The goalkeeper tells Emmet Malonehe's confident Ireland can take nine points from nine

With the Irish team's hopes of hauling themselves back into contention for a place at next summer's European Championship finals pretty much resting on their ability to take nine points from nine during the weeks ahead, Shay Given remains hopeful the games against San Marino, Wales and Slovakia will provide the required boost to the Republic's battered ambitions.

The 30-year-old goalkeeper admits that "nothing less" than the nine will do, but he is obviously confident that the task will be reduced to six from six after tomorrow's game in San Marino, where the visitors would be expected to win comfortably.

"Yeah, you've got to be positive," he says. "We've still got a chance, if we can get three points from Wednesday and then we've got the two games from Croke Park. You start adding the points up in your head.

"Obviously, we'd like to have had a better start. but you can't turn the clock back now. We've got to look forward now, look forward to Wednesday and to March as well, and to make sure that we're in a positive frame of mind."

The groin strain that has prevented the Donegalman from travelling to San Marino remains a concern ahead of the two critically important home games, but Given is confident he'll be available next month, even if his club Newcastle do persuade him to skip the rather less pressing matter of the trip to New York and Boston for friendly ties in May.

"I should be fine by next month, but I do need to speak to the medical people (about the US)," he says. "If they advise me not to, then I'll need to do what's best for my body. The doctor says it will probably take a rest in the summer and a good pre-season to get my body strength back up.

"Because the operation (on a perforated bowel in September) was such a serious thing, he just thinks it drained the goodness out of my body, we've got to work on improving that."

In the meantime, all he can do is look on from afar as one of his understudies, most likely Wayne Henderson, seeks to fill some big boots within the Irish team.

"To be honest," he says, "I haven't seen enough of him. I've trained with him for a few squads, I've seen the Czech Republic game where he's done very well, and I'm sure he'll be fine on Wednesday night as we hope the action will be up the other end. If he's called upon, we're all confident he can do a good job."