Folan hungry for more action

Caleb Folan has set his sights firmly on the World Cup finals in South Africa after being handed his big chance by Giovanni Trapattoni.

The 26-year-old Hull City striker completed a remarkable rise to prominence when, barely a month after making his senior international debut for the Republic of Ireland as a late substitute in the qualifying victory over Cyprus, he was handed a first start against Poland.

Folan's international progress has been spectacular - he has started only two games for his club to date this season, and caught Trapattoni's eye in the recent Ireland B fixture against Nottingham Forest.

The Italian, who has widened his search for squad members in the last few months, spoke warmly of the striker's attributes in the run-up to the Poland game, and sees him as a genuine alternative to skipper Robbie Keane and first-choice partner Kevin Doyle.

That has given the Leeds-born player a huge boost, despite the fact his first full cap ended in a 3-2 home defeat by the Poles.

Asked what it would mean to him if he could help his country to make it to South Africa, he said: ‘That would obviously be another dream and another step to aim to get to.

‘As long as I keep plugging away and hanging in there, it would be great to be part of that, and that will be the aim.

‘The manager has given me that bit of confidence and belief in myself.

‘Especially when you are not playing that regularly, it is important you keep your spirits high, and the likes of Giovanni Trapattoni wanting to bring you into the squad, that only gives you an extra lift, and I am grateful for that.’

Folan was one of a number of players to be thrust into the limelight last night, with fellow frontman Noel Hunt joining brother Stephen on the pitch for the first time for the country and Blackburn Rovers midfielder Keith Andrews marking his debut as a substitute with a late goal.

But having had a taste of international football, he is desperate for more.

Folan said: ‘There are times when you are just relaxing and thinking how far you have come.

‘But there is always room for improvement and you want to go further.

‘I will keep my feet on the ground and keep plugging away trying to get to a higher place.

‘Every opportunity is great to be involved in, and if I can keep myself fit and keep myself in the manager's eye, it would be great to come across for future games.’

Reading frontman Doyle was well placed to judge his strike-partner's impact in place of usual sidekick Keane, who missed out with a shoulder injury.

Injuries and suspensions could yet force the manager's hand when it comes to selection during the remainder of the qualifying campaign and to that end, last night's friendly proved a useful exercise.

Doyle said: ‘We are probably not all going to be in form or fit for the rest of the campaign, so he [Trapattoni] is going to have to look at other players.

‘Caleb gives him another option. Considering he hasn't played that much this season, he did really well.

‘It was a role-reversal to the way I normally play for Ireland - he did more of the aerial stuff - and I think we did okay.’

Goals from skipper Mariusz Lewandowski and Brazilian-born substitute Roger Guerreiro gave Poland a commanding lead before a frenetic conclusion in which Stephen Hunt converted a late penalty and Andrews struck either side of Robert Lewandowski's effort for the visitors.

Defeat - the first of Trapattoni's reign - brought a disappointing end to Ireland's calendar year, although Doyle's assessment of the manager's first six months in charge was understandably positive.

He said: ‘When you look back at the year, we are very happy. We are sitting pretty in our (World Cup qualifying) group and if we can have a 2009 like we had a 2008, we will be delighted.

‘We play Georgia in February and as long as we get a result in that game, we will forget about this.’