Manchester City defender Richard Dunne has been rewarded for his rehabilitation by winning his 15th cap for the Republic of Ireland tomorrow night.
Dunne has been named as left-back by caretaker-manager Don Givens in the team to face Greece in the friendly international in the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium.
Earlier this season, Dunne's football career was on the line after he was fined for a breach of club discipline. City manager Kevin Keegan ordered Dunne to get his priority's sorted out or he would kick him out of Maine Road.
Dunne has since lost weight and kept his personal life in order, and his return to form and fitness has been marked by his recall to international football.
"I saw Richard play for City against West Brom and I saw the Manchester derby on television and he looks in terrific condition," said Givens.
"When I called him back into the squad I felt he deserved a reward for the effort he has made and now he is starting the match and is delighted to do so.
"We have got a few centre halves and it was a case of finding a left-back. Richard has a bit more experience as a full-back and that's why I plumped for him."
Steve Finnan of Fulham is the other full-back, with Manchester United's John O'Shea partnering captain Kenny Cunningham in the centre of defence.
Givens is short of natural wide players, so he has handed Stephen McPhail his seventh cap and named him on the left side of midfield, with Colin Healy on the right, and Everton's in-form Lee Carsley partnering Matt Holland in the middle.
As expected, Tottenham's versatile Gary Doherty is paired up front with eircom National League striker Glen Crowe earning his first senior cap.
Givens is hoping Carsley's good form for high-flying Everton in the Premiership rubs off on his team, and that McPhail's recent run for Leeds stands him in good stead too.
But the under-21s manager has warned Healy that he is facing an important decision about his future in club football.
"I have seen Lee on television and I have seen him in training and he is buzzing," said Givens.
"He is full of confidence. The position Everton are in the league is rubbing off on him and that is an area of the field I don't have any worries about.
"We are slightly disadvantaged in that we haven't got an out-and-out wide player. The circumstances are that I am asking Stephen to play out there and I don't expect him to be a left winger. But he has got great qualities on the ball and I hope he'll get on as much as possible and hurt the Greeks a little bit with his passing.
"Colin Healy has played in a lot of positions and is a very good player. He just probably needs a decision to be made for himself very shortly if he is to go forward as a player. He seems to be not getting enough games at Celtic and, for his own point of view, he'll have to decide something.
"He is another very good player who never let me down at under-21 level and I expect the same kind of performance and commitment from him at full level."
Givens is keen to mark what is expected to be his one and only match in charge of the senior team with a positive result, which means he will not introduce inexperienced players from the bench just for the sake of it.
He said: "I really do think we need a result and there won't be any experiments at all unless we are sailing along.
"I'd like to think we'd be in the position to give a few of the new boys a baptism, but that is all in the lap of the gods of the moment and I certainly won't be making any experiments.
"I hope we are in the position, and if we are 4-0 up then I'll give everybody a game, but I do think the result is the priority for the squad and for myself.
"I look at the side and it looks fairly good to me. Obviously I am asking Richard to play out of position but I have had a talk with him and he doesn't seem to have any problem at all with that.
"It is a chance for these boys to produce and I am reasonably confident with what we have got that we can get a result.
"Of course it will be a difficult match. The Greeks will be fired up for it, especially as they haven't started well in their Euro 2004 qualifying campaign. They are very formidable at home and I am expecting a hot time for us."
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND:Given (Newcastle); Finnan (Fulham), O'Shea (Man Utd), Cunningham (Birmingham, capt), Dunne (Man City); Healy (Celtic), Carsley (Everton), Holland (Ipswich), McPhail (Leeds); Doherty (Tottenham), Crowe (Bohemians).
PA