With Newcastle counterpart Given recovering from surgery to repair a persistent groin problem in the wake of his horrific collision with then West Ham striker Marlon Harewood two seasons ago, national boss Giovanni Trapattoni turned to Kiely’s experience and was richly rewarded for doing so.

The Salford-born player won his ninth senior cap in the 1-1 draw with Serbia at Croke Park last Saturday and then turned in a man of the match display as Ireland defeated Colombia 1-0 at Craven Cottage on Thursday.

Trapattoni has confirmed that Given will be his number one when he is fit, and although that is a situation Kiely accepts, he is looking forward to renewing his battle with his team-mate.

He said: “It always has been a battle, it has always been. The first time around, that was the case.

“There is a right and wrong way to do it, and I think I go about it the right way.

“You have to work together and feel comfortable together and all fit.

“The first time around, we worked very, very well together. We are both comfortable in each other’s company and we worked each other tremendously hard.

“Shay played the games – I didn’t play too many, but that is in no way a reflection on me as a goalkeeper, and I am very mentally strong in that respect to know that fact. That never dented me in any respect.

“The relationship will be the same. When I bump into him when he is back fit, I think we will work very well together.”

Given, as Newcastle colleague Steve Harper has discovered to his cost over the years, is not a man who misses many games.

Indeed, Harper at one point dubbed his close friend “Lazarus” for his amazing ability to recover from injuries between games to leave his deputy kicking his heels on the bench.

However, his clash with Harewood, which left him with a perforated bowel – the medics who treated him likened the damage to that often suffered by road accident victims – is still taking its toll.

The Irishman missed the last 11 games of the domestic season after undergoing an operation to repair a double hernia, and that gave the men waiting in the wings at both club and international level their chance.

Kiely said: “Maybe the years of not having one have caught up with him. I know it has been a bad injury which started out with the Harewood challenge.

“But I hope Shay is back as soon as possible because he is a fantastic bloke and a fantastic goalkeeper.

“The fact is, you need a complement, a squad of players to get you through, so the more the merrier.”

Kiely is enjoying an Indian summer in his career after helping West Brom back into the Barclays Premier League and rekindling his Ireland career.

He will be 39 by the time the 2010 World Cup finals come around, but he insists he would not have accepted Trapattoni’s invitation to return to the squad if he did not think he could have a part to play in South Africa.

He said: “In fairness, I spoke to [assistant manager] Liam Brady looking for clarification and said: ’What am I? I am a phone call away if somebody gets injured?’, and he said: ’Definitely not’.

“He said: ’We want you as a goalkeeper and as a person in and around the squad to help us achieve what we want to do, which is qualification’.

“That sounded great to me and something I wanted to be part of. It sits fine with me, definitely.

“It’s a two-year plan which will be broken down into bite-size chunks for each game you will be attacking, but it is certainly something that will be exciting or else I wouldn’t be here.