play to their potential, they could do some serious damage to Ireland's home record.

Whether they have that drive is a moot point, however, after yesterday's request to the Ireland management team that the rules be relaxed to permit anything up to six substitutes in this evening's game.

The risk is that a plethora of replacements could fragment the match to the point where it becomes meaningless but the Ireland manager is anxious to be seen as pointing up the competitive element of an occasion which he believes can establish the mood of a big year for his team.

It may well be that he will introduce Babb, McAteer and his Dutch-based forward, David Connolly, at some stage but he stresses that his team will not be diluted to the point where it loses its impetus.

Liverpool's Vladimir Smicer, whose goal inspired the recovery which took them to a 2-1 win on the last occasion the countries met at Olomouc two years ago, will again demand vigilance from the rebuilt Ireland defence.

Roy Keane, operating alongside Mark Kinsella in central midfield, will ensure that the home team concedes little in this area. The bigger question is whether Kennedy and Kevin Kilbane can provide the pace and accuracy in their crosses to harness the potential of Quinn and Robbie Keane at the front of the team.