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Wales Announce Squad For Group Six Qualifiers Against Northern Ireland And Azerbaijan

Submitted by Neville Nixon on Thu, 29/09/2005 - 15:48.

Craig Bellamy and Mark Delaney are back in the Wales squad for next month's Group 6 World Cup qualifiers with Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan.Bellamy has returned to action for Blackburn after missing his national team's defeats earlier this month, and Delaney played for Aston Villa reserves last week.Ben Thatcher has been left out after making himself unavailable following a dispute with John Toshack't hardline management organisation. Goalkeeper Jason Brown wins his first senior call up as cover for Danny Coyne.
Coca Cola Championship side,Ipswich's Lewis Price is expected to play in both matches after Coyne was ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.Sunderland defender Danny Collins is also back after missing the defeats to England and Poland.Collins or Robert Page will replace West Ham Utd's suspended Danny Gabbidon for the Northern Ireland game.Bellamy has shown impressive striking form since recovering from a thigh strain, and his presence will be a boost to a Wales side that has failed to score in their last five games.Delaney's involvement in Belfast or Cardiff four days later is less certain.The 29-year old full back has not played a first team game for Aston Villa this season after having knee surgery in the summer.His club manager David O'Leary hopes Delaney will be available for their upcoming Premiership match with Birmingham,but the right back is confident he will be ready to play for his country a week earlier."It's been a frustrating start to the season but if I go away with Wales, hopefully I'll get a couple of run-outs and come back strong for the Birmingham game," Delaney said."It was good for me to play the entire 90 minutes for the reserves earlier in the week and there is still a lot of the season where I can hopefully contribute for Villa."I've had a few injury knocks in the last two or three years and it would be great to put those behind me now."

Wales squad for World Cup Group Six qualifiers against Northern Ireland (Belfast,8th of October) and Azerbaijan (Cardiff,12th of October):

Price (Ipswich),Jones (Wolves),Brown (Gillingham),Delaney (Aston Villa),Duffy (Coventry),Page (Coventry),Gabbidon (West Ham)*,J Collins (West Ham),D Collins (Sunderland),Ricketts (Swansea),Edwards (Wolves),Partridge (Bristol City),Davies (Everton),Roberts (Tranmere),Fletcher (West Ham),Robinson (Sunderland),Koumas (West Brom),Vaughan (Crewe),Williams (West Ham),Earnshaw (West Brom),Bellamy (Blackburn),Hartson (Celtic),Giggs (Man Utd).
*For Azerbaijan match only, suspended for match against Northern Ireland


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