St Ledger out as Ireland’s defensive woes grow

IRELAND’S defensive crisis has deepened with the news that Sean St Ledger has lost his battle to be fit for the June 4 European Championship qualifier away to Macedonia.

Darren O’Dea, the Celtic player on loan at Ipswich, is still recovering from an ankle injury and is the intended replacement for the Preston North End man. With Richard Dunne already ruled out through suspension, Giovanni Trapattoni will doubtless be holding his rosary beads tomorrow night in the hope that John O’Shea comes through the Champions League final unscathed.

St Ledger is the victim of friendly fire, dating back to a training session before the home win over Macedonia in March, during which he sustained a knee injury in a collision with Ciaran Clark — the Aston Villa man who, ironically, went on to become yet another injury casualty in the current squad.