Seldom-seen Ireland international striker announces availability amidst forward crisis

Desperate times call for desperate measures but we wouldn't hold out much hope of seeing this happen.

It's been well documented that Martin O'Neill has only one fit striker for Tuesday night's friendly against Slovakia but there's one front man who has thrown his hat into the ring for selection. Shane Long is the only Irish forward who is not nursing a knock of some kind with Kevin Doyle, Robbie Keane, Daryl Murphy and Jonathan Walters all struggling with injuries. But ahead of Ireland's second friendly of the international break, an unexpected name has claimed to be ready to go if O'Neill decides to offer up the latest of late call-ups. Rotherham front man Leon Best has told the Sunday Times that  “I am in Dubai at the moment, but am coming back to the UK tomorrow. “I am ready and available if Martin O’Neill needs me." Best, who has appeared for a vast variety of clubs over the years, has won seven caps for Ireland since making his international debut in 2009 but has been overlooked in recent years. And as threadbare as O'Neill's attacking options are this week, we just can't see him viewing Best as his saving grace.