Trap drops Walters hint

GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI has given the strongest possible hint he is going to choose JonWalters to partner fit again Robbie Keane in Ireland’s pursuit of a precious away goal in Tallinn on Friday.

Although Walters, with just three caps, has only played ten minutes of competitive football under Trapattoni — when he impressed as a late substitute against Armenia in Dublin — the manager indicated yesterday that it’s the Stoke striker rather than West Brom’s Simon Cox who will take advantage of the absence of Kevin Doyle through suspension and Shane Long through injury.

The tried and tested might well be the Trapattoni way but, as he reminded us yesterday, he didn’t hesitate to throw either Sean St Ledger or Stephen Ward in at the deep end in the past.