UP-AND-COMING young Sunderland goalkeeper Michael Ingham, who has received an 11th hour call-up into the Northern Ireland squad for tonight's friendly against Poland in Cyprus, has posted a warning to Austrian teammate Jurgen Macho that he wants the reserve keeper's job.
The 21-year-old former Cliftonville player received his first taste of first team football this season when he was an emergency choice in the 4-2 Worthington Cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday when Macho was injured, and was on the bench against Manchester United at Old Trafford when first-choice Thomas Sorensen had to miss out with a back injury.
Now the Preston-born Northern Ireland Under-21 international is ready to challenge Macho for the job of second-choice keeper at the club.
Ingham, who flew to Cyprus yesterday as cover for Fulham's Maik Taylor after first-choice Roy Carroll (Manchester United) and David Miskelly (Oldham) were forced to withdraw through injury, has fully recovered from a severe kidney injury, and will use the call-up as an incentive to win promotion at club level.
He said: "No disrespect to Jurgen, but I don't think I'd be doing my job properly if I didn't want to climb up the pecking order and challenge for the first team.
"I think I'm closer to Jurgen now than I've ever been and my target before the end of the season is to get that position as number two keeper."
He added: "I'm still young really and goalkeepers have a longer career than most outfield players, so there's time for me to get experience.
"You need competition in the squad and just as Jurgen would love to be playing every week, I want to get involved more in the first team.
"I'm improving all the time and I'm confident I can do a job - the first step is to try to get more games for the reserves and then move on from there."
Ingham, who was on loan at Carlisle last season, playing seven Third Division games, spent a month this season with Second Division promotion challengers Stoke City, but his hopes of further first-team experience were dashed when he was only used as back-up to first-choice Neil Cutler.
Ingham, who is now too old to play in the Northern Ireland Under-21 side, is willing to go out on loan again if it gives him the opportunity to get more League experience.
* Sunderland target Patrick Mboma, who helped Cameroon win the African Nations Cup with three goals, is due back in Paris from Mali later this week, when a three month loan from Italian club Parma should be finalised.
The 31-year-old striker holds a French passport and would be available to play in Sunderland's big derby game with Newcastle a week on Sunday - but other Premiership clubs have been alerted to his availability.
* Alan Kelly looks set to miss the Republic of Ireland's friendly with Russia at Lansdowne Road tonight after sustaining a knee injury in training. Kelly was likely to have been given a run out as part of the Republic's build-up towards this summer's World Cup finals in Korea and Japan. If Kelly is definitely sidelined, Republic boss Mick McCarthy could give Newcastle's Shay Given and Dean Kiely 45 minutes of football each against the Russians.
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