It's Always Nice To Win Away

It's maybe too early to be chanting ’Oh my God, I can't believe it, we've never been this good away from home!' to the tune of the Kaiser Chiefs hit but, putting the second half of the England game to one side, there's been encouraging signs in the wins over Finland and now Bulgaria.

In the aftermath I decided to do a bit of digging. My first away game was the famous 1-0 win over Italy in the 1994 World Cup. Since then I've watched a further 50 Ireland games on the road and seen a sum total of 17 wins. 

There've been plenty of great draws and moral victories but wins aren’t the normal outcome so, notwithstanding the opposition, it's worth celebrating them when they come.

The trip started with a 4am alarm call to wake me from the usual disrupted sleep that a red eye flight tends to bring. Saint Tom had an early taxi booked and after collecting Sagey en route a stop in Drumcondra was arranged and by 4.30 we were on our way for a 6.15 flight to Liverpool and then onwards to Sofia. 

After being joined by Zeno, the final member of our outward traveling party, a quick pint in Dublin Airport was followed by another couple in Liverpool before our second flight was called with three and a half hours ahead of us before landing in Sofia. The flight had the usual jovial atmosphere you get before the general crushing disappointment of the game so spirits were high for the duration, helped by a few cans of Morretti and the sausage sambos Tom had helpfully brought along for the group.

As I was staying with my old friend Jack, who'd moved over to Bulgaria five years ago, I parted company with the lads at Sofia Airport and was greeted by Jack who'd kindly agreed to collect me and drive to Pazardzhik, a town about 30 minutes from Plovdiv by train that his missus is from. The 90 minute drive was a great chance to catch up and after dropping my bag at his place we made our way into Plovdiv.

 

Rumoured to be the oldest city in Europe with evidence of habitation in the area dating back to 6,000 BC, Plovdiv was settled by the Romans around 46 AD and, similar to cities I've visited in Italy and Greece, still bears the hallmarks of that ancient empire with excavated ruins visible throughout the old town.

After a quick stroll through the centre and a pizza stop en route, we made our way to an Irish bar called Morrigans where some of our regular away crew such as Brummie Bren, Steve Amsterdam and ‘Captain Ireland’ Karl were ensconced and more catch ups were held before embarking on a bit of a crawl through some of the local bars.

With trains back to Pazardzhik running at 10.30 and then 2.40am, I managed to deter Jack from getting the earlier trip home and we ended up in some basement bar called Al Capone's that was packed with Irish fans. Someone had taken control of the sound system and between Kneecap tunes and the likes of Put 'Em Under Pressure being blared out the place was absolutely hopping until we had to take our leave about 2 in the morning to grab a kebab and head to the train station.

By now, what had been a pleasant day temperature wise had changed and the thermometer had plummeted to just above freezing so the 20 minute walk to the station seemed a lot longer than it had earlier in the day. Works on the line meant a bus connection was required before linking up with the train and after another 20 minute walk in the cold back to Jack's apartment I finally got to bed about 4am, a mere 22 hours after I got up for some well earned sleep.

 

The distance we were staying from Plovdiv meant that an 11am start for the walking tour I'd normally start game day with was never realistic so I took the advantage of an extra hour in bed and eventually surfaced about noon. Our train into Plovdiv was around 2.30 and the journey in was spent chatting to a couple of sound young lads over from Belfast for the match. The fact that neither of them were even close to being old enough to remember Alan McLoughlin’s equaliser in their hometown made me feel very old, particularly when I did the maths and figured that was now 32 years ago!

The 9.45pm kick-off gave us a bit of time to explore the town on foot and meant Jack’s local knowledge came in handy. While the state of the paving left a lot to be desired and indicated to me, along with the number of derelict buildings, that the country is still quite poor, the old town itself was lovely. 

A walk through the park saw us come across a huge number of local men playing chess against each other on communal tables and the city is also littered with murals on the gables of buildings which provide a nice contrast with the brutalist communist architecture that’s also on display. The town itself is built on a number of hills and as Karl had recommended a restaurant on top of one of the hills we made our way up there and had a tasty local dish called sach which was a mix of sausage, pork, chicken and various veg served in a clay dish to share.  

 

 

Appetites sated, we moved back down to the town and met the rest of the gang in the main square where a good portion of our fans had congregated and settled down outside a cafe bar for a few pre-match looseners. 

There was a huge police presence around the square to ensure none of the local ultras were tempted to look for trouble but any of the locals we came across were bang on. The police were keen to move fans up to the ground at 6.30 but we had no desire to be at the ground three hours before kick-off so decided to take our chances waiting where we were and making our own way up to the ground closer to the start of the game. We were told by the local cops that there would be no escort if we did that but by the time we eventually left around 8.30 we were tailed throughout the 25-minute walk by a police van and had an uneventful journey.

 

 

The teams had come through at that stage and the only big surprise for me was the inclusion of Ryan Manning at left back given he hadn’t even been in the initial squad and was only called up after Callum O’Dowda pulled out injured. I also thought Jake O’Brien was unlucky not to get a start after his recent form for Everton but given Matt Doherty’s own recent renaissance it was hard to argue with his selection. 

It looked like Ireland would line up in an old-fashioned 4-4-2 or maybe 4-4-1-1 with Finn Azaz playing as a number 10 off Troy Parrott and sure enough once the game started that was the shape the team dropped into. Parrott’s selection ahead of Evan Ferguson made sense given the lack of recent game-time for the latter. 

We actually started the game quite well and created a few half-chances early on so our hearts sank when we somehow found ourselves behind on seven minutes after Bulgaria's first attack. Ireland had just missed a decent chance from a Manning header off an Azaz cross when Bulgaria broke. To be fair, it was a lovely back-heel from Krastev to Petkov and while he didn't catch the shot perfectly it was just beyond Caoimhín Kelleher’s reach and went in off the left-hand post.    

It seems old habits die hard as we succumbed to another shot from outside the box but to be fair to the team heads didn’t drop and they kept playing their football and creating chances. Another Azaz cross to Manning was headed over the bar before the equaliser arrived on 21 minutes and it was a beauty.

First off Doherty played a long raking cross-field ball which found Robbie Brady wide on the left. Brady controlled it and sent it back across the pitch to the waiting Parrott who cushioned a fantastic volley back across the goal when the waiting Azaz had a simple task to head it into an empty net. One each and game on again.

 

 

Scenting blood, the team kept the pressure on with Brady’s dead ball deliveries causing Bulgaria all sorts of problems. On 36 minutes he sent another free in and found Parrott again with Nathan Collins nearly getting on the end of his teammate’s driven ball across the six yard line.      

Coming up to half-time I was happy enough with what I’d seen and would have taken the one each scoreline with the second half to come. But things got even better for Ireland just as the clock ticked into the 45th minute. The lead goal was reminiscent of Brady’s famous winner against Italy at Euro 2016 with Josh Cullen taking the Wes Hoolahan role and lofting a ball into the box and Doherty in the Brady role with an excellent run to get his head to it ahead of the onrushing keeper and nod it into the net. 

