Soccer:Stephen Hunt is desperate to help erase a nightmare from the Irish psyche in Cyprus on Saturday evening. The 28-year-old Republic of Ireland midfielder and his team-mates head into Saturday's World Cup qualifier in Nicosia determined to return with a positive result for more than one reason.

Today’s squad news from the Republic's training base in Malahide shows that Sean St Leger remains an injury doubt for Saturday’s game as the Preston North End centre half is still struggling with a knee injury and was unable to take part in today’s training session.

St Leger was joined on the sidelines by Hull striker Caleb Folan. Elsewhere defender Paul McShane has been called up as cover for the injured Kevin Foley.

Richard Dunne arrived in Dublin this afternoon and joined up with the squad after finalising his €6.8million move from Manchester City to Aston Villa today.

Victory over the Cypriots would maintain the Republic’s quest to challenge world champions and Group Eight leaders Italy for automatic qualification for next summer’s finals in South Africa, while a draw would be far from disastrous.

But almost as importantly, either result would help soothe the memories of a 5-2 European Championship qualifier defeat in Nicosia almost three years ago which left their hopes in shreds and the nation in shock.

Hunt, now back plying his trade in the Barclays Premier League with Hull after a summer switch from Reading, is one of few of his compatriots who have been able to forget about a black night, but he knows Ireland are in for a tough evening at the GSP Stadium.

Asked about the debacle on October 7th, 2007, he said: “I didn’t watch it, I didn’t see it. It was three years ago. I saw the goals.

“It’s still fresh in people’s minds who were there, but it’s gone now.

“Cyprus? Good team. They haven’t had the results they deserve and we have to go out there and hope they stay unlucky.”

The events of that night do indeed remain painfully fresh for those who witnessed them.

Stephen Ireland, whose self-imposed exile remains a topic for debate, much to current boss Giovanni Trapattoni’s irritation, put the visitors ahead with just eight minutes gone.

However, they were 2-1 down within eight further minutes after goals from Michael Constantinou and Alexis Garpozis, and although Richard Dunne leveled shortly before the break, a Constantinou penalty and a double from Constantinos Charalambidis handed the home side the points.

The Republic needed an injury-time equaliser from Steve Finnan to deny the

Cypriots a second win in the return 12 months later and, although Robbie Keane’s lone strike at Croke Park in October last year went some of the way to righting those wrongs, there are still scores to be settled.

Ireland currently trail Italy by just a point having played one match more, while Bulgaria and Cyprus, who both also have a game in hand, are five and eight points adrift respectively.

But having drawn their last two away games in Italy and Bulgaria, Hunt is targeting all three points and what could be a decisive victory this time around.

He said: “To qualify, we have to win three. Italy have that way about them that they will always do just enough to qualify, and we need to win away to put pressure on them.”

The fact that the Irish are very much in contention at the top of the group is testament to the job Trapattoni has done since taking up his post in May last year.

They are unbeaten in the campaign to date, and with home games against the Italians and Montenegro to come next month, the play-offs at least are very much within their grasp.

Hunt said: “He’s been good for Ireland. We are in with a chance of qualifying for a World Cup and to be honest, not many people would have thought that after the last campaign.

“So he’s obviously doing something right and the players are behind him. We have got a belief that we can go all the way.”