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Early Doors

The Morning Score: Tuesday

Pour that first cup of coffee and get up to date with the morning’s most important sports news.

1. #COYBIG If you’re heading along to the Aviva Stadium for Friday’s World Cup qualifier between Ireland and Germany, bring your boots. Giovanni Trapattoni found himself in the midst of an injury crisis yesterday as Sean St Ledger, Glenn Whelan and James McClean were all ruled out of the game with injury.

Of the three, McClean is the only one given a chance of featuring against the Faroe Islands next Tuesday. The winger has returned to Sunderland for treatment on a hip flexor strain which he picked up against Manchester City over the weekend.

Aston Villa defender Ciaran Clark was called into the squad yesterday.

2. #ROYAL APPOINTMENT As expected, Mick O’Dowd was unanimously elected as the new Meath senior football manager on Monday night. O’Dowd, who signed a three-year deal, will be joined by Trevor Giles and Sean Kelly as part of his backroom team.

There were appointments elsewhere in the GAA world with Frank Dawson ratified as Liam Bradley’s successor in Antrim and Aidan O’Rourke appointed to the Louth footballers.

3. #BATTLE SCARS Leinster hope to have Kevin McLaughlin, Isa Nacewa and Brian O’Driscoll fit for action when they launch their bid for a third successive Heineken Cup against Exeter this Saturday.

The trio were the main injury concerns following Saturday’s bruising Pro12 derby win over Munster but the European champions were optimistic on Monday that all three will be available.

4. #RORY V TIGER Cha-ching! Rory McIlroy touched down in the Turkish resort of Belek yesterday ahead of this weekend’s money-spinning World Golf Final, worth $5.2m, but the world number one was quick to downplay his rivalry with Tiger Woods.

“People who watch sports want to see some form of rivalry between myself and Tiger but I don’t see it as that’s what Tiger and I have,” McIlroy said.

5. #JAMES NOLAN The Mayor of Bydgoszcz, Blessington FC and the Polish FA have come together to organise a football match in memory of fan James Nolan, who died tragically while supporting Ireland during the European Championships.

The match, which takes place on 13 October, will see Blessington FC take on a team of Polish journalists.

6. #NFL Arian Foster ran for 152 yards and a touchdown as the Houston Texans extended their winning start to 5-0 with a 23-17 victory at the New York Jets on Monday evening.

Opinion: Would Ireland be better off playing an entirely different XI to the one that faced Kazakhstan on Friday?