For a player whose languid style has led to a degree of criticism it was a lung-busting run to reach a ball he was second favourite for and was well deserved for his endeavour and the team’s first half efforts.

Having gone in behind, it was a very aggressive Bulgaria that came out for the second half and I don’t know if that approach rattled Ireland a bit but the hosts certainly had a spell for the first 15 minutes of the half without really threatening Kelleher’s goal. By the time the ref had booked two of the Bulgarians around the hour mark we seemed to regain a bit of control. To be fair, it was just the Bulgarians going into the book and the stop-start nature of the half was shown with the fact that the ref ended up showing four yellow cards to each side.

I’ve seen the second half performance criticised in some quarters, including Heimir Hallgrimsson’s initial analysis, but for me I felt we were comfortable for the final half hour of the game and looked more likely to add a third than concede an equaliser.

The introduction of Rocco Vata for his debut as Hallgrimsson emptied his bench was welcome given the noises about Albania sniffing around for his allegiance although he was one of those to pick up a booking. The impressive Manning was another to be taken off as Jake O’Brien got some minutes under his belt and Ferguson also saw a few minutes as we saw out the game without many problems.

The fact we were held back in the ground for 30 minutes after the game coupled with the 9.45 kick-off meant it was after midnight when we were allowed out of the ground and after a walk back to the centre we still had time for a final couple of drinks in Download before myself and Jack had to make the walk back to the train station for that 2.40 bus and train journey back to Pazardzhik. Another kebab helped us on the way before another 4am finish ahead of Friday’s morning’s journey back to Sofia for my flights home.

In terms of the game, Azaz definitely deserved his man of the match award and amongst the more inexperienced players Manning and Parrott stood out while the veterans Doherty and Brady turned in the sort of performances that I thought were beyond them at this stage of their international careers and reflected Hallgrimsson’s faith in them.

As for Hallgrimsson, that’s three wins from seven since he took over and while they have come against lower ranked opposition in Finland and Bulgaria it’s still a positive start, especially when you consider it took Stephen Kenny 12 games to get his first victory. I’ve mentioned before that sometimes it’s better to be a lucky general rather than a good one and we have gotten more breaks in some of those wins than Kenny seemed to get in his tenure.

In terms of the trip, it was a great couple of days with a good atmosphere around the town and a good welcome from the locals. It was policed exceptionally well with the heavy police presence not intimidating at all and they were very helpful with any issues. An away crew of over a thousand was a good turnout for a Nations League game and it was great to catch up with old friends.

A special mention to my good buddy Jack who was happy to put me up and drop me back to the airport early on Friday morning despite the heavy couple of days and it was great to have his local knowledge for the couple of days.

Now all we need to do is make sure not to do anything silly and to put the tie to bed tonight!

 

A Trip of Two Halves

So a tale and a trip of two halves.

November internationals generally fall on the week of Louise's birthday but with the England game falling on the day itself some other cultural activities were in order for the weekend in London.

We arrived on Friday evening and made our way to Louise's cousin Ciaran's house in Ruislip where he and his wife Lora were putting us up for the few days. Arriving around 9 we decided to stay in and had a nice few drinks in the house catching up. The temptation to stay up till after 3am to watch the Katie Taylor Amanda Serrano fight was passed and we called it a night around one in the morning.

After being treated to a fine breakfast we caught up with the Taylor fight, which I have to say she was a little lucky to get the nod given the harsh point deduction in the eighth round, and then headed into the city to take in the sights before hitting Camden to explore the market and catch up with The Enterprise, an old pub I frequented on previous visits to the town.

Following that we had a nice meal in a Caribbean restaurant and headed to the West End to take in a show, The Book of Mormon, which gave us a great laugh. 

Post-theatre drinks taken, we rounded off the night with a stroll through Chinatown before getting the underground back to Ruislip to get some rest before game day.

A good night's rest had and another breakfast served by our gracious hosts we made our way to Willesden Green for an early start to meet up with our good friend Timmy, or Borussia as YBIG posters would know him, and get some pre-game refreshment in before the early 5pm kick-off. We headed to an Irish bar called Angie's thinking it wouldn't be as busy as the designated pubs in the immediate vicinity of Wembley and were able to get a table handy enough. 

The fact that we were outside the zone where pubs were specifically catering to only Irish or only English fans meant that there was a mix of fans present but any banter was good-natured with chants of 'En-ger-land, En-ger-land, En-ger-land' being met with replies of 'Come on You Boys in Green' without any aggravation. It was a far cry from watching the 1990 World Cup games in Kilburn back when I was living in London and you really needed to watch your back wearing Ireland colours.

A former work colleague and regular traveller to away games Caimin also joined us and it was great to catch up with him before we made our move to get to the stadium with time to spare before kick-off.

A few more familiar faces in Tom, Fiona, Sagey and Sandra were bumped into on the concourse under the stand before we found a good spot pitchside and settled in for the game.

The sight of a load of British soldiers on the pitch unfurling a flag before kick-off brought home just how far military culture seems to be bizarrely embedded in English society these days and set the tone for the anthems with Amhran na bhFiann roundly booed by the home fans which provoked a similar reaction to God Save the King from the away end. Personally, I find the booing of anthems embarrassing but given the vitriol our anthem was greeted with I completely understand the reaction.

With that pantomime finished, it was game time. Ireland tried a new formation, with Nathan Collins deployed in the holding midfield role rather than his regular centre-half berth. And in the first half, it worked really well. I don't think England tested Caoimhín Kelleher throughout the half, and although we probably had only about 30% of the possession, you could argue that we could have had two penalties, let alone one.

The first of those was one that makes you wonder what the point of VAR is if they're going to ignore situations like the one that saw Evan Ferguson hauled to the ground by Marc Guehi. Watching in real time I wondered if it had been a case of six of one and half a dozen of the other but those thoughts were banished when they surprisingly showed the replay on the stadium's big screens which clearly showed the handful of Ferguson's shirt that Guehi had a hold of. Cue serious anger in the Irish end and a sense that once again big decisions weren't going our way.

That feeling was only exacerbated when Sammie Szmodics was taken down by Kyle Walker in the box and the ref once again waved Irish appeals away. The only other major point of interest was the cheap yellow card awarded against Liam Scales for kicking the ball away to prevent England from taking a quick free kick. We weren't to know it at the time but how that would come back to haunt us.

So half-time arrived and I felt very satisfied with the first-half performance with Festy Ebosele impressing on those rare occasions we got forward and the experiment with Collins in midfield suggesting that it could be a tactic worth persevering with in the future. Now if only we could keep it up and possibly build on that in the second half.

Well, it took all of eight minutes for that hope to evaporate. And another six minutes after that for it to turn to humiliation.

