AUSSIE absentee Craig Moore has delivered a riposte to the cynics who have claimed he has been at the centre of an intense club-versus-country row with Newcastle United by claiming: 'There isn't one!'

Moore was forced to stay behind on Tyneside this week while the rest of the Australia squad met up in Holland as part of their World Cup preparations.

Having not played competitive football since last season, when he was playing for Borussia Moenchengladbach, the Socceroos skipper knows his chance of playing in the Germany finals are slim unless he returns to full fitness at St James' Park.

While the Australian squad trained on the other side of the North Sea, Moore headed off to Lancashire on Monday to continue his road to recovery for the reserves at Blackburn.

That was a result of caretaker manager Glenn Roeder's insistence that he should forget about international duty and concentrate on pulling on a black and white shirt in the Premiership for the first time.

But Moore, an experienced defender signed by Graeme Souness on a free transfer, insists the pair's relationship is fine and the only thing he is focused on is making a success out of his Newcastle career.

"I have kept quiet on the subject but what people are missing, and this is an important thing, is that if I'm not playing for Newcastle I won't play in the World Cup," said Moore, who emerged from 90 minutes of reserves action unscathed. "It's not an issue. My prerogative is to play for Newcastle.

"I'm old and experienced enough to take criticism and a day or two later the headlines end up as fish and chip paper. It doesn't affect me. My target is to push for first team selection and I want to push on until the end of the season."

Since scoring in a summer friendly with Yeading, Moore's Newcastle career has failed to be blessed with good fortune and has seen him earn over £400,000 in wages without kicking a ball at senior level.

In his comeback match from a hamstring injury against Birmingham reserves in October he ruptured the same hamstring that he pulled in a summer fixture against Irish side Bray Wanderers.

Until Monday's trip to Blackburn, Moore had played only 45 minutes this year for a Newcastle side against Ashington in a Northumberland Cup match on February 9.

Had he been able to play, something Newcastle fans must fear will never happen, he could have been thrown into Roeder's first team, with just Peter Ramage, Jean-Alain Boumsong, Robbie Elliott and Celestine Babayaro fit for selection in defence.

Moore is adamant that featuring in a Magpies game is his priority. "The people who have the jersey deserve to be in there. I'm like any player on the fringes, I'm waiting to get a chance," he told the club's website.

"I was pleased to come through 90 minutes without discomfort at Blackburn. You try to put it to one side and getting through 90 minutes helps you forget.

"I'm desperate to get some first team action. Monday was my first step at a decent level."

Newcastle face Bolton at St James' Park tomorrow looking to maintain an impressive run of form under Roeder, which has seen them pocket ten points from 12 games in the league.

Captain Alan Shearer, after three games in the dug-out as a coach with a calf strain, is likely to be back in the side against the Trotters after training yesterday.

* Blackburn defender Ryan Nelsen has been warned by the Football Association after comments he made following the defeat to Everton in December.

Andy Todd had been sent off for deliberate handball in the first half of the Goodison Park clash, with the hosts going on to record a 2-0 victory.

A statement from the FA read: ''At a Disciplinary Commission hearing today, Blackburn Rovers defender Ryan Nelsen was warned as to his future conduct."

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