RAY HOUGHTON has been ruled out of the World Cup warm up game against Wales in Cardiff on February 11th by his club Crystal Palace after failing to respond to treatment for a hip injury sustained earlier in the month.
Coupled with the loss of Andy Townsend and Keith O'Neill, it will deprive Mick McCarthy of three of the players he may choose to deploy in Ireland's World Cup qualifying game against Macedonia at Skopje on April 2nd. McCarthy will announce his squad for the Wales game today.
It has turned into a trying season for Houghton after he had made a perfect start in the opening World Cup game in Liechtenstein. There, entrusted with a more central role in midfield, he emerged as the man of the match with a performance which convinced McCarthy that the midfielder was capable of squeezing another season out of his international career.
But he has since been blown off course as a difficult injury first put him out of Palace's team and later the national side for the home games against Macedonia and Iceland.
Then followed a controversial dismissal in a club fixture, the first time the 34 year old had been sent off in a long career, and shortly after his return from suspension he sustained his latest injury.
"I'm almost as disappointed as the player that he's picked up another injury," said McCarthy. "His contribution in Liechtenstein was a revelation and showed that despite suggestions to the contrary he has still a lot to offer the team.
Townsend's absence, foreshadowed by Aston Villa manager Brian Little after the midfielder collided heavily with Ron Willems in the FA Cup defeat by Derby County, may have the effect of releasing McCarthy from a difficult decision.
After earlier indications that he intended to stay as closely as possible to what he regards as his strongest team, there have been indications in recent weeks that he may decide to play some of those on the fringe of the first team.
Townsend may have been one of those McCarthy felt tempted to rest. Another is Roy Keane, and it remains to be seen what plans McCarthy has for a player caught up in another hectic season at club level.
Before the World Cup meeting with Iceland in November, Keane played in only one of the 10 games in which McCarthy had been in charge and the manager's priority at this stage will be to have him on board for the competitive fixtures in Macedonia and Romania in April.
Today's squad announcement is expected to mean good news for Paul McGrath, who has been waiting since last April to add to his record total of 83 caps. Now that opportunity may be close at hand.
In leaving McGrath out of the three World Cup fixtures in the opening half of the season, McCarthy said he was influenced by, his lack of match fitness. That criticism is no longer valid, however, after the player's successful introduction to the Derby team.
From a long way back, it was apparent that McGrath's experience would be weighed carefully in the assessments for Skopje and Bucharest. So it is not surprising that much of the manager's attention in recent months has been focused on McGrath's attempt to refloat his career at the age of 37.
McCarthy is quick to stress that, Gary Breen, who took McGrath's place in recent games, has not been discounted from his plans and it may be of some significance that the manager chose to watch Alan Kernaghan and Eddie McGoldrick on Saturday when Manchester City removed Brentford from the FA Cup.
There may also be a recall also for a rejuvenated Gary Kelly. Leeds manager George Graham has been using Kelly in a more advanced role than that envisaged for him by McCarthy, but it will still be interesting to note how things unfold over the next couple of months.
Keith O'Neill's latest misfortune will serve to shift the spotlight on to the Watford striker, David Connolly, another whose career has been punctuated by injury this season. Now, at last, Connolly's injury problems are over and after some good displays for Watford, the likelihood is that he will now be among the 20 players nominated by McCarthy.
