NEWS: WHILE JONATHAN Walters heads for Wembley with Stoke tomorrow aiming to round off what has been a memorable season, Rory Delap will go secure in the knowledge that he has at least two more years to play at the Britannia Stadium after agreeing an extension to his current deal with the club.

Walters is Stoke’s top scorer in his first year with the top flight outfit and has already made his senior international debut for Ireland over the past few months. Delap, who has been consistently overlooked by Giovanni Trapattoni, continues to be something of a talisman for City, with his trademark long throws a key part of the club’s attacking arsenal.

Stephen Ireland’s future at Newcastle, meanwhile, very much depends on his ability to show that the move is right for him between now and the end of the season, according to manager Alan Pardew, who expects the Corkman to feature from the bench in the rescheduled game against Manchester United on Tuesday evening.

“I don’t think there’s pressure on Stephen as a player because he’s already proven he is a very good player at Manchester City,” said Pardew.

“The question with Stephen is whether he can do it in a black and white shirt. We’ve got this period between now and the end of the season where he has to show he can. If we don’t see it in the next six games, it’s highly unlikely we are going to bring him here permanently.”

Bristol City boss Keith Millen has said he will not seek to make Andy Keogh’s loan deal at the club permanent at the end of the season. The Irish international is currently back at Wolves receiving treatment for a back injury and could return to the Championship outfit before the end of the campaign but only for a few weeks.

Keogh has 15 months left on his contract with Mick McCarthy’s side but his future would appear to lie away from Molineux.