Positive approach will pay dividends

I suppose it's slightly ironic that Mick McCarthy finds himself on the threshold of his finest hour while simultaneously returning to the venue of his bleakest moment as Ireland manager. Once again, Skopje finds itself the unlikely focal point for Irish interests, but this time I believe that the team will leave the city in jubilant mood.

Much can go against Ireland over final 90 minutes of what has been a very unusual qualifying campaign - but they have the wherewithal to win tonight and qualify by topping the group.

Curiously, the defeat in Skopje can be of benefit now as it will sharpen the minds of the Irish players. They will know what to expect and they will line out tonight with a very definite idea of what has to be done. I think playing for a draw would be foolhardy and I believe it more likely that the players will approach this tie in a positive mood, with the intention of creating and favouring adventure once in possession.

It is vital that the management don't start tampering with the formation at this point. Irish sides past and present have illustrated all too clearly that they don't react well to rushes of spontaneity from the management.

Therefore we should - and most likely will - go with the trusty 4-4-2 formation, which will translate as a 4-3-3 once we have possession, given Mark Kennedy's fondness for attack.

Mick McCarthy has again been unfortunate with injuries. The denial of Roy Keane and Lee Carsley is a substantial blow, but not fatal to the overall structure of the team.

Looking at the back four, I would favour a combination of Stephen Carr, Gary Breen, Kenny Cunningham and Denis Irwin, which would force Steve Staunton out of the side. Irwin, I feel, simply has to play and Carr deserves to get his place because he has been faultless, he really has shown a lot of composure in adjusting to international demands.

It may seem harsh on Staunton, whom McCarthy felt did very well in Ireland's recent three-game series. He did rescue us in Malta with a sweet free-kick, but Steve is only just beginning to win his place back at Anfield and I think he has been detailed by opposing scouts as a vulnerability on far-post crosses. They are targeting him. I think Mick McCarthy will ultimately opt for experience and drop Carr, but my inclination would be to sit Staunton out for this one.

At midfield, I don't believe he can risk playing both Mark Kennedy and Kevin Kilbane as it would necessitate one of them operating out of position. There has to be a very strong case to be made for the inclusion of Gary Kelly on the right side of midfield. The key is to play everyone in their natural positions - with Cunningham being the notable exception is this case.

In Roy Keane's absence, the responsibility of holding the central axis together rests with Mark Kinsella and I can see him assuming that burden fairly comfortably. He has excelled in the group games, only marginally overshadowed by Keane, and McCarthy's steady nurturing of him at this level is to be commended.

For his partner? I honestly would go with a fit Townsend. Andy retired prematurely anyway and has been showing well at club level. Alan McLoughlin is the obvious choice now. He will have to curtail his forays forward, however. It will be important that the two central midfielders provide solid cover throughout.

If we do that, I don't foresee any major problems at midfield and up front in Niall Quinn and Robbie Keane, we have our most potent strike force in years. You tend to forget about Keane's inexperience and his profile has orbited since he began playing in the Premiership, but he is just one of those talents that can turn a half-chance into gold and remains our most likely source of goals tonight.

Macedonia are an unpredictable entity in that they are an ordinary side spiced by a few good players. More often than not, the likes of Hristov and Ciric are neutralised by the ineffectiveness of their journey men team-mates, but when their ordinary players do lift it they can look threatening.

There is obviously no love lost between themselves and the Slavs, so they won't have any secondary incentive to spur them on, and I feel that if we are direct and positive from the outset they may lose heart fairly quickly. They are coming off two sound defeats by Yugoslavia and this campaign is essentially over for them.

News of what is happening between Yugoslavia and Croatia is really irrelevant to us until the latter stages of the match. It really depends on our own situation - if we are in command, so be it. If we are level, then Mick McCarthy will react to word of proceedings in Zagreb.

That tie is one of the classic imponderables and either team could turn it with a flash of brilliance. But I can't really imagine Yugoslavia winning it and the most likely scenario is that it will end in a draw.

I would probably be classed as one of McCarthy's harsher critics since he took over as Ireland manager, but he has handled this campaign well and deserves praise in managing to accrue 15 points in seven games against some formidable opposition.

Regardless of what happens tonight, he deserves a touch of luck and at the very least Ireland have played enough football to feel as though they are entitled to a play-off spot. The cruellest conclusion to this would be if we were squeezed out of contention by a single point because that would highlight our performance in Croatia, my one bugbear of this whole campaign. We got it fatally wrong that evening and it would be horrid if that lost point cost us in the long-term.

But the belief here is that it won't. The FAI were right to endorse McCarthy's new contract when they did, it re-affirms the mood of faith and confidence and is justified given the way he has developed this squad.

We have the winning of this game this evening if we assert ourselves, impose our superior footballing ability on the Macedonians and remain focused.

The good days are around the corner provided nobody - to borrow a phrase coined by the players themselves - has a Macedonia.