Soccer: McIlroy fears pitch battle

Northern Ireland manager Sammy McIlroy is concerned about what condition the Windsor Park pitch will be in for his team’s World Cup qualifier with Bulgaria on June 2.

The match will take place less than 24 hours after Northern Ireland’s Under-21s will have played on the same pitch.

The Irish Football Association have no choice but to use Windsor Park for the Under-21 international because the pitches at all the other possible venues are under repair.

And McIlroy - unhappy with the quality of the surface when he attended the Irish Cup final at Windsor Park earlier this month is worried about what the surface will be like.

He said: ‘‘The Oval and all the other pitches are being reseeded and so there is no real alternative to Windsor Park,’’ said McIlroy.

‘‘It’s a bit of a blow and if it rains at the Under-21 game it could be bad.

‘‘I thought the pitch was very bobbly for the Irish Cup final, but really that’s just a matter of watering the pitch. I’ll be speaking to the groundsman to see what he can do before our game.’’

Meanwhile, McIlroy has been forced to name a weakened squad for the game because of injuries to a number of key players.

Jim Magilton, Jon McCarthy and Gerry Taggart have joined long-term absentee Steve Lomas on the sidelines.

Ipswich have booked Magilton in for an operation on veins in his legs, while Taggart has been ruled out because of knee surgery and McCarthy broke his leg in the play-offs against Preston.

Kevin Horlock has just recovered from his broken ankle, but is excluded because he is not match fit.

Just to add to McIlroy’s woes, Mark Williams is suspended for the Bulgaria game, although he will be available for the qualifier against the Czech Republic in Teplice four days later.

McIlroy is well used to such bad news after 18 months in the job and said philosophically: ‘‘It’s been like this all the time.

‘‘These are some of my most experienced players, which makes it even worse, but you just have to get on with it and there’s no point moaning.’’

One the positive side, Jeff Whitley should be fit despite needing stitches in a leg wound on Saturday and Norwich’s Philip Mulryne is back from injury.

McIlroy has freshened up his strikers. Adrian Coote and Phil Gray are left out and West Brom’s James Quinn returns to the squad.