Clark ready to take chance

Ciaran Clark is determined to seize his big chance to put himself in contention for the Republic of Ireland’s crucial Euro 2012 qualifier in Macedonia.

The 21-year-old Aston Villa defender will line up at left-back for his country against Uruguay tonight as he wins his second senior cap.

However, with Richard Dunne suspended for the trip to Skopje in June, there is a place up for grabs and the versatile Clark could be one of the contenders to fill the vacancy.

Darren O’Dea, who will partner Stephen Kelly in the middle against the South Americans, will also hope to stake his claim after impressing in Saturday night’s 2-1 victory over the Macedonians with a knee injury.

The candidates may have further opportunities in May’s Carling Nations Cup clashes with Northern Ireland and Scotland, but in the meantime, Clark will simply concentrate on the task of trying to impress Giovanni Trapattoni to give himself the best possible chance.

He said: “I would like to put in a good performance and it is a good chance for me from now until the end of the season to show what I can do.

“There are a lot of good players in the squad and everyone will be fighting for places in the team because everyone wants to play.