Curtis Fleming was yesterday cleared to join the Republic of Ireland squad for Saturday's meeting with Mexico at Lansdowne Road. Earlier, it was feared that a hand injury sustained on club duty with Middlesbrough would deny him the chance of adding to his total of nine caps.
His hand is still bandaged, but like Wimbledon midfielder Mark Kennedy, who sustained a similar injury, he was able to train yesterday without any apparent difficulty.
Fleming's inclusion will provide Irish manager Mick McCarthy with an additional option at full back at a time when McCarthy has to do without Dennis Irwin, Steve Staunton and Jeff Kenna.
Damien Duff didn't train yesterday but McCarthy remains confident that the talented Blackburn youngster will be sufficiently recovered from a groin injury to make his home debut as a fully-fledged senior international.
On Duff's ability to play, and to deliver on his glowing reputation, depends much of the game's appeal and the likelihood is that the player will again be kept on the easy list when the squad moves to its new base near Carrickmacross today.
There are five uncapped players in the revised squad: Dean Kiely, Richard Dunne, Gary Doherty, Ger Crossley and Barry Quinn. Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given remains part of the match strategy although he is struggling with a groin problem. He was due to see a specialist yesterday.
McCarthy described the game as an important one in the context of his preparations for the European Championship, and said that there was no lack of motivation in the squad.
"It may be late in the season, but there is still a lot of enthusiasm around," he said. "We haven't won too many games of late and the players see this as a chance to sign off for the summer on a high."
Tickets for the Mexican game are still available and that, perhaps, was one of the reasons why the FAI yesterday declined an invitation for a game against South Africa in Dublin on June 6th.
The South Africans sought the fixture after Romania had pulled out of their planned match at Bucharest. As a result of the FAI's decision, the South Africans are likely to approach Iceland for a game.
Almost certainly, there would have been problems for the FAI in successfully promoting the game at such short notice. Another factor was that the players showed no appetite for extending the season by another fortnight.
The Squad
S Given (Newcastle Utd), D Kiely (Bury), G Kelly (Leeds Utd), G Breen (Coventry City), P Babb (Liverpool), G Doherty (Luton Town), R Dunne (Everton), C Fleming (Middlesbrough), I Harte (Leeds Utd), G Farrelly (Everton), B Quinn (Coventry City), G Crossley (Celtic), D Duff (Blackburn Rovers), R Keane (Wolves), M Kennedy (Wimbledon), L Carsley (Derby Co), R Delap (Derby Co), D Connolly (Feyenoord).
