Steve Staunton yesterday provided the firmest indication yet of the extent to which Paddy Kenny is paying the price for his part in Ireland's hefty defeats by the Netherlands and Cyprus when he confirmed the Sheffield United goalkeeper has slipped behind Wayne Henderson in the international pecking order.

Given the fact that Nicky Colgan is on duty here this week while Kenny has been left at home in Sheffield, it seems reasonable to deduce the 28-year-old is now fourth in line for the jersey, which would be starkly at odds with his status as a first team regular in a Premiership side.

Staunton's handling of the situation came in for severe criticism at the weekend from Kenny's club manager Neil Warnock. He dismissed Staunton's stated reasons for omitting Kenny for tomorrow's game against San Marino - that he was giving the player an opportunity to get over a long standing, niggling injury and to take some time out after the sudden break up of his marriage - as "rubbish".

Warnock derided both suggestions, pointing to what he sees as the strong form shown by the goalkeeper for United since the start of the season and insisting Kenny had particularly wanted to be involved with the Ireland squad because of the difficulties he has encountered in his personal life of late.

The Ireland manager, as it happens, strongly suggested last week he had not even talked the matter over with Kenny but had simply decided to rest the goalkeeper. And yesterday he confirmed he now views Henderson as his preferred number two and hinted that Colgan has also passed Kenny out in the queue to provide cover for Shay Given.

"I gave you the excuse I gave," said the Ireland manager when asked about Warnock's criticism of his reasoning last week. "There's no excuse," he added quickly. "He had been struggling with injuries since the end of last season. And he did have one or two personal problems after the Cyprus game. I felt Nicky Colgan and Wayne Henderson came in and did their bit and I've always said that those in possession will stay there. We know Shay Given's our number one. So the other two haven't changed."

Pressed on whether the pair have, in fact, moved above Kenny in the ranking order, he continued: "Well, Wayne Henderson has, definitely. He hasn't let me down. He's proved he's got a presence about him, which I always knew from my Villa days. And that's why I've got no hesitation in playing him."

Henderson, of course, made a perfectly respectable international debut for Ireland in what were clearly difficult circumstances but, with just over 50 clubs games under his belt in England, he perhaps showed a little bit of inexperience for the Czech goal when Jan Koller beat him with a shot to his far post from near the corner of the 18-yard box.

Kenny, meanwhile, can hardly claim to have done anything particularly heroic to stem the tide against either the Dutch or the Cypriots but Given expressed support for him on Sunday night when he said he had only made one mistake in Nicosia and there were certainly a number of other Irish players who did at least as poorly in the respective games.

Even if he did have particularly bad nights, however, his experience, amassed over the course of some 300 senior club games in England, and his current form at club level in the Premiership would suggest he is still worth his place in this Ireland squad.

Regardless of what is going on around him there is, at least, no doubt whatsoever about Given's status as Ireland's number one, something that looks certain to be underlined tomorrow against San Marino.

"I spoke to Glenn (Roeder), it's not a problem. Obviously, Newcastle are concerned, the position they're in the league and I can fully understand that. But as Glenn himself knows, this is a wonderful game for Shay to come back into football, with a full house, although I'm certainly hoping Shay Given won't be too busy. It'll be more a case of him concentrating for 90 minutes and then he goes into the squad for the Arsenal game. He needed a game and if it was a choice between an international match or a reserve team game, I know where I'd want my 'keeper playing."

In relation to the squad he has assembled for tomorrow's game against San Marino, Staunton confirmed yesterday he expected everyone to train this morning.

Kevin Kilbane took part in yesterday morning's session but Lee Carsley and Jonathan Douglas were rested on the basis they would play a full part today.

"Everyone's fine, we've no problems for a change," said Staunton after training in Malahide.