McAteer aiming to rescue injury-blighted season
The 31-year-old has had to write off a disastrous campaign both personally and for his club after undergoing two hernia operations and then suffering hamstring problems on his return.
That has limited him to just 10 games for the club, as it slipped ignominiously out of the Premiership.
However, the former Liverpool star is back in training and hoping for a chance to prove himself to new boss Mick McCarthy, with whom he enjoyed success in their time together with the Republic of Ireland.
McAteer could play in next Tuesday's reserve team clash with Aston Villa in the midlands and, if all goes well, he will be keeping his fingers crossed as the Gunners head for the Stadium of Light on May 11.
And that could even put him in line for an international recall for the Republic's Euro 2004 qualifiers against Albania and Georgia in June.
"I'm getting there with my fitness," he said. "Hopefully I'm on course to play in the reserves next week, as much as to get a game under my belt as anything else.
"I don't want to finish the season having not played since March. I'm only five days into football training and I need to give myself a run-out.
"If I come through okay, then there's a chance that I might be in contention for Ireland's Euro 2004 qualifiers over the summer.
"If the injury is fine, then I might get the chance to play against Arsenal because I'll then have five or six weeks off at the end of the season.
"Irish manager Brian Kerr wants to know if I'm likely to be available against Albania and Georgia."
That would prove a satisfactory end to a difficult period in McAteer's career, and set him up for the task of helping his club to drag itself back into the Premiership.
"This has been the worst season I have ever had for injuries having to have two operations that left me on the sidelines for 16 weeks," he told the club's official website, www.safc.com.
"Then perhaps I tried to rush myself back a little bit to try to help out Howard Wilkinson, and I tore my hamstring in the same place twice.
"But hopefully everything will be okay when I try to come back this time, and at least I will be fit and ready to go for the start of next season."
Meanwhile, 20-year-old defender Ben Clark is hoping he can be the latest youngster to catch McCarthy's eye as the season draws to a close.
The new boss has already blooded teenagers Jonjo Dickman and Richie Ryan in the first team during his seven games in charge. Now England Schoolboys skipper Clark, who was handed a top-flight debut in the 1-0 defeat by Southampton on January 28, is desperate for his opportunity.
"It's been difficult this season because of the change of managers," he said. "Twice I've been close to the first team then the manager has left it's back to square one then.
"But the new gaffer has been brilliant. He's had a chat with me and told me to prove myself. I think I'm good enough and I hope to get a game in the Premiership before the end of the season."
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