First off, Harry Kane was handed possession from a slack Ferguson pass and then played a beautiful through ball to Jude Bellingham who had his legs unceremoniously taken from under him by Liam Scales. A penalty and a second yellow for Scales deflated any optimism present in the away end and when Kane sent Kelleher the wrong way to put the hosts ahead and ensure there was no repeat of the Corkman's heroics from the previous Thursday.

The collapse that followed speaks volumes about the fragile mentality this Ireland squad has developed over the Stephen Kenny era. One became two within three minutes as Anthony Gordon made hay from a defensive mix up and two became three moments later as Conor Gallagher got onto a Guehi flick-on from a corner to poke home from a couple of yards.

It was hard to believe how quickly things had disintegrated from what had been an excellent first 50 minutes to a damage limitation exercise and even that wasn't something we could carry out. While we did manage to stem the flow for nearly 20 minutes, another two quickfire goals on 76 and 79 minutes from Jarred Bowen with his first touch and Roy Keane's future son-in-law Taylor Harwood-Bellis respectively put the hat on what was a total capitulation.

The rest of the half passed with more interest on the steward's attempts to remove a Palestinian flag from the block next to us, sparking a few 'Free Palestine' chants than the match as we waited for the ref to put us out of our misery.

On the plus side at least we weren't kept back in the stadium at full-time so we trudged off into the night and on to a local boozer called The Liquor Store where we drowned our sorrows and completed our post-mortem of the game.

In the cold light of day, there were some positives to be had despite the paddling we took. Playing Collins in midfield worked well till the red card and we overall looked more defensively solid than in a long time for that period. Ebosele impressed again in the first half and despite his error that led to the penalty, Ferguson had some moments particularly when he was denied that clear penalty of his own.

On the negative side of the ledger is that mental fragility I mentioned earlier and there's no way to tackle that other than starting to get more results against teams ranked similar to ourselves like we did against Finland in this group. And while I see potential in the goalkeeping area (Kelleher, Bazunu and Travers all look more than capable), the defence (Collins, Scales and Ebosele) and in attack (Ferguson, Szmodics, Ogbene), the lack of options in our midfield are a huge concern. Josh Cullen can look tidy enough but I've not really seen him impose himself on a game while Jayson Molumby and Jason Knight look like honest Championship players and no more. And it's hard to see where the required improvement in that position is coming from.

In the short-term, a win over two legs in our promotion/relegation play-off next March is essential to try and build some positive momentum going into the World Cup qualifiers.

We'll have to face one of Armenia, Bulgaria, Kosovo or Slovakia and of those four potential opponents, Slovakia is the only country I've visited before so I'd hope to avoid them. An opportunity to gain revenge on Armenia after our defeat under Kenny could be a nice, if very lengthy, trip as I've heard good things from those who've already been to Yerevan. Bulgaria were thrashed 5-0 by Northern Ireland in their campaign yet also beat the North 1-0 in Sofia so it's hard to know what to make of that possible match-up. And Kosovo were fairly free-scoring while getting some good results in their group so that could be a tricky one as well. The draw next Friday will be interesting.

And with a World Cup qualifying draw to also follow on December 13th, there's plenty to look forward to in relation to trips away if not quite the action on the pitch! We live in hope that it's the results against Finland rather than those against England that point the way to a brighter future.

There's only one Alan McLoughlin

In any tribute to Alan McLoughlin, I guess there's only one place you can start. 

I'd already had a couple of false starts when it came to following Ireland away. My application for a ticket to the Euro 92 qualifier against England at Wembley had been turned down with my home ticket block booking account only opened during that campaign meaning I was way down the list. Rather than risk the guts of the week's wages that travelling over without a ticket would have cost me, a spot in front of the big screen at the RDS was a poor but still enjoyable substitute.

Like many fans, I'd spent the two years between 1992 and 1994 saving enough cash on a monthly basis that would prove to my bank manager that the two grand a young lad straight out of college was looking for to fund a trip to the USA could be safely repaid. Those savings meant that trips to Denmark and Spain were beyond me as was the Eastern European triple-header to Albania, Latvia and Lithuania. Which left the final qualifier in Belfast against Northern Ireland as an affordable and ideal game to open my away account.

The horrendous and tragic escalation of the Troubles in the North, meaning no away tickets were allocated, dashed those hopes amid a realisation that missing the game wasn't that big a deal in the broader picture. So a spot in the same boozer we'd watched the win over Latvia in, a result that deemed McGrath's on the corner of O'Connell Bridge and Westmoreland Street a 'lucky' venue would have to suffice.

I recall the basement bar being far more rammed than it had been for that Latvia game and spirits high. There was a feeling that we should have too much for a side that we'd demolished 3-0 at Lansdowne earlier in the campaign, despite our stutter against Spain when we'd blown our first chance at qualification the previous month. 

That optimism slowly drained over the course of the first half as we huffed and puffed but with Spain's lead goal against Denmark just after the hour-mark meaning a draw would suffice, the atmosphere started building again as that combination of belief and nerves once more took hold. 

So I'm sure the sinking feeling in my stomach as Jimmy Quinn volleyed Northern Ireland one-nil up on 73 minutes was matched nationwide. It was a superb goal but not one that had really been threatened and suddenly, my best-laid plans of the previous 18 months looked like they were going out the window.   

And then Alan McLoughlin stepped up.

McLoughlin had had an unusual Ireland career. Having played no part in the Italia 90 qualifiers or even in the pre-tournament friendlies, a good performance in a B international against England at Turners Cross, allied to his performances in a promotion-chasing Swindon side, had marked him out as one to watch. 

His goal that day actually cancelled out one from another player sadly no longer with us, Dalian Atkinson putting the visitors in front before a David Kelly penalty and a Niall Quinn brace saw Ireland clinch a 4-1 win over a side containing the likes of Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, David Batty and Matt Le Tissier.

Yet, he was very much one for the future as the squad set off to their World Cup training camp in Malta with Gary Waddock a popular choice in the 22 with fans, after battling back from serious injury to regain his spot. 

In those pre-internet days, there was no chance of anything going viral but it's safe to say that had there been, the clips of a shell-shocked Waddock leaving the camp after being told McLoughlin would be coming in at his expense, would have been everywhere. While there was sound logic behind the decision with McLoughlin, fresh from scoring Swindon's winner in the play-off final, considered a better fit as a potential replacement for fitness doubt Ray Houghton, I remember being absolutely heartbroken for Waddock. 

But managers are paid to make tough decisions and the fact that McLoughlin would make his debut as a sub against England and get minutes against Egypt in a tournament that no one really expected Waddock to see game time in vindicated the decision. Football can be a harsh game.

Having become one of a fairly unique club of footballers who make their debut in a World Cup finals, his momentum was stopped somewhat when Swindon's promotion was denied as a result of financial irregularities and a million pound move to Southampton late in 1990 didn't really work out.   

A single appearance in the Euro 92 qualifiers, again against England, was further evidence of this stalling and friendly appearances were as good as it got during the 94 campaign until Ireland needed a hero. 

