Striking dilemma for Ireland

Having gathered in Dublin early yesterday the Republic of Ireland's footballers made a low-key start to the preparations for their two World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Andorra.

With no further injury problems to concern him after the weekend's games, Mick McCarthy took the opportunity to visit his father in England, who has been ill, before this morning's departure to the team's base in Limassol. In his place Ian Evans took the 21 players - Curtis Fleming was late getting in having only been called up on Sunday evening - through a light training session.

Afterwards Evans said that only Kenny Cunningham (knee) and David Connolly (ankle) were having any difficulties at all but neither was even a slight concern for Saturday's match in Nicosia.

McCarthy's assistant admitted the main concern over the next few days is likely to remain the difficulty of settling on a replacement for the injured Niall Quinn. "We've got good competition for places in all of the other slots," he laughed, ". . . we just need Niall to play until he's about 48."

David Connolly did his claim for a start alongside Robbie Keane no harm at the weekend when he scored in Feyenoord's 5-1 league win while Tottenham's Gary Doherty presents the management team with the most straightforward alternative to the Sunderland striker.

Another option discussed by the Ireland boss before the aborted Denmark game was that of throwing Quinn's clubmate, Kevin Kilbane, into the attack although he stressed at the time he felt it was something the 24year-old would be better equipped to do for a spell at the end of a game rather than for the full 90 minutes.

As you'd expect Kilbane was very much taking a "wherever he wants to play me" line last night when the subject was mentioned to him but the former West Brom player made it plain that having finally regained his place in the Sunderland starting line-up at the weekend on his preferred left flank which is where he would prefer to remain in the Irish starting line-up.

"Being back on the left was fantastic," he said, "it's my favourite position and it's where I'd liked to have been playing all season for Sunderland . . . it just wasn't to be."

Kilbane admits his form hadn't been what it might have been during the first half of the season at the Stadium of Light where he had been deployed on the right wing but largely attributes the strength of his performances in the internationals late last year to his reversion to the left.

"For me, they were definitely my best performances for Ireland and despite the problems I've had getting in the team at Sunderland I'm just hoping Mick gives me the opportunity to keep going," he said last night. In the circumstances there hardly seems to be much chance of McCarthy wanting to make a switch.

Cyprus, meanwhile, have called up five Greek-based players for the World Cup Group Two qualifier against Ireland in Nicosia on Saturday.

Strikers Michalis Constantinou (Iraklis Salonika), Yiannakis Okkas (PAOK Salonika), Marios Agathocleous (Aris Salonika) and midfielders Yiotis Engomitis (PAOK Salonika) and Marios Christodoulou (Aris Salonika) were named in a 25-man squad yesterday by coach Stavros Papadopoulos.

Papadopoulos is hoping for an improved performance after Cyprus were beaten 4-0 at home by the Netherlands last October.

"We know the Irish team is among the best in Europe with top-class players but we believe in our players. We are going for the win and hope to get it."

Cyprus are second in the standings behind Portugal with six points after two wins against Andorra.