Richards holds World Cup hope

// A bit of a hack but it works// The article snippet is wrapped onto a second line, even when #article-sub is emptyif( $("div#article-sub").children().length == 0 ) {$("div#article-sub").remove();} Micah Richards has not given up hope of forcing his way into England's 2010 World Cup plans. The Manchester City defender burst onto the international scene in 2006 and was tipped to become a mainstay at that level.He has, however, suffered with injuries and a loss of form of late and has been forced to settle for a place in the Under 21 setup.Richards admits that holding down a starting role at Eastlands remains his priority, following a busy summer at City, but he has revealed that a possible trip to South Africa next summer is also occupying his thoughts."First thing first and the initial aim for everyone here this season was to win a place in the side; there is great competition for places," Richards told the club's official website."Hopefully if we are pushing to where we want to be, I am in the side and we are keeping clean sheets and doing well then there is no reason why I can't get back into the England picture."The main thing for me is giving 100 per cent for City and making sure we achieve something here this season. "For years we have promised something but now we have the players to do it. There is no excuse for us not to have a big year here."

Source: SKY_Sports