Given battles the hard knocks

SHAY GIVEN is successfully fighting through the pain barrier to be fit for Ireland’s game against Slovakia on Friday.

The goalkeeper injured his back in a heavy fall while playing for Aston Villa against Wolves on Saturday but his club and international colleague Richard Dunne has now revealed that this was just the latest knock for Given who, in his last competitive appearance for Ireland, needed a half-time painkilling injection to overcome a groin problem during the 2-0 win against Macedonia in Skopje in June

Speaking yesterday about the fight for fitness which has seen Given delay his arrival in Dublin to receive extra treatment at his club, Dunne said: “He’s been like that for about ten days now, he’s had injections and things. He did his back at the weekend too, another knock on top of the other ones he’d already got. He’s 35 now so he’s had quite a lot of bangs and knocks. But, regardless of how he feels, on a Saturday, he’s still great for us.”