Wales hoping to welcome back skipper Bellamy

Wales captain Craig Bellamy has contacted national team boss John Toshack tonight and said after all that he may well be able to travel with the squad to Slovakia tomorrow.

The West Ham striker has spent the last three days at the hospital bedside of his recently born daughter, who has had feeding complications.

The baby - born last Monday - has understandably been the striker's sole priority, prompting him to withdraw from Wales' 2-0 defeat in Cardiff against Germany yesterday.

Toshack initially gave Bellamy an early evening deadline today to attend training or Wales would organise their trip without him.

Bellamy did not attend training at 5.30 tonight at Wales' Vale of Glamorgan headquarters - but he has since telephoned Toshack and advised him that his wife Claire and their new daughter are expected to be discharged from hospital tomorrow morning.

And if that is the situation Bellamy has said that he will join up with the Wales squad for their mid-afternoon flight to Bratislava for Wednesday's Euro 2008 qualifier against Slovakia.

Wales are tentative about the situation and will wait for tomorrow morning before finalising the trip but are obviously delighted that their influential captain feels confident enough to make the trip.

Source: Soccernet.com