Keane to play through pain

Republic of Ireland skipper Robbie Keane will put his body on the line for his country tomorrow night after admitting he has barely been injury-free since he was a teenager.

The 30-year-old striker landed in Skopje last night with a major question mark hanging over his participation at the Philip II Stadium because of a groin injury.

He warmed up away from the main group ahead of tonight’s session at the stadium before joining them for stretching exercises, but having already signalled his intention to play at the pre-match press conference moments earlier.

Keane said: “I think I will be okay. I haven’t been 100% probably since I was about 17.

“I have been struggling with Achilles injuries the last few months also and I have carried on through that, so a little groin strain is certainly not going to stop me.”

Asked if he would be prepared to have a pain-killing injection as he did before a World Cup qualifier in Bulgaria two years ago, Keane replied: “If required, yes.

“I will just see how training is – but listen, it’s not an injury that’s going to put me out for months and months, it’s muscular, so it’s not a big problem.

“I will see how it is today, but rest assured, I will be on that pitch tomorrow.”

Confusion surrounded Keane’s injury situation as the travelling party headed out of Dublin amid speculation that he had an ankle problem, rather than a groin strain as assistant boss Marco Tardelli had reported.

However, the striker revealed he had felt a tightness in his groin during shooting practice after training on Wednesday, and the discomfort had gradually worsened.

Keane’s determination to play – manager Giovanni Trapattoni has named him in his starting line-up alongside West Brom’s Simon Cox, who will be making his competitive debut – is motivated more by his desire to help his side bank three more vital points to keep themselves in the race for qualification rather than his own personal landmark.

The three goals he scored in the Carling Nations Cup victories over Northern Ireland and Scotland last week took him to 49 for his country, level with Sir Bobby Charlton’s record for England.

However, completing a half-century will be of secondary importance tomorrow night.

Keane said: “It would mean obviously a hell of a lot, but I am not going into the game focusing on me to score 50 goals.

“I am going out to hopefully score a goal for the team and if that means winning the game and 50 goals, then great.

“But if I don’t score and Coxy or Shane Long, whoever, scores and we win the game, for me, that’s the most important thing.”

Ireland have suffered in Skopje on more than one occasion in the recent past, losing 3-2 in a World Cup qualifier in April 1997 and then conceding a late equaliser in October 1999 which cost them their chances of an automatic passage to the finals of Euro 2000.

Keane is the only survivor of that second game – Kevin Kilbane was an unused substitute – but he is adamant it will have no bearing on the latest encounter between the sides.

He said: “I can’t really remember too much of the game – I can’t even remember the place.

“It was a long, long time ago. It’s a completely different time now and a completely different team.

“But it’s a game we are all looking forward to and hopefully, we can come away from here with the three points, which we are all desperate to do.”

Trapattoni has named a back four of Stephen Kelly, John O’Shea, Darren O’Dea and Kilbane in front of keeper Shay Given, while Stephen Hunt, Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan and Aiden McGeady will line up in midfield behind Keane and Cox.