Staunton demands ‘clinical’ display

REPUBLIC of Ireland manager Steve Staunton has urged his players to be “clinical” when they face San Marino tomorrow night (7.45pm, TV3).

Ireland hammered the minnows 5-0 when the teams last met in a Euro 2008 qualifier at Lansdowne Road in November to get their campaign up and running following a poor start.

The return at the compact Serravalle Stadium should not prove too problematic for Staunton’s Republic, but nothing can be taken for granted despite San Marino’s wretched footballing record.

Nothing less than victory, will suffice if Ireland are to have any hope of reaching next summer’s finals.

John O’Shea concedes Staunton has already made this point known to his squad, stating: “We’ve been told to make sure we’re clinical. We know the odds and everything else are stacked in our favour.

“But we know they’re probably going to play the same as they did at Lansdowne Road and pack the defence and midfield and try and keep us out for as long as they can. We’ve just got to keep switching and moving the ball because we know with the quality we have, we can undo them. But we need to score early to take the pressure off ourselves. The longer the game goes on, the more confidence they will gain. Something to hold onto is the last thing you want with a team like that. So whether it goes off a knee or a backside, just as long as we get that early goal, then it will prove vital.”

Staunton’s squad was further depleted yesterday when Stephen Carr and Jonathan Douglas were forced to pull out of the party which travelled to San Marino for tomorrow’s European Championship qualifier. Newcastle United’s Carr pulled a thigh muscle during morning training at Malahide while Leeds United’s Douglas woke up with a tight hamstring which prevented him training.

Luton Town’s Kevin Foley — named the FAI Under 21 Player Of The Year on Sunday night — has been called up as a replacement for Carr. No replacement has been called in for midfielder Douglas, which means that Steve Staunton will have 22 players at his disposal for tomorrow night’s match.

Said the Irish manager: “Richard Dunne and Paul McShane both had knocks over the weekend as well but we expect them to be fully fit.”

Goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly, laid low with a virus, also misses the trip, his duties being taken over by U-21 coach Alan O’Neill.

Pondering his options for the game, Staunton said: “I have a good idea of my first 11 but, with another batch of injuries, we have had to get the young players in. It’s a great opportunity for them to show us what they can do.”

However, he wouldn’t be drawn on the identity of a strike partner for Robbie Keane, parrying a question about how Sunderland’s Anthony Stokes had looked in his first training session with the senior squad.

“The same as Shane Long and Andy Keogh, they’re all looking sharp,” he replied, adding: “and we’ve played Damien Duff up front before as well.”

On Ireland’s approach in the Serravalle Stadium tomorrow night, the manager said: “We want the three points, and any Irish team has to go into a game with a high tempo. But we do have to be patient with our passing as well. But if we can keep the high tempo up for as long as possible, our fitness levels should be better than theirs. And with the quality we have, we should have enough to win the game, and that’s all I’m concerned about.”