Mark Kinsella returns to World Cup action against Iran on Thursday anxious to prove Ireland are a force to be reckoned with without skipper Roy Keane. The Charlton Athletic midfielder watched from the sidelines as Ipswich's Matt Holland partnered Keane during the Republic's 2-0 first leg win at Lansdowne Road on Saturday. Now the Dubliner will join Holland in the midfield engine room because of the absence of Keane as Mick McCarthy looks to guide the country to their first finals in eight years.
Although Kinsella has established himself as midfield sidekick for Republic skipper Keane with his international performances over the past two campaigns, it was Holland who got the manager's vote for Saturday's first leg win. And while he admits he was extremely disappointed by his omission, Kinsella is concentrating on turning in a winning performance in Tehran this Thursday afternoon.
He stressed: "Obviously I was disappointed but you just have to take it on the chin and I understood the manager's thinking. Matt has done well in the last few games since I had my hernia operation in the summer but there's certainly no hard feelings and we're confident we can do a job together now. We want to show there is more to this Ireland team than just Roy Keane."
Filed by Shane Murray
