Lee way made up after long striving

He may finally be able to count himself a regular at an ambitious Championship (what was Division One) outfit in Britain, but over the last few years Alan Lee endured enough dark days in the course of his club career to know that in some situations you simply have to count your blessings and acquire a long-term sense of perspective.

With two days to go before the start of Ireland's new World Cup campaign and a handful of starting places still at least notionally up for grabs, there are a few in the Irish camp who, whatever they say in public, will be disappointed when Brian Kerr names his side tomorrow morning.

Despite being in what he describes as "the best form and the best shape of my career", Lee, however, is under no illusions about his prospects of being handed a start against the Cypriots tomorrow.

But as he considers his current standing within the team set-up he still finds a good deal to reflect positively on after a year in which he has featured five times for the Republic and, perhaps most importantly of all, started to feel he has earned his status as a senior international.

"I think it's different for the lads who came into the set-up at maybe 19 or 20 and came to feel very much a part of it," said the 26-year-old striker yesterday.

"In my case I had three or four years in the wilderness and when you come in after that you really don't feel a part of it.

"Even in training early on, if you give away the ball you feel that all eyes are on you. That period lasts longer for some people than for others but I think for everybody it takes a while before you finally start to believe yourself that you are in the squad on merit.

"I suppose part of it is the fact that you're not playing in the Premiership, you're not mixing with the others lads day in day out, and that can be difficult when you suddenly find yourself in there amongst them at an Ireland session."

Lee's involvement over the past couple of seasons has largely been confined to the sidelines although he has notched up seven caps, largely from the bench, since making his debut against Norway in April of last year.

And he benefited more than most from the end-of-season programme before the summer, which several of the more established players missed for one reason or another.

His first start came against Poland earlier this year but he admits the performance was hardly a triumph.

"It was a bad day for me I suppose, but I thought I gave a good account of myself in the games that followed.

"I'm realistic enough to admit, though, that with the players that have been playing up front for Brian having done well it would take a few injuries before I get a start in a competitive match.

"For me, though, my current situation is good. It definitely took a bit of getting used to the higher standard with the international squad but since I moved to Cardiff (from Rotherham) I've been training and playing with better players.

" I feel I've come on a lot myself and what I know I have to do now is wait for my chance to come at this level and give it everything."

If the team struggles in its early games in the qualifiers, of course, Lee might hope to be a beneficiary of any shake-up but the Dubliner believes the Irish will do well in the campaign and that other nations will view the Republic as opponents to be feared.

"I know the team didn't perform the way it should have last time but it's funny - in the time I've been involved all I've really known is success, with the one exception of the Nigeria game.

"I think people will look at the team's results over the past year or so and see that they've been strong. We're definitely ones to be wary off."