Stephen Kenny’s injury worries ahead of the World Cup double-header against Portugal and Luxembourg have eased as Jamie McGrath and Jason Knight came through their weekend tests unscathed and reported for duty.

And there was also relief for the Ireland manager as what was feared to be a serious, potentially season-ending injury for Rotherham United forward Chiedozie Ogbene was not as bad as initially feared by his club and the in-form striker will be fit to play for his country.

Kenny was pleased to see Seamus Coleman clock up 90 minutes for Everton yesterday while Matt Doherty also got some badly-needed game time for Tottenham in that 0-0 draw, Doherty on for Lucas Moura for the last 20 minutes, his first appearance in eight games.

Andrew Omobamidele and Shane Duffy also made Premier League starts, with defenders John Egan and Enda Stevens starting as well for Sheffield United in their loss to Blackburn Rovers. Midfielders Knight (Derby) and McGrath (St Mirren) played 90 minutes for their clubs, pleasing for Kenny to see them fully fit after recent injury.

“Jamie had a couple of sessions during the week and we weren’t sure if he was going to make it or not, but he got through Thursday/Friday and we asked him to be honest about it, he declared himself fit, the sport scientists were happy to chuck him in,” said Jim Goodwin, St Mirren’s manager, after a 0-0 draw with St Johnstone. “He’s a fit guy naturally and he got through it for the team, him and Connor Ronan together are different class.”

Ogbene was a concern when he was taken down under a heavy challenge and then substituted early in the second half of Rotherham United’s FA Cup clash with non-league Bromley on Saturday, with initial fears of a possible broken leg. United boss Paul Warne confirmed after the game that Ogbene is fit. “It’s no injury, I was making subs anyway,” Warne said after the 3-0 win.

“At the time we were a little bit worried, we didn’t know if he had broken his leg, fortunately he didn’t. Their player did lose control and it was a red card.”

Of the seven strikers named in Kenny’s squad, only Troy Parrott (MK Dons) completed the 90 minutes for his club at the weekend. James Collins, sidelined by a hand injury, didn’t feature at all for Cardiff City, Adam Idah played just one minute for Norwich City in their win at Brentford, while Callum Robinson was replaced by West Brom at half time after a poor first 45 minutes. Will Keane (Wigan), Daryl Horgan (Wycombe) and Ogbene (Rotherham) were all replaced in the second half of their FA Cup ties.