Goalkeeper Murphy back in training

Keeper Joe Murphy returned to training today as the Republic of Ireland continued their preparations for Saturday’s World Cup play-off clash with France.

The 28-year-old Scunthorpe player sat out the latter part of yesterday morning’s session after picking up a minor injury but was able to resume today.

That would have come as a relief to manager Giovanni Trapattoni, who has already had to call up Bohemians keeper Brian Murphy as a replacement for Coventry’s Keiren Westwood to provide cover for number one Shay Given.

Murphy and his team-mates trained in teeming rain at a windswept Gannon Park in Malahide as Italian Trapattoni started to put the finishing touches to his plan to dump France out of the competition.