Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Earnshaw targets win over Finns

FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING GROUP FOUR
WALES V FINLAND
Venue: Millennium Stadium Date: Saturday, 28 March Kick-off: 1500 GMT
Coverage: Full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales and online, live text commentary online


Robert Earnshaw
Robert Earnshaw has found form and fitness since joining Nottingham Forest

Robert Earnshaw says Wales' World Cup qualifier with Finland on Saturday is one of the biggest for years.

Victory would keep them in the hunt for second place in Group Four and the chance of the play-off places for the eight best runners-up out of nine.

But failure to win could leave them with an uphill task as Russia and Finland will still have games in hand.

"This one is probably one of the biggest in the last couple of years at least, where we have to win," he said.

"We are going into the game where it's a must-win and we should be confident and focused on what we have to do and hopefully that will happen.

"Ideally we would've liked to have got one or two more wins so that we are not in this position.

"It's going to be a good game to play in because as much as we have to win, they have to win also so it's going to be a little bit more open than a lot of international games and we need to test them."

Earnshaw is back in the Wales fold after rediscovering form and fitness.

The Nottingham Forest striker, 27, has scored 14 goals since his £2.65m summer move from Derby where he scored just twice in a year.

606: DEBATE

His time at Derby saw him dropped from the Wales squad by manager John Toshack due to the lack of games he was getting.

It rounded off a tough couple of years for Earnshaw who had earlier gone through a period where he did not scored or play a full 90 minutes of football at international level for nine months - mostly caused by time out with a torn groin.

But Earnshaw, capped 41 times with 13 goals, believes he is now in the form of his life.

"I love scoring goals and I'm having a good time right now," he said. "I haven't been as ready as this for a long time.

"I'm thinking to myself that I need to be playing and need to be involved and playing a lot more minutes for Wales.

"That is my focus right now.

"I feel good, I'm 100 per cent fit and there's not a lot of times you can say that with all the niggles you pick up."


Wales 24-man squad to face Finland on 28 March and Germany on 1 April: Wayne Hennessey (Wolves), Boaz Myhill (Hull), Owain Fon Williams (Stockport), Gareth Bale (Tottenham), James Collins (West Ham), Neal Eardley (Oldham), Chris Gunter (Nottingham Forest), Lewin Nyatanga (Derby), Sam Ricketts (Hull), Ashley Williams (Swansea), Rhys Williams (Middlesbrough), Simon Davies (Fulham), David Edwards (Wolves), Carl Fletcher (Plymouth), Owain Tudur Jones (Swindon), Jason Koumas (Wigan), Joe Ledley (Cardiff), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Carl Robinson (Toronto), Craig Bellamy (Manchester City), David Cotterill (Sheffield United), Robert Earnshaw (Nottingham Forest), Ched Evans (Manchester City), Sam Vokes (Wolves).

No comments: