SHAY GIVEN'S fledgling international career was yesterday given a substantial boost when he was preferred to Alan Kelly in the Republic of Ireland team to face Portugal at Lansdowne Road this evening.
Given earns his third cap in a heavily improvised side which includes two newcomers to international competition, Gareth Farrelly of Aston Villa and exciting Watford striker, David Connolly.
Each of the Blackburn goalkeeper's earlier appearances was attributable to the back injury which Kelly, Jack Charlton's first choice goalkeeper throughout his European championship qualifying programme, sustained in training with Sheffield United
Now with Kelly fully fit again and looking forward to winning a 15th cap, McCarthy has decided to stay with the player who earned such a high rating when he went on loan to Sunderland from Blackburn midway through the season.
Inevitably, it begged the question if McCarthy's evaluation of the two goalkeepers had changed but, in spite of the obvious implications, he was at some pains to duck the issue after supervisng a marathon two-hour training session.
"It doesn't automatically mean that Given is now the first choice, no more than it means that Gareth Farrelly or David Connolly are first choices in their respective positions," he said.
"It's just that this is the team I want to play against Portugal and the players involved understand the position. Both Alan and Shay will be coming with us on tour and there will be ample opportunity to alternate."
Given's delight will be shared by Farrelly and Connolly, two players who never entered into even remote contention for places during the previous regime.
Farrelly, from Dublin's northside, has made only a handful of first team appearances for Aston Villa but, after several promising performances with the Ireland Under 21 team, he now has the chance to show that he deserves to be considered as a credible candidate for recognition during the next World Cup campaign.
At 18, Connolly's climb from obscurity has been more spectacular still but after some impressive scoring bursts for Watford, he is now viewed by the manager a possible replacement for John Aldridge.
With Paul McGrath returning home to Manchester after sustaining an injury during the testimonial game against Celtic, Alan Kernaghan is given the opportunity of re-establishing himself in a three-man defence completed by Jeff Kenna - the only survivor from the team beaten 3-0 in Lisbon last November - and Ken Cunningham.
Curtis Fleming will start his first Ireland game in a wide role on the right with Terry Phelan doing the corresponding job on the opposite flank. Joining Farrelly in the centre will be the team captain, Andy Townsend and Alan McLoughlin, who is, rated superior to Mark Kennedy for the job of playing behind the front two, Connolly and Tony Cascarino.
Depending on the commitment of the opposition, it is a team which is in some danger of being turned over by the Portuguese but it is a risk which McCarthy is prepared to accept.
"What if we are," he said. "Only my pride and the pride of the players will be hurt. I am not suggesting that we will, but remember, this is a learning process.
The real season starts for us in Liechtenstein on August 31st. I don't wish to lose this game, or any game for that matter, but I must be prepared to take risks to find out exactly where we are."
It will be of some comfort to McCarthy to discover that his Portuguese counterpart, Antonio Oliviera, does not intend to play either of his two Italian based stars, Paulo Sousa of Juventus or Fiorentina's Rui Costa, who scored the first, decisive goal against the Irish in Lisbon.
Yet, the likelihood is that the Portuguese, who have established base in Killiney for their European championship preparations, could field as many as eight of that successful side. That, indeed, is an intimidating prospect for this immature Irish team.