The fact that the now Portsmouth player was even on the bench that night was unusual enough, having not made the matchday squad up until that point but cometh the hour, cometh the man. 

That hero status seemed unlikely when Quinn had scored only three minutes after McLoughlin had replaced Houghton, a change that nodded to the reason he'd been brought into that 1990 squad. But three minutes can be a long time in a game and rather than losing the head, Ireland pushed forward to win a free by the right-hand corner flag for a foul on Eddie McGoldrick.   

It's fair to say that fingernails were being bitten to the quick where we were sat as the clock ticked into 76' and Denis Irwin stood over the ball. A few expletives filled the smoky air as it was headed clear by Gerry Taggart but as the header dropped at the edge of the box there was Alan waiting to unerringly guide it into the net and, as Jack Charlton would say in his presser afterwards with a grin, "justify his existence for the last two years!"

When that ball hit the net, it generated as big a reaction as I think I've ever seen in a pub for a match, up there with the Italia 90 games. I'm talking tables going over, pints sprayed everywhere, people hugging on the ground, absolute mayhem. 

Then what seemed an eternity as we waited for our final whistle and a second eternity as we waited on the whistle from Spain to confirm their ten men had held on to win against Denmark. Once that was official, over went the tables again as the entire room leapt as one to acclaim our new hero. 

"There's only one Alan McLoughlin! One Alan McLoughlin!" went the chant up O'Connell St as crowds congregated on the Floozie in the Jacuzzi. The November cold unfelt with the difference from being soaked with beer or soaked with fountain water immaterial at that stage.

So a bank loan it was and like Alan, my debut (on an Ireland trip at least) was a World Cup opener, this time at Giants Stadium to see Houghton's goal and McGrath's Italian masterclass. While that World Cup may not have matched four years previous for either Ireland or Alan, who never made it off the bench, it still generated memories that will last forever. And none of those would have happened without him.

In fact, he'd only make one more appearance under Jack in a facile win over Lichtenstein but a late-career revival saw him become a key player as Mick McCarthy attempted to rebuild our side, an older head amongst the youth introduced. 

His performances would be enough to win the FAI Senior Player of the Year award in 1996. But play-off heartache against Belgium in the 98 qualifiers and the full ninety minutes as Ireland contrived to a do a Macedonia with qualification for Euro 2000 in our grasp were as close as he came to another major finals. 

He'd retire in 1999 after being on the bench for both legs of the subsequent play-off defeat to Turkey with a creditable 42 appearances. While others may have won more caps or played more big games, few have scored a more iconic goal. In terms of sealing qualification, it's undoubtedly top of the tree and is up there with the best of the goals we've scored in tournaments.

From all accounts and from his public persona in interviews and on commentary duty, Alan McLoughlin was an absolute gentleman. The dignity and bravery with which he fought his initial illness in 2012 were inspirational.  

His dedication after that famous goal to "me wife and me little girl at home, Abby" seem so poignant now. Home may have been England but his heart bled pure green and all his family and friends have the deepest sympathy from all Ireland supporters. Unlike many Ireland fans I've seen pay tribute today, I was never lucky enough to meet the man yet I feel indebted to him.  

RIP, Alan. You'll never be forgotten.        

Serb Your Enthusiam

So a familiar feeling in the Stephen Kenny era as the unfortunate Irish boss passed a ninth game without being on the winning side. But did we finally see some green shoots of recovery?

Regardless of one's feelings on Kenny, there is no denying that the run of luck he has had to suffer has been worse than any Irish manager has faced since Eoin Hand was denied the opportunity to manage his country at the 1982 World Cup by incompetent, if not downright corrupt, refereeing. 

What was actually a very good performance in the Euro 20 play-off defeat to Slovakia came unstuck on penalties after missing two chances that should have negated the need for a shoot-out and was overshadowed by the farcical HSE reading of Coivd regulations that deprived him of the services of Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah. And with Covid restrictions and empty stadia preventing any opportunity to try and build momentum topped off by another farce in the form of Videogate, it's fair to say that his first year in the job hasn't panned out how he would have expected or hoped.

From the supporters' point of view, there's also been an element of a phoney war to the last year of international football. Thirteen months ago most of us were preparing to head to Bratislava to lend our support to Mick McCarthy's efforts to navigate the play-off that Kenny's side eventually lost behind closed doors. Having not had the opportunity to see any of the nine games on Kenny's watch in the flesh, it's been impossible to feel part of the era to this point. 

There's been no opportunity to get behind the young players who have been introduced. No opportunity to show the manager that, despite what you'll see in certain elements of the media, he retains the support of the bulk of the hardcore Ireland fans, at least to my knowledge. Watching on TV is better than nothing but it just doesn't cut the mustard. And even watching matches that you may not have got to has taken on a surreal air with the lack of atmosphere in the stadia. It's been difficult to get excited about the start of this campaign and it's not just the run of results that's to blame for that.

Having at least got to watch the opening Nations League game in a pub with a select few friends and a €9 substantial meal, the absence of even that option meant that last night's game was watched at home with just my better half and our recently adopted rescue dog Pablo for company. An early shift in work was done by 3 and after walking the dog, it was just a case of sitting tight and waiting for the teams to come out. When ours finally leaked at around 6.20, it was probably as good as could have been cobbled together from yet another decimated squad, this time through injuries rather than the virus.

Playing three at the back isn't something really associated with Kenny's teams but, being honest, it probably suited the personnel available to him. In doing so, he delivered a riposte to those criticising his alleged lack of pragmatism, which isn't necessarily defined as reverting to hoof-ball when under pressure. 

Initial reports that Seamus Coleman would be slotted into a midfield berth to accommodate himself and Matt Doherty in the same team seemed wide of the mark to me and that feeling was borne out at kick-off when the captain slotted into the right-hand side of the back three with Ciaran Clark and Dara O'Shea. Shane Duffy's absence can't have come as a surprise to anyone given his travails at Celtic this season although, given the inexperience in having third-choice keeper Mark Travers between the sticks and the absence of John Egan, I had thought Duffy might earn a reprieve. 

I was looking forward to seeing how Josh Cullen and Jayson Molumby would work in the centre, although given the latter's lack of recent game time would probably have given Jason Knight the nod beside Cullen. But overall, no complaints.

The game started encouragingly for Ireland with a couple of early corners won but both poorly executed by Alan Browne. Serbia countered with a couple of their own as the game settled down and as we reached the quarter-hour mark, the home side seemed to be gaining the higher ground. 

However, all that went out the window after 17 minutes. Some really good possession play from Ireland worked the ball to Matt Doherty on the right and although his attempted cross was cut out, Ireland's high press meant that Browne was first to the second ball and he spread the play to Enda Stevens with a peach of a pass from the outside of his right boot. Stevens slipped a slide-rule pass into Callum Robinson's feet and the West Brom forward did very well to dig out a cross back across the goal where Browne had continued his run to. One superb leap and header to send the ball back the direction from whence it came and boom! Ireland's goal drought was over!

