JOE STILL ON TRACK TO FACE IRAN TEST
WALES are still hoping to unleash Joe Allen in their second World Cup group game against Iran on Friday.
The Narberth product sat out Monday evening’s opener against the United States of America.
The midfielder has been sidelined for more than two months because of the hamstring injury he sustained during Swansea City’s 3-0 Championship triumph over Hull City in September.
He has regularly trained separately from the rest of the Wales squad at their Al Sadd base since arriving in Qatar last Wednesday.
Boss Rob Page admitted the Football Association of Wales’s medical staff remain determined not to thrust the 32-year-old back into action too soon following his lengthy lay-off.
That meant he sat out the thrilling 1-1 draw against the US, Wales’s first game in a World Cup finals for 64 years. “We could have pushed him, maybe, but if he breaks down then he’s definitely out of the tournament,” said head coach Page.
“Risk over reward. Yes, we’d have liked him available for the first game, but we’re not going to push him to the point of completely losing him.”
Allen will be desperate to feature on Friday, as well as in the potentially crucial clash against England next Tuesday.
Page revealed after the USA game that he asked goalscorer Bale if he was OK to continue with around 15 minutes left, given the skipper’s lack of match practice in the run-up to the tournament.
Page said: “He looks after himself, I’ve said it time and time again. Irrespective of what he does at club level, he manages to pull the jersey on for Wales and give performances that surprise people and he certainly surprised me today.
“I said to him on about 75 minutes ‘are you okay to carry on?’ and he went ‘yeah I’m fine’, and at the end of the game he said ‘that’s why I stayed on – for the penalty’. He looks after himself, he manages himself, he manages himself through games.
“If he’d have gone full-tilt from the first whistle, he probably wouldn’t have lasted until half-time. But he’s very experienced and clever at managing his body.”
That penalty and the draw it earned Wales was the least the side deserved after a fine second-half performance, and all eyes now turn to the second match of the group against Iran on Friday morning at 10am (UK time).