Emmet Malonetalks to a veteran of the Irish set-up who celebrates a unique milestone tonight

HE IS NOT, he freely admits, the most naturally talented member of this Republic of Ireland squad but when manager Giovanni Trapattoni talks about wanting players to show the right "mentality" it's hard to believe he wouldn't like a few of them to be a little more like Kevin Kilbane.

Desire, determination and dependability have always been qualities the 31-year-old possessed in abundance and his availability for Saturday's win over Georgia and tonight's game against Montenegro in Podgorica is in itself confirmation that he has the sort of character the Italian prizes so much.

When Sam Ricketts clattered an elbow into his face during Wigan's English Premier League game against Hull City on Saturday August 30th, it was widely assumed Kilbane would miss this trip. Instead, after undergoing surgery on the Sunday night, he was on a plane to Dublin on the Tuesday.

In Mainz, he earned his 89th international cap and this evening, barring what would be a major surprise in Trapattoni's selection, he will play his 50th consecutive competitive game for his country. It's a record no other Irishman comes anywhere close to matching.

"I've been very lucky," he remarks amiably when the milestone is mentioned, "because I've been able to play in a couple of positions over the campaigns. At times, I've just been able to fill in, and that's been pretty much it, to be honest with you. Sometimes I probably wouldn't have featured if injuries hadn't affected the different positions. I suppose I've just been there and been able to take my chance and every opportunity that has arisen."

The fractured cheekbone would surely have ruled others out but Kilbane is rather matter-of-fact about it all. "Chris Kirkland just kicked a high ball and I was backing off and couldn't really get leverage on the jump. The full back of Hull (Sam Ricketts) just came over the top of me. It was nothing malicious, he just raised his arm to leap for the ball and I just got caught.

"I felt it and I knew straight away it had gone. I felt it and I had a dent in my face, a big V-shape. So I had to come straight off and that was it. Never had an injury like that before. But once I felt it, I knew there was a problem. My initial thought was that I would miss the Ireland games and that was a big disappointment."

The initial word from his club was he would be out for six weeks but the procedure required was relatively minor and his surgeon was encouraging from the outset about the prospect of him linking up with the Ireland squad.

"He told me what he was going to do with the procedure and just said: 'Yeah, you can play, there's not a problem.'

"The surgery took about 15 to 20 minutes. He just went in with something around the hairline and flicked the bone out. That was basically what it was.

"The club doctor was just a little bit wary about me playing with a broken bone so soon. But Steve Bruce . . . I think he played with 20 broken bones! He just said to me: 'Look, be careful.' He didn't have a problem with me playing as long as everything was done right."

The mask he had fitted subsequently in Dublin provides a little protection and Kilbane insists he was entirely comfortable during Saturday's win over Georgia.

His remarkable run of competitive games, meanwhile, started in November 1999 when he was picked for the first of the European Championship play-off games against Turkey. The sequence since includes a few of Ireland's most memorable games and one or two that might best be forgotten, but heading into this evening's match in Podgorica, his World Cup record over its duration is certainly encouraging with just two defeats in 28 outings.

His switch to left back has allowed him to fill a gap for Trapattoni and the former Sunderland and Everton player is delighted with the opportunity to extend an international career that might otherwise have been threatened by the emergence of players like the two expected to play on the wings this evening, Aiden McGeady and Stephen Hunt.

"I still feel fit and I still feel able to play," he says. "I think it (31) is quite young to be thinking about retirement so hopefully, if I'm picked in the squad and team, then I can continue. As for playing at left back, I played there last season and I felt very comfortable with it. I suppose it's relatively new to me but I feel good there and it's no problem."

That, he admits, could change over the campaign but for the moment, he insists, he is enjoying working with the new manager and aiming to make it to one more major championship finals.

"When you have the time with him (Trapattoni), day to day, he's fantastic. He's such a good guy to work with and we certainly seem to have benefited straight away. We've just got to maintain what we've done to start with under him. Hopefully, first and foremost, we can qualify and then the decisions can maybe go hand in hand."