Alan Browne has given Ireland the lead against Serbia

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Having waited that long to see Ireland score any goal that my leap off the sofa was almost held back with anticipation that VAR would find something wrong with Browne's leap over the Serbian defender in the erroneous belief that it would be in use for all qualifiers, as opposed to the ridiculous situation where it's in use in some games but not in all. The fact that it was one as well-worked as that one also meant that my degree of startlement was matched by Pablo's who by now was eyeing his new master with what seemed a mixture of bemusement and disdain.

Having finally got a goal and our noses in front, the next step was ensuring that, as has happened so often in recent campaigns, with the last visit to Belgrade in 2016 a perfect example, we didn't sit back and look to cling on. And despite Serbia having the lions share of possession with Ajax's Dusan Tadic pulling the strings, Ireland were still keeping a high line and pressing hard and had managed to repel a series of corners as half-time ticked closer.

At this point of the game, it's only natural to look at the clock and pray that you'll make the break with the lead intact. Alas, this time that wouldn't happen and when the equaliser came, it really came from nothing. 

An airborne reverse pass found its way onto Tadic's head and the ex-Southampton man outjumped Ciaran Clark to flick the ball into the direction of Dusan Vlahovic. Had Dara O'Shea stepped out as Tadic rose then Vlahovic would have been miles offside but instead, he tracked the attacker's run in a foot race he had no chance of winning and the Fiorentina striker made no mistake in placing his shot across Travers. All Ireland's good work undone in an instant.

Dusan Vlahovic equalises for Serbia before half-time

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Having levelled matters, Serbia really upped the gears and, having hoped to get to half-time in front, it was actually a relief to make it in level. But overall it had been an encouraging half. The hope now was for a repeat in the second.

The early signs in the second stanza were positive again with an under pressure Connolly just failing to get a clean strike the end of a good Robinson ball across the box on 49 minutes. Serbia responded immediately with a clearly offside goal from Vlahovic but it was another incident involving Connolly a couple of minutes later that the game really swung on.

It was more a route one approach with a long ball from a Clark free-kick that Connolly set off after and after getting a bit of luck with a headed flick to take him back across Stefan Mitrovic, the Serbian defender lunged in and seemed to take a lot more of Connolly than the ball. Despite Irish claims, the ref awarded a corner and Robinson's 'screen' gesture for the ref to take another look at it added to my confusion over whether VAR was in use or not. As per usual, the corner came to nothing as replays showing a clear foul added to the sense of injustice.

Was that a foul on Aaron Connolly?

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A few minutes later, it was Ireland getting the benefit of no VAR after Coleman lost his footing in the box and slipped straight into Vlahovic. Again, the ref waved it away but while there's an argument that that made it one escape each, had the Ireland penalty been awarded then play wouldn't have developed in the manner it did to lead to the Serbian shout. So Kenny's ire was very understandable.

It was a few minutes afterwards that Kenny made his first change and for me, it was one that ceded the initiative that we had, with Molumby replaced by Jeff Hendrick. Hendrick has had good games for Ireland, most notably during Euro 2016, but what he adds to a midfield in terms of dynamism is beyond me. Play just seems to slow down around him and I'd have preferred to see Knight brought on at that stage. Connolly went down with cramp shortly afterwards with Shane Long on in his stead. 

To be fair, when the second Serbian goal came, it wasn't down to any of the Irish changes but I'd been worried as soon as I saw Aleksandar Mitrovic come on for the hosts around the same time. I watched a lot of the Fulham man in the Championship and, as the archetypal player that blows hot and cold, have seen both sides of him regularly. 

Any hope that this may be a night he blew cold were dispelled on 69 minutes. It was actually started by a long goal-kick from Travers which failed to find the head of Long and was headed back upfield towards Vlahovic who laid it off first-time to Tadic. Another first-time touch from Tadic played Mitrovic out wide on the right and as soon as the camera went back to show Travers enthusiastically and inexplicably stepping forward I knew we were in big trouble.

Aleksandar Mitrovic puts Serbia ahead in Belgrade

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Mitrovic still had plenty to do but executed his lob perfectly but it has to go down as an absolute howler from the young keeper. There was literally no reason for him to push up as far as he did and I feel that the fact he was a bit hesitant in narrowing the angle for the first goal may have been playing on his mind. Either way, his frantic back-peddling was in vain and Mitrovic's exquisite chip was on its way to nestling in the goal before Travers' despairing dive had even left the ground.

The game was essentially over as a contest seven minutes later with Tadic central to it once again. This time it was a wayward pass from Cullen that was intercepted by Pavlovic who laid it off for Tadic to float a sublime cross onto Mitrovic's head. With the ball popped back the direction it came, there was little Travers could do to prevent us from going 3-1 down. Although legitimate questions can be asked about his starting position again, it's moot really as I don't think any keeper would have saved such a precise header.

Aleksandar Mitrovic extends Serbia's lead in Belgrade

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By now, Robbie Brady, James McClean and James Collins had come in for Clark, Robinson and Browne but while McClean made the usual nuisance of himself instantly earning a corner, Brady's delivery from the set-piece was as poor as Browne's had been.

It felt like it would take a mistake to get us back into the game and one duly arrived on 86 minutes as Stefan Mitrovic underhit a header back to his keeper. With Long in no mood to give up the fight, he was onto it in a flash and hooked it back for Collins to scramble home. Could the big comeback be on?

James Collins pulls one back for Ireland

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In a word, no. Four minutes stoppage time gave hope and with a minute of it left a Brady cross was cleared for a final corner. With Travers coming up to try and make amends, a good delivery was essential but once again, it was abysmal. It's baffling to me how poor both corners Brady delivered in his time on the pitch were and criminal to pass up a final chance like that. But pass it up we did and within seconds the full-time whistle was blown. The awarding of man of the match for Alan Browne seemed fair and bar some poor dead-ball delivery, I thought he was excellent and well deserved his goal. 

Looking back at the WhatsApp group that I'm in with the lads I normally go to the away game with, my immediate thoughts after the game and after a few beers were "Lost it in midfield after Hendrick came on. Brady's corners after he came on were criminal. McClean did okay but his crossing was abysmal. Wasn't the young lads that let us down bar Travers and you'll make allowances for inexperience. Gutted not to get a point."  

In the cold light of day, I feel I can stand over that. If we're to give Kenny a chance then I feel that letting him bring through the young players and start to phase out the likes of McClean, Duffy, Hendrick and Brady is probably needed. I don't feel Brady or Hendrick ever pushed on as I'd hoped post France in 2016. Thanks for those memories but we can't wait for that to happen any longer. 

Duffy has been a warrior but probably doesn't suit how we're now trying to play. If he can regain form after what's been a horrible year on and off the pitch then he may still have a part to play but sorting his club future should take precedence for now. I've always loved McClean and he's been a wonderful servant for me and provided some golden moments. But again, I feel it's a bit-part role at best for him moving forward.    

