Keith O'Neill, the injury-prone Norwich City forward, discovered yesterday that there will be no easy way back into the Republic of Ireland's European championship team.
On the day that Mick McCarthy named two newcomers, Paul Butler and Matt Holland, in his B squad, O'Neill discovered that he was surplus to requirements for the international friendly against Paraguay at Lansdowne Road a week tomorrow.
Forty-eight hours earlier, O'Neill ended yet another frustrating absence through injury by returning to the Norwich team which lost at Bolton. Unfortunately for him it wasn't enough to convince McCarthy that he is ready for international football at this stage of his rehabilitation.
"Keith has slipped a bit a bit down the pecking order because of his injuries," he said yesterday. "My liking for the player is well documented, however, and once he gets some games under his belt he'll be in contention again."
Out for the same reason is Gary Kelly, the Leeds United wing back, whose name hasn't appeared on an Ireland teamsheet since he captained the side in the scoreless draw with Mexico in May.
Kelly has yet to make his seasonal debut at Elland Road after undergoing surgery on his shin and while he has since played a couple of reserve team games for the club, it wasn't enough to persuade McCarthy to go with him on this occasion.
There was better news for Alan Kelly who returns to the squad after being forced out of the opening three European games against Croatia, Malta and Yugoslavia because of an injury. McCarthy has never disguised his admiration for Kelly's talents.
In keeping with his pledge to use the game as a full rehearsal for the March 27th meeting with Macedonia in Skopje, the manager has named a full-strength squad and he spoke yesterday of his optimism that all the selected players will be released to travel.
"At this point I see no reason why they should be refused permission," he said. "It's an important match and I know that all the players want to be part of it."
The inclusion of Butler and Holland will invest the B team's game against the National League at Bray with unusual importance. Butler, born in Manchester, has impressed with some good performances at centre back for Sunderland and was originally courted by Wales manager Bobby Gould.
"I'm grateful to Wales for showing an interest but I started looking for an Irish passport a year ago," Butler said. "It's a chance for me to impress Mick McCarthy and I aim to take it."
Holland, described by the manager as a box-to-box midfield player, has been watched by McCarthy at Ipswich on a couple of occasions and did enough to convince him that he could develop into an option for the senior side.
In McCarthy's estimation the B team fills the void for players between under-21 football and the fringe of the senior team and, to that extent, Gareth Farrelly, Dave Savage, Graham Kavanagh and Alan Moore will prize the opportunity of reminding him that they have still much to offer.
Brian Kerr delivered on his promise to call up all his best players for the World under-20 championship in Nigeria in April by including Robbie Keane, Damien Duff, Richard Dunne, Barry Quinn and Stephen McPhail in his preliminary squad of 35.
Martin Edwards, the Manchester United chairman, denied yesterday that the club was stalling on a new contract for Denis Irwin. Stating that the talks were on schedule, he said that the club was currently negotiating with the player on the terms of a new agreement which would be mutually beneficial. Irwin, whose current contract expires at the end of the season, is seeking a new improved deal which will keep him at Old Trafford until 2002.
