Testing time for Staunton

STEVE STAUNTON'S season will either be salvaged or effectively written off this weekend. Still recuperating from his latest injury, a damaged muscle sustained in last Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Liverpool, Staunton should know by Monday whether he will be fit in time for the English League Cup final on March 24th and the Republic of Ireland Russia international three days later.

This weekend will sort out Wembley one way or the other" he admitted yesterday, none too optimistically. At best I can think about a return to action in 10 days. At worst I could be out fur anything up to a month. That is a fairly bleak scenario with Wembley just around the corner."

"In reality I have to get some encouragement when I test out the injury this weekend. If it doesn't respond then it will be a race against time. Then I will only have those 18 days."

For Staunton, the 1995-96 campaign has been his annus horribilis. "It's been a disastrous season for me. I just want to get it over, get a rest and get back into action next season. I thought at least Wembley would make up for all the disappointments and then this happens.

In truth Staunton has not been truly match fit once for the Republic of Ireland this season, instead being pressed into service when short of match practice and, in Lisbon, when out of position.

Staunton's conversion to the left sided third of a three man central defensive system at Aston Villa (ironically Paul McGrath could be a Wembley bound beneficiary of his latest injury) could raise interesting possibilities for Mick McCarthy, who has intimated that he will seek to experiment with that formation between now and the end of the season. McCarthy's first squad as Republic of Ireland manager will be announced at a press conference in Dublin next Wednesday.