For Kenny, it'll be game number ten on Saturday and while last night's performance may have put some much-needed credit in the bank, a first win of his reign against Luxembourg, one of the group's minnows is essential. 

I didn't agree with some of the soundbites I heard from Damien Delaney and Brian Kerr after the game in terms of the system. For me, it worked well and looking back at the game today, all of the goals can be put down to individual errors in a way. O'Shea getting dragged into that race with Vlahovic, Travers' poor positioning and Cullen looking to play a ball to Shane Long's feet instead of releasing him over the top were what caused the goals rather than an issue with the system itself.

The players also seemed happy with it judging by Alan Browne's post-match interview and with another few days work on it, retaining it for Saturday is a must, The big question is whether to retain Travers in goal or give 19-year-old Gavin Bazunu a senior debut. 

It's easy to say with hindsight but I'd have plumbed for the young Manchester City keeper last night purely down to the fact that he's played more regularly this season, albeit in League One on loan for Rochdale. While Travers can point to some Premier League experience with Bournemouth, it was a number of years ago by now and having only played limited games on loan at Swindon in the same division as Bazunu, now finds himself bench-warming after being recalled to his parent club.

It's a tough call and I'm sure Kenny will be conscious of the impact making the change now could have on Travers' confidence. But, in my opinion with a win imperative, it's a call that has to be made. Bazunu played Europa League games for Shamrock Rovers at 16 and acquitted himself well. He's had top quality coaching at Man City since moving over the water. He looks an outstanding prospect, with the potential to be better than Caoimhin Kelleher to me. Shay Given was given his senior wings at the same age, it's time to do the same.

Cut out the individual errors and a win on Saturday awaits. The only shame is we won't be there to see it. 

How the early days of the Charlton era changed Irish football forever

A huge piece of my youth felt a little bit further away today as the news of Jack Charlton's death was confirmed.

At 15 years old when his appointment was confirmed, the Charlton era started just as I reached an age when attending games with my own friends, and even alone on occasion, became a reality. While my pulse had been quickened by the reports that Liverpool's Bob Paisley was a shoo-in for the job vacated by Eoin Hand's dismissal, for a boyhood Leeds fan, Jack Charlton's appointment was a thrilling one despite the cack-handed manner in which the FAI had arrived at the appointment.

The fact that he was a previous English Manager of the Year, even though his Middlesbrough side were a second-flight team the season he won both that league and the award, indicated that there was certainly something there in terms of managerial nous. And being honest, despite the obvious quality of some of the players, the disappointment of being cheated out of a World Cup spot in 1982 had seen two subsequent abysmal campaigns where the team was decidedly less than the sum of its parts.

A crowd of 16,500 at his first game, a springtime 1-0 defeat to Wales in March 1986 best remembered for Neville Southall breaking his ankle on a pitch ploughed up by that year's Five Nations Championship, indicated exactly where our national football team sat in the affections of the general public. The fact that some present displayed a 'Go home, Union Jack' banner which was clearly visible from our spot in the schoolboy pen indicated that there was work to do even in the hardcore support.

People often point to the victory in the Triangular Tournament that summer when Ireland travelled to Iceland and beat both the hosts and Czechoslovakia to gain their first silverware of any description as a turning point. When this was backed up by a creditable two-all draw away to World Cup semi-finalists Belgium in the opening qualifier for Euro 88, things seemed to be looking up.

But while there were full houses for home games against Scotland and the return against Belgium either side of that famous away win in Glasgow and an unlucky Sofia defeat to Bulgaria, the two nil-all daws turned the public off again.

Despite remaining in contention throughout the qualifiers a mere 18,000 turned up for a must-win game against Luxembourg in September 1987. This was the same small number who, unbelievably, had turned up that May for a glamour friendly versus Brazil. Boos actually rang around the stadium as the little known Armin Krings put the minnows one up. Luckily Frank Stapleton responded immediately before a second-half Paul McGrath goal kept the dream alive by securing the two points.

Only 26,000 showed for an even more important game against Bulgaria the following month where a win was needed to ensure the opposition weren't already qualified before their final game, a home clash with Scotland after our campaign was complete. And though those of us in attendance were fairly boisterous for the 90 minutes, you can't say it was a packed Lansdowne Road roaring the team on to the needed 2-0 victory. 

Who knows what would have happened had Gary Mackay not broken Bulgarian hearts and filled Irish ones with joy that November? That strike, the day after under 10,000 fans filtered into Dalymount Park to witness a 5-0 mauling of Israel, is often pointed to as the beginning of the nation's love affair with the team. But in reality, Jackie's army had still yet to mobilise.

The Euro 88 build-up was marked by Lansdowne friendlies against Romania (a 2-0 win in front of 30,000), Yugoslavia (2-0 in front of 12,000) and a farewell 3-1 win over Poland the week before the tournament that attracted only 18,500.

What happened next is history and has been commemorated in song and story since. A win against England in our first ever tournament game was the stuff real football people in the country hadn't dared to dream of but even then, there were no Italia 90-esque scenes on the streets. The fact that the game took place during a Sunday holy hour when the pubs technically remained closed offered little mitigation.

But that win started a ball rolling and by the time we'd won a game we should have lost, drawn a game against Russia we should have won and lost a game we should have drawn to agonisingly just miss out on a semi-final spot, something had changed. I can recall walking through town in the aftermath of the Holland defeat and seeing crowds dancing in the Floozy in the Jacuzzi, the old Anna Livia monument that used to be O'Connell Street's centrepiece in the pre-Spire days and is now seated at Croppies Memorial Park on the quays.

And while the homecoming didn't compare to two years later, Jackie's army was beginning to attract volunteers as the College Green ceremony saw what must have been close to 100,000 throng the city centre.

That said, the first game back on home soil, a 4-0 win over Tunisia that saw John Aldridge finally break his international duck still only saw 12,000 come through the turnstiles. A Dalymount Park friendly in February 1989 while Lansdowne Road was in Five Nations mode had an end of an era feel as the old ground heaved under the weight of a 22,000 crowd. France provided the opposition and while the nil-all draw doesn't linger in the memory, it did provide a debut for future captain Andy Townsend.

But it was the Spanish game the next month that saw the sea-change in crowds. In a taste of things to come, tickets were like hen's teeth and what would become the familiar sight of supporters queuing outside travel agents, the preferred method of distribution outside of clubs, was noticeable. Indeed, this writer, by now a student in Dundalk, missed out on a ticket through the college football team lottery and had to wangle an all-areas ground pass through a contact in Dundalk FC.

It's true to say the ground shook that day and I've no doubt that the pressure generated by thee noise had something to do with Michel putting through his own goal under pressure from Stapleton to give Ireland a vital win. The days of easily available tickets were gone, a situation only enhanced as wins against Malta, Hungary and Northern Ireland left us only needing a win away to Malta to confirm a first World Cup appearance. A John Aldridge brace in Ta'Qali finished the job and nothing in Irish football would be the same again.

