McClean gets his chance to impress

SOCCER:IT IS, according to Giovanni Trapattoni, less an audition for Poland and more an opportunity to make his case for a role in the team's longer-term future, but either way James McClean will have been pleased yesterday after learning that he will make his first start for the Republic of Ireland this afternoon.

With Richard Dunne and Seán St Ledger doing enough to reassure Trapattoni they are fit to feature from the outset, it seems, the manager has found himself in a position to stray, at least a little, from the tried and trusted in other areas of the pitch.

The news is likely to prove popular with supporters and may even help to drum up a bit of additional business at the old Berkeley Court hotel where the FAI will be selling tickets in the hours leading up to the game.

Trapattoni said he has been impressed by the 23-year-old since he has come into the Irish training camp and pleased with the way the winger has adapted to the way he will be asked to play for Ireland.

He made it clear, however, that there are no vacancies in his starting 11 for the game against Croatia, with the 73-year-old revealing: “I hope there are no injuries that would make me change my mind but (in that game) I will start with my usual team.”

The young Northerner, he suggested, has the ability not only to play on either wing but also to contribute to the team somewhere down the line. Just now, however, he must play his own game and appreciate how far he has come in such a short space of time.

“All I expect from him is what I know he can do,” said the Italian.

“I don’t ask him to do what Duff or McGeady do because he’s a different player. If I have to choose the right team then I would choose McGeady and Duff but I play him now because it’s the first time he will play with Robbie and Doyle and he can take confidence from them.

“I saw him many times; it’s important that he is with us now and takes confidence from the team.

“I know he can do well and I’m sure that (in the future) we can try him in another position too. At the moment, we have two strong players in these positions on the left and right but I think he can still be very important for us.”

The former Derry City man is unlikely to see more than an hour of action, with McGeady certain to be amongst the seven substitutes Trapattoni says he will use over the course of the game.

Keith Andrews is also likely to cut Darron Gibson’s afternoon short at some point but that still leaves a few slots to be filled by the hopefuls on the Irish bench.

First in the queue, perhaps, will be Stephen Kelly, who Trapattoni suggested yesterday had missed out on a place in the starting line-up because the Italian had been preparing him in training over the last couple days to fill in for Dunne at the heart of the team’s back four.

During those sessions, Paul McShane had been used at right-back and the 26-year-old now retains that spot in the team for today’s match even though he is still on course to miss out on a place in the official squad for the championships.

It will be his first appearance for Ireland since captaining the team to victory over Italy in Liege. He will doubtless see it as an opportunity to remind Trapattoni of what he can offer in the event that the 23-strong list of names needs to be amended at some point over the next couple of weeks.

Gibson, meanwhile, is somewhat better placed to benefit from a strong performance this afternoon, although it seems clear at this stage Andrews is provisionally pencilled in to partner Glenn Whelan in that “usual” team of Trapattoni’s.

Still in too, by the looks of things, is Kevin Doyle who heads to Poland looking to put a particularly disappointing club season behind him and, like one or two others, perhaps catch the eye of a Premier League manager.

All will be hoping to make a positive impression today and contribute to a win, while Trapattoni insists that beating the Bosnians is a priority, in part because of the result’s potential to impact on the team’s future world ranking.

Nobody should be banking on a good result, though, and perhaps the fans shouldn’t complain too much either if the Irish do come up short. The Czechs and Nigerians have spoiled the last two send-off parties between them and it is 1988 since the last home game before a major championship was won. And that, of course, was the only time the team went on to fall at the first hurdle.

Republic of Ireland v Bosnia-Herzegovina

*Begovic (Stoke City)

Mujdza (Freiburg)

Jahic (Karabukspor)

Pandza (Mechelen)

Salihovic (Hoffenheim)

Rahimic (CSKA Moscow)

Ibisevic (Stuttgart)

Pjanic (Roma)

Misimovic (Dinamo Moscow)

Lulic (Lazio)

Dzeko (Manchester City)

* Probable team

Westwood (Sunderland)

McShane (Hull City)

Dunne (Aston Villa)

St Ledger (Leicester City)

Ward (Wolves)

Duff (Fulham)

Whelan (Stoke City)

Gibson (Everton)

McClean (Sunderland)

Keane (LA Galaxy)

Doyle (Wolves)