WALTERS READY FOR WELSH

JON WALTERS is ready to face Wales in the crunch World Cup qualifier after handing Martin O’neill a massive fitness boost. Sidelined since having knee surgery in January, the attacker (right) is back in the shake-up for Stoke City’s clash with Middlesbrough today. Potters boss Mark Hughes said yesterday: “Jon is doing fine – he’s training full pelt and he’s available.” Only last week, Hughes had claimed Walters, 33, would not return for another fortnight and that threw his availability for the March 24 qualifier in doubt. Meanwhile, Burnley striker Sam Vokes is confident that Wales will get their stuttering campaign back on track in Dublin. Ireland are top of Group D with 10 points from four games while Wales sit third with six points from the same games played. So Chris Coleman’s side – who reached the Euro semi-finals in France last summer – cannot afford to lose to O’neill’s men. Real Madrid star Gareth Bale has returned from ankle surgery and is set to spearhead their challenge with six games to play in the campaign. The Group D winners will qualify automatically for next summer’s World Cup in Russia while eight of the nine second-placed teams go into the play-offs. Vokes said: “I definitely think we can get the right result out there. We’ve been unlucky where we’ve drawn a few games we felt we should have won.” Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey is also likely to start in Dublin after injury problems.