Pilkington and Cox out of Ireland squad

Anthony Pilkington and Simon Cox have been forced to withdraw from the Republic of Ireland squad to face Wales in Cardiff next Wednesday after picking up injuries.

Pilkington, who missed the World Cup qualifiers against Sweden and Austria in March with a hamstring problem, suffered a knee injury during pre-season training with Norwich.

Cox was carried off with an ankle injury during Nottingham Forest's 3-1 victory over Hartlepool in the Capital One Cup last night.

As expected, Stephen Henderson has been drafted in to the squad to replace David Forde after the Galway was forced to undergo knee surgery.

The West Ham goalkeeper will join the squad in Newport on Saturday.

The injuries to Pilkington and Cox could pave the way for a return to the panel for the out-of-favour Kevin Doyle.

Striker Robbie Keane had been left out of the initial 26-strong squad for the friendly fixture as he is in action with Los Angeles Galaxy in the United States, while centre-back Richard Dunne continues to work on his match fitness after joining QPR from Aston Villa in the summer.

Manager Giovanni Trapattoni is looking to continue the good form of 2013, where they were unbeaten until the 2-0 defeat to Spain in New York at the start of June, claiming impressive victories over Georgia and the Faroe Islands and holding England to a 1-1 draw at Wembley.

"We can draw a lot from our performances in May and June. The team showed strong character and enthusiasm against Spain, England and Georgia, and picked up three vital points against the Faroe Islands," the Italian said when naming his provisional squad last month.

"The players have demonstrated that they are building on each game and are working very well together.

"This fixture will allow us one more opportunity to prepare for the important World Cup qualifiers in September against Sweden and Austria. We will use this time to experiment and develop confidence ahead of the games."

Ireland host Sweden on 6 September and then travel to Austria looking to keep up the chase for second spot in Group C, where three sides are locked on 11 points, five behind leaders Germany after six matches.

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