AS WALES supporters prepared to celebrate their 2-1 playoff semi-final victory against Austria yesterday, there was a moment of worry as Gareth Bale felt his groin on leaving the Cardiff City Stadium pitch with two minutes of added time remaining.

Wales’s greatest-ever player had just scored two world-class goals to put them another step closer to qualifying for this year’s World Cup.

Almost immediately after the twinge of concern that accompanied the twinge of a groin muscle, will have come the moment of relief, as Wales fans remembered Bale will not be playing football again until their play-off final in June.