Duff out as McGeady nurses knock

A FIXTURE which had always been designated tricky is veering into the realms of the potentially treacherous with the news that Damien Duff has joined Keith Andrews on the missing list for Friday’s European Championship qualifier away to Armenia.

Add in the fact that Aiden McGeady sat out training in Malahide yesterday with a knock to the ankle, and the problems seem to be piling up for Giovanni Trapattoni ahead of Ireland’s first competitive outing since the heartbreak of Paris.

But the Italian, insisting that he is fully restored to health following his recent stomach surgery – “I am as tough as nails,” he said with a laugh – was intent on accentuating the positive yesterday, even as he admitted that the loss of key players Duff and Andrews was a blow.