Connolly's bad times behind him

In the wake of the Roy Keane affair, the disastrous start to the Euro 2004 campaign and the departure of Mick McCarthy came another irritating dousing for the Irish – the apparent refusal of David Connolly to play for his nation in the friendly against Greece last November.

The episode, more comedy than tragedy, was never quite of the same pitch as that other imbroglio but it left its mark nevertheless, with the Irish media, in particular, questioning the ability of the Wimbledon striker in the first place and, then, accusing him of ingratitude. The gist of it was – where would the Londoner be without Ireland?

Now, following the withdrawal through injury of Clinton Morrison and, more crucially, the expected absence of Robbie Keane, whose father died on Monday evening, Connolly may complete his rehabilitation in the vital, and testing, qualifying games against Georgia, on Saturday, and Albania, next week.

When the Republic of Ireland's new manager Brian Kerr took up his post, he said he wanted to start with a "clean sheet" – a clear invitation for Roy Keane to return. That never happened. But the new man was also referring to Connolly who, despite garnering 34 caps and playing a part in the World Cup, was unceremoniously dropped by the caretaker manager, Don Givens.

His initial omission is about the only detail that both sides agree on, with Givens maintaining that the player simply refused the call when he was asked to be a late replacement. Connolly insists he had picked up an injury by then. He takes up the story. "I did not think he had the authority to say that the players he would pick were the future of Ireland. I'm just 25 and, hopefully, I feel that I have still got many years in front of me playing for Ireland.

"But then, when he did call, I was injured. I was disappointed with Don Givens' comments. I was in good form for the Greek game and was not selected so I was pleased to be in the squad against Scotland. As far as I am concerned it is all behind me."

Or, conversely, in front of him. Nineteen goals this season – albeit in the First Division – make him by far the most prolific goalscorer in the Irish squad. It may be that Kerr pushes Damien Duff, back from injury, alongside Gary Doherty but there is a feeling in the camp that Connolly's goals cannot be ignored.

The player is also one of those still smarting from the departure of McCarthy, who handed him his international debut aged just 18, and clearly feels the new manager of Sunderland also suffered an unfair press. "The players still have a lot of respect for Mick and miss him as manager. He was a great success," Connolly said.

The Greek affair is not the only time Connolly has felt buffeted. A teenage sensation at Watford, he went on a Bosman transfer to Feyenoord, where he had a turbulent time, before regaining his touch at Excelsior Rotterdam. A loan spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers then led to his transfer to Wimbledon, where he has been prolific.

Kerr brought Connolly straight back into the squad for the friendly against Scotland and has also made his mark. "He [Kerr] is pretty hands-on and likes to keep up with things. He has been in contact, asking you how you are doing and when you are playing."

Connolly, due to fly into Dublin today after last night's league match away to Norwich City, contends he is simply "happy to be in the squad". He also believes the experience gained in going to Iran for the final World Cup qualifiers will stand the Irish in good stead now. "We know that we are playing away from home against tricky sides. But we have to win them both," Connolly said.

Indeed they do. No points so far after defeats away to Russia and at home to Switzerland mean they will probably have to be victorious in all the rest of the qualifying games. "We don't know what their playing styles are and the atmosphere will be different but the Scotland game was a good performance and will help us," Connolly said.

One thing is sure – the preparation will be meticulous unlike, as Roy Keane would have it, under McCarthy. Kerr has compiled tapes, dossiers and CD-ROMS on the Georgians and Albanians and although they are ranked 92nd and 100th in the world respectively (against Ireland's placing of 14th) it is a daunting task.

It has been made all the more difficult by the strains on the squad. Robbie Keane's father, Robert, died after a long battle against cancer and a spokesman for the Irish FA said it was "safe to assume" he would withdraw. Clinton Morrison has dislocated a shoulder, Ian Harte has just become a father, Gary Kelly and Jason McAteer have suffered hamstring injuries while Steve Finnan was yesterday undergoing an MRI scan on his damaged ribs. Kerr has already called in Stephen McPhail, Richard Dunne and, surprisingly, Rotherham United's Alan Lee.

The biggest concern is John O'Shea's sore hamstring. It is a testimony to the progress made by the 21-year-old Manchester United player – yet to play a competitive fixture for Ireland – that his physical condition was causing great concern yesterday. He should make it, however.