The impact Jack Charlton had on the game in Ireland can be measured by the difference in those campaigns to the ones that followed. From being something enjoyed and suffered in equal measure within football circles, his Ireland team became the torch-bearer for a newly confident nation emerging from the dark days of the 1980s.

And while it can be argued that a hardcore of just under 30,000 still makes up the regular match-going support, that’s double what it was back then and there is still no bigger ticket in town when there's something at stake.

When it comes to major tournaments, the side captivates and unites the country in a way that no other team or code does. The reputation garnered by the supporters through those early tournaments lives on to this day and put the country on the international map in a manner nothing else could have.

Whatever gripes anyone may have had about how we played, it's impossible to overstate Jack Charlton's impact on the game in this country and its place in Irish culture. For that alone, we should be thankful. RIP Big Jack and thank you for the days. 

New Balls Please

After such an underwhelming performance in Gibraltar, I have to admit the prospect of dropping points against a Georgia team that had dominated us possession wise both games in the last two campaigns was worrying me. We'd ridden our luck in the 1-0 win at home and the one all draw in the away leg was one of the worst performances I've witnessed on an away trip.

A three-hour delay while on the runway before flying home on Monday evening had taken the shine off a great Sunday night with Dutch and Spanish branches of our support in Malaga. After saying goodbye to all that afternoon as people began making their journeys home, we'd taken a walking tour around the city and had some dinner and a couple of straighteners to take the edge off the previous few days' excess. The plan to arrive home around 10.30 and get an early night went out the window with a computer fault just before take off and having had to taxi back to the gate for running repairs, the delay meant that it was 1.30 in the morning when we got in having spent six and a half hours on the plane.

Needless to say, this didn't help the dose of the fear the next morning although at least I didn't have to suffer getting up for work at five hours after getting to bed, unlike Mrs False First XI! Even so, I was still pretty weary when I surfaced a couple of hours later and attempted to get the Gibraltar blog written before heading over to Lansdowne Road that evening.

As it happened, events overtook me and the finalising of the blog had to wait another day. While touring Malaga the previous day, talk of protests had started to filter through on various WhatsApp groups after the further revelations around John Delaney and his recent employment change. The one that seemed to be gaining traction was the suggestion that tennis balls be thrown onto the pitch during the game but no one seemed to be aware of where it had originated. The only post mentioning it on YBIG was from someone with no posting history and there didn't seem to be much on social media about it either. Despite this, the media were determined to run with it but being in the middle of a tour meant I had to pass the chance to talk to Joe and discuss it on Liveline after a request came in.

However, when a request came in to do a piece on possible protests with Sky Sports the following day, I felt that as a committee member of the YBIG Independent Supporters Mandate, we should take the opportunity to talk about why supporters were feeling the need to protest. With them looking to get someone before 4pm, it meant leaving a couple of hours before my plan so before I got to finish my Gibraltar piece it was into a cab for a slightly different pre-match routine.

Part of our brief within the Mandate is to raise issues that concern supporters and, following what we saw as heavy-handed responses to protests before, we had put the item on the agenda when meeting with the FAI and had minuted what are appropriate means of peaceful protest and what is allowed without intervention from stewards, police or authorities present. So, after issuing a statement the previous day highlighting that again, I found myself standing in front of a camera in front of the West Stand, more than a little nerve-wracked, trying to put those points across to Sky Sports' Guy Havord!

Reach for the Sky

I've done a couple of pieces to camera over the years but it's generally been post-match when I've had a few drinks beforehand and when emotions are high which gives a bit of Dutch courage. This was a lot different but at least I had the security of seeing Guy Havord trip over his lines on the first take. Luckily enough for me seeing as he'd managed to mispronounce my name before that despite his practice beforehand!

Anyway, second time around went alright despite the nerves and after saying goodbye, I went off for food with a little adrenaline still moving through the veins. A bowl of hot chicken wings in The Gasworks settled that but having watched the 5pm bulletin with no sign of my interview, I assumed they'd gone with whatever other footage they had and thought no more about it.

After making my way up to The Beggars for the traditional pre-match preparation, I was just settling into a second pint when my phone started hopping to various piss taking texts from lads who'd spotted my mug and before long the videos started arriving to more mickey taking at the pub itself. Looking back, it shows how much I know when I said I didn't see the tennis ball protest happening!

Slagging aside, there was a good atmosphere and a bigger crowd around than the last couple of times we played Georgia. There were a few groans around when the team news came through with the recall of Glenn Whelan and the absence of Matt Doherty the main complaints. The absence of Sean Maguire was also questioned with a five man midfield behind David McGoldrick clearly the plan.

From my perspective, I've always thought Whelan was a bit of an undeserved scapegoat and appreciated the longevity of his Premier League career and the fact that he's been in great form in the Championship with Aston Villa recently. I'd have been tempted to try Doherty in right midfield again with doubts about Robbie Brady's match fitness but other than that, the team really picked itself. My only hope was we'd see more from them than we had on Saturday.

After heading to the ground, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter a standard security check rather than what we'd become used to in the Singing Section since the USA game immediately after the Scotland ticketing debacle in 2014. We got through far quicker than normal and made our spot in plenty of time for the anthems and ubiquitous one-minute silence/applause that seems to come before every game these days.

Old habits die hard

The fact that the FAI had failed to inform their printers about their long-planned change of CEO raised a few laughs when people noted JD still beaming out from the Chief Executive panel in the programme but that was soon forgotten as the game started and Ireland tore into the opposition immediately.

It was clear from the off that this Ireland were a very different proposition from the team witnessed in Gibraltar three days before. Within the first ten minutes, we witnessed Jeff Hendrick pushing on with overlapping support from both Enda Stevens and Seamus Coleman, Conor Hourihane linking well with David McGoldrick, Robbie Brady getting a shot off from a good position and Hendrick and Coleman linking well again before a poor cross from the captain. The tempo was excellent, the pressing was excellent and all that was missing was the final execution with the last delivery or shot letting the good build-up down.

Paperback writer

Georgia immediately looked like they were struggling to deal with that tempo and clearly hadn't expected it.  The crowd had been lively from the kick off with a vocal outing of chants protesting mixed in with those for the team. There were also a number of banners printed on large sheets of paper which had obviously been decided as the easiest way to get them into the ground. Unlike previous occasions when such banners became visible, there were no efforts from the stewards or gardai to move in and confiscate them.

On the ten minute mark, Ireland should have been ahead. Hendrick slid in to win possession and played McGoldrick in. The Sheffield Utd striker passed it on to Hourihane who really should have picked out Robbie Brady instead of hitting a weak shot easily saved. It was a chance missed but again, really encouraging build up.

