by Michael Baggaley
michael.baggaley@thesentinel.co.uk

WORLD Cup hopeful Liam Lawrence insists he will not need a rest when Stoke entertain West Ham this weekend, even if he follows up his impressive display against Italy by playing for the Republic of Ireland again on Wednesday.

Lawrence marked his competitive debut for his country by setting up fellow Potters midfielder Glenn Whelan to score a made-in-Stoke free-kick against the Italians in Dublin on Saturday.

Whelan was booked, so is suspended for Wednesday’s home game against Montenegro, but Lawrence is hoping to play after earning positive reviews for his performance in the 2-2 draw with the world champions.

Italy’s last-minute equaliser means Ireland cannot catch them at the top of Group Eight, but they are certain of runners-up spot and a place in the two-legged World Cup play-offs on November 14 and 18 to decide who goes to next summer’s finals in South Africa.

Lawrence is hoping to play a full part in his country’s final qualifying match, but says that does not mean he needs a rest from Premier League action.

The 27-year-old has only started four of Stoke’s eight league games because of tactical changes and injury problems.

He’s also been playing through the pain barrier of back, knee and ankle problems. But after steroid injections in his back and glucose injections in his ankle two weeks ago, the midfielder says he is fit to play for club and country.

He said: “It would be nice to get myself in the side at Stoke. I’ve been in and out of the team since we beat Sunderland in August.

“I am at my best when I am playing every week. If it was up to me, I would play 50 or 60 matches a season, like we did in the Championship.

“I’ve never wanted a rest and I’m looking forward to the West Ham game this Saturday, if I am involved.”

Lawrence and Whelan are aiming to play in their first World Cup, but are likely to face a difficult task as the eight play-off teams will be seeded.

That means Ireland, who are likely to be in the second group of seeds, have more chance of facing the likes of France or Portugal. The draw will be made a week today.

However, Lawrence says the players are confident after pushing Italy all the way.

He said: “Our manager was gutted with the result, but to be disappointed with only drawing with the world champions says a lot.

“We should have won. We were one minute away from beating them and we are really disappointed we couldn’t have taken this group to the wire.

“But I think we have a great chance. The spirit is really good and, up front, Robbie Keane is top draw, one of the best in the world.

“Personally, playing in games like this can only be good for me as a player. I don’t think I looked out of place against Italy and that’s good for my confidence..

“Hopefully, I can bring that back with me to Stoke for the weekend.”

Stoke’s opponents will be wary of the Irish duo’s combination from free kicks after Lawrence pulled the ball across for Whelan to blast home against the Italians.

Lawrence said: “We have been working on short free kicks and corners all week, because we felt the Italians would be expecting us to put balls into the box.

“All the Italy players were in the area, so I just pulled it back and Glenn hit it absolutely perfectly. It was a great finish.”

Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen is certain to be in South Africa. He helped Denmark beat Sweden 1-0 on Saturday night to clinch their group and earn himself the chance to play in a second World Cup, after also appearing in the 2002 finals.

However, new City midfielder Tuncay’s hopes are over. He captained Turkey to a 2-0 defeat in Belgium which ended their play-off chances.