While speculation continues about Roy Keane's future with the Ireland team in the wake of an interview last week in which he hinted he might yet be around for the next qualification campaign, defeat for Ireland in either of the remaining Group Four World Cup games almost certainly would mean the end of the road for the Corkman's successor as Irish skipper, Kenny Cunningham.

The Dubliner suggested last year as the campaign kicked off it would probably be his last on the international stage. He has since played in every minute of Ireland's eight games and his huge experience has been a key factor in keeping the Republic in the hunt for a place in next summer's finals in Germany.

As he settles down for one of the biggest weeks of his career, however, Cunningham accepts the results have not been quite what they might have been and that the team has left itself no more room for error, either in Cyprus on Saturday or back at Lansdowne Road next Wednesday against the Swiss.

The position is at least straightforward, he says.

"We need two wins from the two games, anything less and we're going to miss out."

Do that and the Irish could end up first, second or third but anything less at this stage and a place in the top two is no more than mathematical daydreaming for Brian Kerr and his players.

Because of that, says the Birmingham City defender, the Irish players know precisely what is required of them this weekend.

"We have to go to Cyprus and be positive," he says. "We have to go and win. As disappointed as we were after the French game coming into the dressingroom, things are now black and white for us. They is no in between, no grey areas. We have to be really positive in our approach against Cyprus.

"It is not an easy place to go, we know that. No international away game is easy. And we know that if we don't put in a good performance we are out, it is as simple as that."

Ireland's record against the Cypriots certainly provides some basis for optimism. Five games, fives wins, it reads at present with the Republic having scored 20 and conceded just two goals since the two countries came up against each other for the first time just over a quarter of a century ago. Last year's 3-0 victory in Dublin was as comfortable as the team has had it over the course of this campaign to date but the slip-ups since have meant there is huge pressure to win and win well in Nicosia.

"There are always going to be regrets," says Cunningham, "but this is not the time to think about it. There are still two games to play and we can still qualify for the play-offs at this stage. We don't think back to the games that have gone before because we can't affect them.

"These two games, six points will see us in the play-offs and that will be some achievement."

It will take a bit more than that to provide a fitting end to an international career that, like so many others in recent times, started under Mick McCarthy in the Czech Republic and will, he hopes, finish back in central Europe in rather more high-profiled circumstances.