Given an injury concern

Soccer:Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has revealed goalkeeper Shay Given had a "tight groin" during Saturday match against Fulham. The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper produced a string of outstanding saves in a very impressive performance on his competitive debut for the club in a 0-0 draw with Fulham.

Villa defender James Collins had to take the goal-kicks at Craven Cottage after Given indicated he had a problem. McLeish will have to wait until the medics assess the problem before he knows the full extent of the injury.

He admitted: “Shay had a bit of a tight groin. That's why James Collins took the goal-kicks. But we’re hoping he’s okay. I need to speak to the doc. Twenty four hours is normally the time to tell.”

McLeish's upbeat assessment, will ease any fears Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni may have had over the Donegalman's fitness. The Italian will be relying on Givento keep Slovakia (September 2nd) and Russia (September 6th) at bay in crucial Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Given was excellent on his league debut on Saturday, when denying the home side on a number of occasions. Speaking to Villa's official website, he praised the defensive effort made by his new team-mates.

"I was pleased with the clean sheet of course - and it always helps," he said. "But it's not just about me. It was the whole back four and the team as a unit. I thought we all defended really well. We got some really great blocks in there too. We were all delighted with the clean sheet.

"Fulham are a handful. Bobby Zamora is one of the best hold-up players in the division and Andy Johnson is nippy and sharp around the box. But we defended well. Big Ginge [James Collins] and Dunnie [Richard Dunne] at the back were fantastic, as were the two full-backs too. But the whole team were tremendous. It's so unfair to single people out because I thought we were solid as a unit.

"Craven Cottage is always a tough place to come and we must remember they have already played some games in Europe so they were sharp in terms of match fitness. All in all, we were pretty happy with a point. I think we had the better of the chances in the first half - with a couple of good ones - and they came into it more after the break.

"I thought overall a draw was a fair result."