Kenny in line for Irish recall

A REPUBLIC OF IRELAND recall for Queen’s Park Rangers goalkeeperPaddy Kenny is gathering pace after Manchester City confirmed yesterday that Shay Given’s season looks all but over due to the likely need for surgery on his left shoulder.

Yesterday’s news rubber-stamped what Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni said earlier in the week — that Given will miss the Euro 2012 qualifier with Macedonia at the Aviva Stadium on March 26, and obviously the friendly with Uruguay three days later.

Given, who has won a record 110 caps, would then be in a race against the clock to be back fully fit for the Carling Nations Cup ties with Northern Ireland and Scotland at the end of May to give him some game time ahead of the potentially pivotal return qualifier away to the Macedonians in Skopje on June 4.