Reid gets to start for Ireland

On Monday he was joking, half in earnest, about Mick McCarthy's willingness to give players from the first division a chance to prove themselves at international level but yesterday, after he had been named in the starting line up for this evening's game against Croatia, Steven Reid admitted he could scarcely believe the sudden lift off in his international career.

After four under-16 caps with England, the young Millwall midfielder pledged his long-term future to Ireland last season and quickly won the admiration of the Republic's management team.

Don Givens, who has capped him three times with the under-21s, was enthusiastic from the outset about the Londoner, whose maternal grandfather came from Ballinasloe, and McCarthy was won over after seeing him shine in a training game between the two national teams during the build up to the Portugal match in June.

Reid subsequently did well against both the Portuguese and Estonians and having finished last season well he picked up where he left off last Saturday when he scored a stunning long-range goal for Millwall in the club's 4-0 defeat of Norwich and set up another for Tim Cahill. Not a bad day's work.

Afterwards, Millwall manager Mark McGhee described the 20-year-old as "a natural" before saying there was an awful lot more to him than long-range shooting.

"He's a fantastic athlete with great balance and a wonderful striker of the ball. He could be stronger but that will come and when it does he has all the attributes you could ask for," said the former Wolves boss.

Though right footed, Reid made 37 appearances on the left side of Millwall's midfield last season but McGhee, who spoke to McCarthy during pre-season about the player, said at the weekend he felt he would have to switch flanks if he was to fulfil his potential.

The Ireland manager appears to have taken the suggestion on board, and it is on the right that Reid will start this evening.

McCarthy acknowledged the step-up would be a challenge for a player who has, to date, played just one game in the English first division.

"I remember, though, when I got my opportunity there were a lot of people who had their doubts. Personally, I have no doubts about him. If he goes out there, relaxes and does what we know he's capable of, I'm sure he'll do well."

For his part, Reid, admitted to being "shocked, but delighted", by the news of his call-up. "If I play out of my skin I suppose I'm in with a shout of making the squad for the Holland game," he said before conceding he would probably be returning to the under-21s for such a big game.

He wasn't complaining, though, for six years on from the days when, as a schoolboy at the club, he used to watch McCarthy taking charge of the senior team at Millwall, their first close up encounter was coming along rather nicely.