Sanchez set to recall Doherty

LAWRIE SANCHEZ is expected to name Bristol City captain Tommy Doherty in midfield for Northern Ireland tonight as they take on Azerbaijan in Baku.

Doherty has not played an international since last April but Sanchez has been forced to respond to the loss of key players Michael Hughes, Tony Capaldi and star striker David Healy, all of whom are suspended.

In addition, injuries forced the withdrawal of Paul McVeigh, George McCartney, Steve Jones, Danny Sonner and Gary Hamilton from the squad.

The pity for Sanchez is that those suspensions and injuries are conspiring to stop Northern Ireland from benefiting from the momentum generated by the battling 2-2 draw they secured against Wales at the Millennium Stadium in their last qualifier.

Goals will be hard to come by in Baku without the mercurial Healy, but Stuart Elliott will be looking to take up the slack. Elliott is in fine form for Hull this season and is joint top goalscorer in the Coca-Cola Division One with seven goals.

The Northern Ireland manager also had some good news when Jeff Whitley of Sunderland fought off a hamstring strain to come through a tough training session in Azerbaijan, and the Premiership player will bring valuable big game experience to the side.