NIALL QUINN'S TESTIMONIAL: To look at it you'd imagine you must be able to get just about anything you might ever want in the Metrocentre, Sir John Hall's sprawling monument to modern consumerism on the outskirts of Newcastle.

As the hours slipped past before his testimonial game a few miles down the road at Sunderland's Stadium of Light tonight, though, and he struggled to get a couple of minutes away from the phones, Niall Quinn was still pressing on as if it was the people from the shabby- looking warehouse in the industrial estate next door whose help he might have to call in.

"Stadium Packing Services" the sign on the building reads. There have been times over a slightly-worrying past couple of weeks for the Republic of Ireland international when the firm looked made for a night like this.

Quinn, like a perfectly-focused candidate still certain that victory is less than a hard day's canvassing away, has never stopped beating the drum, though. Yesterday he had clearly embarked on what he describes as "the final push", taking a constant stream of calls and giving interviews, often while his wife Gillian fielded calls on whichever phone he wasn't on.

By last night even he was vague on where the latest sales figure stands, although he was hearing that things were picking up well in the aftermath of Saturday's positive outcome to the relegation battle.

Earlier in the day there was talk that it had been edging towards 35,000 - the capacity is 48,000 - for the game itself which, when the corporate support and non-attendance tickets are taken into account, translates into roughly £1 million with a smaller figure going to GOAL.

"The million pound figure is important to me, though, because I've said to the two hospitals that they'll get the £500,000 each. If I have to come back after the World Cup and organise something else then we'll see about that later, but making the full amount now might come down to as little as whether it's a nice evening or not."

The 35-year-old will also now sit down with Sunderland boss Peter Reid after the World Cup having put off a chat planned for the weekend on the basis that had it gone badly "it mightn't have left me in the best frame of mind going away."

As the rest of the Republic of Ireland squad gathered in Sunderland for the game - after which they will travel back to Dublin for Thursday's friendly with Nigeria - the mood was clearly upbeat.

Newcastle United's Shay Given admitted to having had a rush of excitement about the whole thing when he got to his room and saw his FAI-issue footwear for the weeks ahead.

"They've got little tricolours on the back of the heel," he beamed to a collection of sceptics before adding, "yeah, it might sound awful but actually it's good and you'll always remember them as the World Cup shoes."

Given, like Quinn, has contractual affairs to sort out and upon hearing that his club had reacted to his expressed disappointment that they had let his talks on a new deal drag on by stating that there is a deal on the table waiting to be signed, he seemed a little bemused.

"I don't think that there was ever a great big problem with any of this," he said.

"It's just that I was a little disappointed that they let it go to a point in the season when the World Cup was coming up and all of that. I've still got a year to go so there's no huge urgency about it but clubs use these things to reward players, everybody knows that, and I just thought that as I'd been playing fairly well through the season they might say something about it.

"I'd like to stay, though, because the club is moving in the right direction again and having qualified for the Champions League is a big part of that."

For Mick McCarthy, meanwhile, the main business at hand after arrival was to check for potential injuries incurred over the weekend. There didn't appear to be any, but he said afterwards he had yet to think about what team he might pick, although he did say again that just everybody would be involved at some point over the course of the night.

Mark Kennedy will probably be involved for most of the game to show that he has overcome a groin problem that has restricted him to just one game for Wolves in the last couple of months.

Aside from that, though, McCarthy may have to consult with Sunderland manager Peter Reid before making any firm decisions on a starting line-up.

With Claudio Reyna and Thomas Sorensen having already gone to join up with their World Cup squads (the United States and Denmark respectively) and Thomas Butler called up by Don Givens into the Irish under-20 squad in Toulon, Reid may yet prove a little short-handed, in which case Kevin Kilbane and Jason McAteer may be asked to put club before country at the start of this evening's game.

Quinn, meanwhile, hopes to play a half for each side. "I think Mick and Peter have already come to some arrangement about it and I'm looking forward to it all."

With that the other phone rang, apologies quickly followed and he was gone to spread the word elsewhere.

For non-attendance tickets (£10) call 1800 509 238. Send cheques to NQ Match, PO Box 165, Sunderland, England, SR5 1WF.

You can also visit www.niall-quinn.com.