NIALL QUINN steps up his" fight for match fitness by returning to Sunderland's team for today's friendly game against Durham City.

It will be his first big test since undergoing a knee operation for the repair of a damaged, cruciate ligament last October, the second time in three years that he was hit by a career-threatening injury.

Depending on his progress today, he plans to line out with the club's reserve team early, next week and then hopes tub put himself in line for a recall for the north-east derby against Newcastle tomorrow week.

"The Newcastle game is one of our biggest of the whole season and if it's at all possible, I would like to be part of it," he said. "But it depends very much on how I get on over the next four or five days.

"The plan is that I will play for at least a part of the game against Durham City and that should give me a guide as to, where I'm at in my recovery from the operation.

"These last six months have been pretty trying, but not as bad as I had feared. The difference between this and my recovery from the first operation is that I got a blood infection the first time and it set me back a month."

Quinn's first senior appearance, albeit in a friendly game, coincides with the assembly of the Ireland squad in Dublin today for the build-up to next Wednesday's game in Macedonia.

Quinn is resigned to missing that assignment, but is optimistic about his chances of being fit for the April 30th game with Romania in Bucharest.

Tony Cascarino is due in Dublin from France this morning, after returning to action with AS Nancy in their 4-1 championship defeat at the hands of his old club, Marseille, on Wednesday evening.

According to club officials, Cascarino reported no reactions to a recent hamstring injury.