Staunton on Reid alert

Steve Staunton is waiting on the fitness of star midfielder Andy Reid ahead of a match which could decide his Republic of Ireland future against Cyprus at Croke Park tonight.

With European Championship qualification now out of the question, the pressure on head coach Staunton will rise if his team fails to gain Group D revenge over the Cypriots, who hammered Ireland 5-2 in Nicosia a year ago.

Reid produced a man-of-the-match performance in the creditable goalless draw against Germany on Saturday night, but twisted an ankle in the process and is now rated a major doubt.

His loss would be a major blow to Staunton, who rates the Charlton midfielder highly and believes he can go on to significantly add to his current record of 25 caps and four goals.

Staunton said: “Andy is a wonderful player on the ball. He can see the pass and he can play the pass.

“The one thing we probably need is a few more goals from him but that could be being over-critical.

“I think that’s in his locker. He scores at club level and he can definitely do it at this level as well.

“Andy’s come back very well from a hamstring operation so the more games he has the better he will get.”

Reid’s absence would add to Staunton’s selection dilemma, with Richard Dunne and Lee Carsley both ruled out through suspension and Wolves’ Darren Potter perhaps most likely to fill in if Reid misses out.

“I think Darren Potter will be a wonderful player for us,” added Staunton. “He’s very comfortable on the ball and he’s positive. He knows where the goal is and he’s not frightened to get forward either.

“Darren is one for the future. Unfortunately he hasn’t played too much football over the past month but he looks as if he wants to play and, as long as there is no reaction, he is up for selection.”

Staunton insisted he had moved on from the “nightmare” in Nicosia and would instead be focusing on Cyprus’s weekend win over Wales for clues about opponents who have enjoyed a surprisingly good campaign.

But for Robbie Keane, the memory of that night – and in particular the Cypriots’ joyous victory celebrations – clearly still rankles and is something the captain is itching to put right.

Keane said: “What happened over there with a few of their players showboating a little bit when they knew the game was over – as a player you remember things like that and look forward to putting one over them.

“We still think about it because we’re only human beings.

“Of course, in football you have to put things to bed but when it comes around you have to put it right. We remember it and we know we didn’t perform well.”