McCarthy clings to Quinn recovery hopes

ON THE basis that no news is good news, Niall Quinn, and by extension the Republic of Ireland manager, Mick McCarthy, were last night still clutching to the remote hope that the Irish striker might still recover from his knee injury in time for the World Cup qualifier against Macedonia tomorrow fortnight.

Quinn will not, after all, learn the full extent of his injury until today when a Sunderland doctor examines the results of a scan on the knee ligament strain he sustained against Coventry on Saturday.

However, Quinn must still be rated extremely doubtful, thereby adding to a mounting injury crisis to the Irish frontline. Fellow target man Tony Cascarino, of Marseilles, has also informed McCarthy that he is being troubled by a calf injury.

"Niall's situation means that Tony's fitness is important," said McCarthy yesterday. "I've heard he (Cascarino) didn't play last weekend and he's doubtful for this week."

In addition, the hamstring injury which forced David Connolly to withdraw from the Irish squad for the Liechtenstein game in August has prevented the Watford striker from playing since. Quinn's transfer listed clubmate, David Kelly, hasn't even figured on the Sunderland substitutes' bench since being replaced by Quinn in the club's opening league game of the season.

Wimbledon striker Jon Goodman has reputedly acquired documentation confirming his Irish qualifications, though McCarthy remains unaware of this development, all of which could well mean a recall for John Aldridge. The Tranmere player manager turned 38 last week but another goal at the weekend took his seasonal tally to eight making him the joint leading scorer in the First Division.

The durable Aldridge remains one goal adrift of Frank Stapleton's Republic of Ireland record of 20 goals and the Macedonia game could yet afford him one more fling at achieving a long cherished ambition.

. Opel has formally extended its sponsorship of the Republic of Ireland national football teams until 2002, extending the existing contract with the FAI, which expires in 1998, by four years.

The four year extension will be worth £1.2 million to the FAI, thus taking Opel's sponsorship to over £3 million since it first linked up with the association in 1986.

The FAI President, Pat Quigley, and the managing director of Opel Ireland, Arnold O'Byrne, formally put pen to paper at a reception in Lansdowne Road yesterday at which Mr Quigley also revealed the wording of the FAI's new motto: "We care about Irish football." This is a derivative of the UEFA motto "We Care About Football" and is interpreted as a response to the on running Wimbledon saga.