kennedy pulls out!!!!!!!!!!!
Mark Kennedy is out of the World Cup finals and will be replaced in the Irish squad by Millwall's Steven Reid.
The Wolves winger broke down in tears on Wednesday morning when he told Mick McCarthy that he is not fit enough to travel to Japan this week.
Kennedy will miss the finals through injury (Allsport)
Kennedy played 83 minutes of the Niall Quinn testimonial on Tuesday night to test his injured groin.
The player suffered a reaction from the injury after the game, it worsened overnight and he took the decision to come clean on his fitness problems on Wednesday morning.
"Mark is devastated, distraught is not a strong enough word to describe how he feels now," revealed a source within the Irish camp.
"He was thrilled to be named in the squad last week and really confident that the injury would stand up to Tuesday night and to the World Cup.
"But he knew after the game that he was in trouble and by Wednesday morning his mind was clear. He could not cheat Mick or Ireland so he pulled out.
"It was a big decision by Mark. It would have been easy to travel to Japan and keep mum about it but he is not that sort of guy."
Following Kennedy's withdrawal, McCarthy has turned to Reid in his hour of need. But he only got word to him in just the nick of time.
Reid was on his way to the airport with his girlfriend for a holiday in Barbados when he was told to fly to Dublin instead for World Cup duty.
Reid's late inclusion is more heartbreak for Healy, who was considered unlucky to have been overlooked by McCarthy in the first place.
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