REPUBLIC OF Ireland striker Simon Cox is hoping to see a little more first-team action at West Brom over the coming weeks now that Roy Hodgson’s are all but mathematically certain of their top-flight status for next season.
And the 24-year-old is hoping, after a frustrating season, some strong performances in the closing weeks of the campaign might strengthen his hand in forthcoming contract talks as his current deal is set to expire in the summer.
“Apart from throughout January, when I played four or five games on the bounce, it has been horrible,” he says, “but you have just got to stick with it and now we have reached 40 points, hopefully I can get a bit more game time.
“We will sit down and discuss it. The club have the option to take up a further year of my contract at the end of this season. For me it is about waiting for the end of the season to come, waiting for the Euros and seeing if I am picked in the Ireland squad. If I am, I’ll go out there and see what I can do and then see what the club’s decision is. I’ll see whether they want to keep me or whether I move on.”
In the meantime, he says, he is grateful to the Ireland manager for showing faith in him so far.
“I have to thank Giovanni because every time he has picked me in the squad, I have not been playing at Albion. It is hard for him to see what I can do on a weekly basis and I do have to count my blessings every time he picks me for the squad.”
Terry Connor, meanwhile, has confirmed Stephen Hunt is expected to resume training tomorrow but, with just four games left, seemed far less certain than the midfielder had been at the weekend that he will play again for Wolves this season.
“He has been trying to nurse himself through for a while after the (hernia) operation, said Connor, “and so I think we will need to get our heads together to make sure we get him on the right path to recovery, making sure we don’t do something to the detriment of the player.
“He will start training and we will assess him, but it is not like he has been out for a week or 10 days and can come straight back into the team, or the squad. We’ll need to have a chat about what the best thing is for him.
“Maybe we will need to advertise for a couple of friendly games just to give him a chance to get fit, and it would be great to see him back on the training pitch.”
Former Ireland under-21 international goalkeeper Graham Stack is out of Pat Fenlon’s Hibernian side for the Scottish Cup final after damaging a thigh muscle in Saturday’s 2-1 semi-final victory over Aberdeen.
The 30-year-old had to come off 17 minutes from the end of the game and a scan has shown that the muscle has become detached from the bone, something that would normally sideline a player for between two and three months. Stack, who is out of contract in the summer, will also miss the remainder of the club’s league campaign.
In the wake of Shamrock Rovers’ heavy home defeat by Derry City, Setanta have opted to broadcast the second leg of the other Setanta Sports Cup semi-final between Sligo Rovers and Crusaders which will now kick-off at 8pm next Monday night.
The Belfast side lead that tie 2-0 but with Sligo enjoying home advantage in the second leg it is clearly seen by the sponsors as being more closely balanced than the one involving the two League of Ireland sides.
After Monday night’s game in Tallaght where the home side lost 3-0 after having their goalkeeper controversially sent off in the opening stages, Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Kenny admitted his side would have to do something remarkable at the Brandywell on Monday in order to qualify for the May 12th final.
“I wouldn’t say the tie is dead yet – it’s only half-time – but it would take something extraordinary.”
