New balls please Harte

Ian Harte is hoping to have a ball at the World Cup finals - with the aid of the new match ball being introduced by FIFA.

The Leeds defender is looking forward to taking set pieces for the Republic of Ireland using the new adidas Fevernova ball, which is said to be lighter and travel faster.

‘‘I am getting used to the ball and with the training facilities here I hope to practise a bit more and see how it moves up and down,’’ said Harte, who hopes to make an impact in Saturday’s Group E opener against Cameroon.

‘‘It is completely different to the Umbro and Nike ball. With this one, if you just hit it slightly wrong it will go anywhere, so you have to concentrate and try to hit it to the best of your ability.

‘‘With shots from 20-25 yards out the goalkeepers are definitely going to be worried. If David Beckham plays he will enjoy it and hopefully I can get a goal or two in the World Cup.’’

Republic manager Mick McCarthy will be encouraging all his players to shoot from distance in a bid to make the most of the unpredictable ball.

Charlton midfielder Mark Kinsella, who will win a place in the starting line-up now that Roy Keane has been sent home, revealed: ‘‘We are encouraged to shoot from 25-30 yards out and we have been practising that in training. We have got some lads who can strike a good ball and so you never know.’’

The opposite perspective came from his Charlton team-mate Dean Kiely, who will be the back-up goalkeeper to Shay Given.

‘‘We worked with them in Saipan and they come at you a bit quicker,’’ said Kiely.

‘‘They are a bit more explosive. The whole property of the ball is geared up for movement and pace and I am pleased that Ian is in our side and not against us because I think he’ll be able to do unbelievable things with the ball.

‘‘The goalkeeper’s perspective doesn’t get taken into account a great deal. People want to see harder shots, faster shots and the ball moving a lot more. It makes for great viewing.

‘‘We’ve had just over a week now and we are used to them. It doesn’t take long to get your eye in really. We have worked strike after strike and hopefully we are up to speed now.

‘‘Strikes from the edge of the box will come at you slightly quicker and for people putting a bit of movement on the ball it will be exaggerated a little. It is all tweaks and half-turns of screws and we are trying to combat that.’’

Meanwhile, Jason McAteer received a boost in his bid to be fit to face Cameroon when a scan on his injured knee came back all clear yesterday.

The Sunderland midfielder suffered the injury thanks to a reckless tackle from Hiroshima defender Bilong - a former Cameroon international - in Saturday’s 2-1 friendly victory here.

It was at first feared that McAteer had damaged ligaments and his World Cup would be over.

But the scans revealed nothing more than bad bruising on the bone, and with intensive treatment the 30-year-old hopes to win his 48th cap in Saturday’s Group E opener.

‘‘I was worried that I might have a serious injury but at least that is not now the case,’’ said McAteer.

‘‘All I can do is let the swelling go down and hope that I can be right for Saturday with a mixture of rest and treatment.’’

Manager McCarthy said: ‘‘Jason’s got a smile back on his face which is always a good sign.’’

Physio Mick Byrne said: ‘‘It is too early to say Jason will be okay for the Cameroon game, but the next couple of days are vital.

‘‘He felt a little better this morning and can bend and stretch his leg. With intensive treatment we hope he will be okay for Saturday.’’

Millwall’s Steven Reid is on stand-by for his first competitive cap in case McAteer fails to recover.

On a brighter note, both Kevin Kilbane and Harte, who also picked up foot injuries in the game against Hiroshima, are expected to be okay.