SOCCER: International news Stephen Elliott is set to become the latest of Brian Kerr's old youth players to reacquaint himself with the Ireland coach at senior level after being named yesterday in the squad for next Tuesday's meeting between the Republic and Croatia at Lansdowne Road.
The 20-year-old Dubliner has made a dramatic impact at Sunderland since arriving from Manchester City for €125,000 during the summer with eight goals in 17 appearances for the Championship club, five of them from the bench.
Mick McCarthy has repeatedly singled the striker out for praise and Brian Kerr followed suit yesterday as he confirmed he would bring him in for next week's friendly game against the Croats.
"We've all had high hopes for Stephen since we first saw him playing for Belvedere," said Kerr. "He's had a couple of setbacks but when he came back he was very prolific for City at under-17 and under-19 levels as well as for us in the underage Irish teams.
"He's not big or tall but he's completely honest, works very hard in training and is very good with his back to goal. He didn't get the chance he needed at City because they had four well known strikers there but when the break came with Sunderland he seized it and it's been great to watch him do so well over the past couple of months."
Kerr admitted that the player's call-up had come around so quickly in part because of his relative lack of options up front.
"It's no secret that we've been short of decent players in that department," said the manager who has again omitted David Connolly from his 25-man squad.
Also out is Clinton Morrison, who is said to be on the verge of a return to full fitness at Birmingham City after being injured in Ireland's game against France in Paris last month.
"I had him on the phone to me yesterday asking me to be sure to put him in the squad but I don't think that would be fair to Birmingham at this stage," observed Kerr. "He hasn't played since Paris and I think the best thing for him to get back in and get a bit of a run under his belt at Birmingham."
Roy Keane, who Kerr says is being rested, is also omitted along with Ian Harte and Rory Delap who have failed to earn recalls despite strong form at club level lately.
Willo Flood has, unlike Elliott, failed to make the cut but Kerr has always been a fan of the young midfielder and said yesterday that it had been a fairly tight call.
"Even as it stands," he remarked, "if we lose a few attacking players he could still find himself being called in between now and next Tuesday."
Richard Dunne retains his place in the panel after a fine display for City against Manchester United on Sunday and the big centre back was another former youth international to get a positive mention from the manager.
"He's got all the attributes that you would want in a central defender," said Kerr. "It's putting them together in a match situation on a consistent basis that has been the problem for him sometimes, being ready for the games both physically and mentally."
Dunne, of course, would be likely to find it even harder to make the Ireland squads if Fulham defender Zat Knight follows up his recent expression of interest in playing for Ireland with a serious assault on the paperwork but Kerr insisted he knows nothing of the huge centre half's intention to switch his international allegiance from England other than what he has read in the papers.
"No one has contacted me to say he's interested, that's for certain," he said, "and even if they did it wouldn't be a case of him coming along and saying, 'well, I can't get my game with some other country so any chance you'll give me my game' . . . It doesn't work like that."
Knight still has almost two months to complete such a switch before the FIFA-backed amnesty period runs out but Kerr insisted the process is not entirely straightforward and that any attempt to negotiate it would have to start soon if it was to be completed in time. He did not, however, sound unduly concerned whether the Fulham player pursued the matter or not, something that might well be explained by the nature of Knight's original declaration of interest which stopped quite some way short of suggesting a deep-rooted sense of national identity.
Jonathan Macken, meanwhile, is recalled for the first time since making his debut against Bulgaria a couple of months ago and Aidan McGeady features after spending the time since his first senior game - against Jamaica back at the start of the summer - with the under-21s.
Tickets for the game are currently available from the FAI and Ticketmaster outlets.
Ireland Squad
Shay Given (Newcastle Utd), Nick Colgan (Barnsley), Paddy Kenny (Sheffield Utd), Alan Maybury (Hearts), Steve Finnan (Liverpool), Kenny Cunningham (Birmingham City), Stephen Carr (Newcastle Utd), Andy O'Brien (Newcastle Utd), Gary Doherty (Norwich City), Richard Dunne (Manchester City), Gary Breen (Sunderland), Matt Holland (Charlton Ath), John O'Shea (Manchester Utd), Liam Miller (Manchester Utd), Kevin Kilbane (Everton), Andy Reid (Nottingham Forest), Graham Kavanagh (Cardiff City), Alan Quinn (Sheffield Utd), Graham Barrett (Coventry City), Aiden McGeady (Glasgow Celtic), Damien Duff (Chelsea) Alan Lee (Cardiff City), Jonathan Macken (Manchester City), Stephen Elliott (Sunderland), Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur).