McGoldrick dug out another chance a couple of minutes later before a Brady free kick in a great position was hit straight into the wall.  Another attack came immediately resulting in another free, this time on the left. Whelan played this one short to Robbie Brady in what was a reverse image of Liam Lawrence's pass for Whelan's famous goal against Italy at Croke Park. In fact, this was about as far forward as I've seen Whelan allowed since then! Unfortunately, Brady couldn't replicate Whelan's finish of a decade before and the ball sailed over.

By now, we'd seen more chances created in twenty minutes than the entire Nations League campaign. Georgia had had a couple of break-outs but they'd been comfortably dealt with by Duffy and Keogh. Anything that was reaching Randolph, he had under control and we were still asserting ourselves and had a shout for a penalty when he tumbled under pressure from  Davit Khocholava but the ref got it right by waving it away.

What happened immediately after that was indicative of the change in mindset. Georgia attempted to clear but the ball was intercepted by centre-half Richard Keogh, stepping up beyond the opposition's side of the centre circle to take command and start another attack. This attack was again let down by a poor Coleman pass but another corner was the reward for the positivity.

As the lone man up front, McGoldrick was covering every blade of grass and actually dropping far deeper than should be expected. But when he did that, he was winning every ball and the midfield were pushing on to give him options ahead. A couple of times, he got the ball out of our ridiculously tight situations and used it well before getting back into forward positions to look for the return. I said as soon as McCarthy was appointed that McGoldrick would be a big player for him after their time at Ipswich together and he was proving it in spades here.

Back in your court

McGoldrick was involved again in what, for more reasons than one, became the decisive part of the game. It was he who was pulled down about 25 yards out as the game reached the 33rd minute. With the free in a very good position, Whelan and Hourihane stood over it as the wall lined up and the ref marked out ten yards. Now, as I said earlier, I don't know who initially mooted the idea of throwing tennis balls onto the pitch and I didn't see where the first one came from but once one came down, another forty or so followed. The majority were from the South end although more from the sides than the centre, there were a few from the North end and a small amount from East and West.

To be honest, it initially got a mixed reception even from those protesting in our area. I assume the 33rd minute was a reference to Delaney's infamous suggestion that Ireland be allowed compete as the 33rd team in the World Cup after Thierry Henry's even more infamous handball. But there was definitely a sense that disrupting the game just when we had a really good chance after a great start could be counter-productive.

After the tennis balls we get the smash hit. Attaboy @conorhourihane #irlgeo #irevgeo #rtesoccer https://t.co/2afD0dnj1z pic.twitter.com/yyW6NjVCbB

— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) March 26, 2019

As it turned out, the two-minute delay made no difference and for those protesting, what transpired afterwards really couldn't have worked out any better. Once the pitch was clear, Whelan and Hourihane took their positions again and with Whelan stepping back and Shane Duffy leaning into the wall, Hourihane stepped up to serve up an ace of a free-kick around the wall leaving Loria in the Georgian goal no chance whatsoever! One nil and Ireland had the lead they deserved.

Into the net!

Any potential negative reaction from the support was banished at that moment which may not have been the case had the two-minute break disrupted the tempo we had been playing at. The fact that this happened at 33 minutes indicates to me that there was some planning involved but given the different areas of the ground they came from I wonder whether some had just got the idea from the level of whipping up that the media had been partaking in. Either way, as protests go, it's pretty harmless in comparison to what you might see in some other countries and a slap on the wrist and a fine should see the end of it from UEFA while the publicity gained can only be a positive.

There was a little lull following the goal but the tempo lifted again coming into the last five minutes with a corner just missing Keogh. Another indication that this could be a good night for those protesting came in the four minutes stoppage time at the end of the half. Despite the fact that the time added on was legitimate and there would have been the same game time played had no protest occurred. Had Randolph not pulled off an unreal save from Valeriane Gvilia's volley, there's no doubt that a goal at that stage would have been blamed on the protest. As it happened, one nil at half time was the least we deserved.

The 57% first-half possession was a long distance from the 26% we 'enjoyed' the last time the sides met in September 2017. The fact that so much of that took place in the opposition half made for the most enjoyable 45 minutes Lansdowne had witnessed in a long time.

The second half began at a similar tempo. McClean was harrying their right-back although once again, the end product was lacking. We really should have gone two up just before the hour mark after a nineteen pass move ended with Henrick knocking the ball in from a slightly offside position.

Notwithstanding the fact that Hendrick could easily have checked his run and stayed onside without losing the chance or left the ball for Coleman behind him who could have rolled it into an empty net, to see Ireland pass the ball around like that and create a great chance was a joy.

Another call for a penalty followed as McGoldrick went down under a challenge from Solomon Kverkveliya after good work from McClean on the left. At the time I thought there was no way he would have gone down in such a good position had he not been fouled but watching the replay since the ref probably got it right.

The long ball from James McClean sees David McGoldrick clean through but the ball just runs wide #irlgeo #irevgeo #rtesoccer https://t.co/2afD0dnj1z pic.twitter.com/dpxFBSuKeo

— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) March 26, 2019

Almost game, set and match 

Georgia worked another couple of chances but the Irish defence was holding firm and still pushing on whenever possible. Enda Stevens probably should have scored only to scuff a shot with twenty minutes to go. Moments later, McGoldrick was sent through one-on-one from a McClean ball over the top but dragged it just too wide when rounding the keeper and just couldn't hook the ball in from a very tight angle. Had he kept his run closer to the keeper he could well have gone over him but he may have had the previous penalty call on his mind and the chance passed.

Aiden O'Brien then came in for Brady who had put in a good shift but still looked a bit off the pace for me. The fact that the tempo had been so high could account for that to be fair.

McGoldrick had one last chance to grab the goal his performance deserved only for Kverkveliya to get a good block in before the clear man of the match was withdrawn to a huge ovation from the crowd. It's a long time since I've seen a striker put in that level of effort and cover that much ground in a game and the sustained applause was richly deserved. Matt Doherty was the man brought in to shore things up for the final ten and O'Brien moved inside to free up the right wing.

There was still enough time for one heart in the mouth moment when a great effort from Jaba Kankava clipped the outside of the post. Had it gone in, it really would have made an issue over the missed chances and wrong final ball options and despite our jokes that Randolph had it covered, had it been a foot the other side of the post he'd not have got near it.

Georgia took a lift from that and began to put pressure on as a visibly tiring Ireland retreated for once but once the four minutes stoppage time was announced we saw another effort from the men in green and even a sliced Whelan shot that went out for a throw-in right beside the corner flag got rapturous applause. Whelan has received a lot of criticism in the past, unfairly in my opinion, for doing what he was instructed to do by successive managers. He's that sort of player and when he has been allowed more freedom for his clubs, he's generally shown that he can play. He wasn't far off McGoldrick for man of the match in my opinion and showed a side of his game that has rarely been seen in green.

Mick McCarthy was roaring his men forward to prevent Georgia from creating anything and with them pushing again, another Hendrick interception sent McClean clear. Instead of running for the corner, he inexplicably booted the ball straight into Loria's arms in another example of poor final decision making much to the rage of all present.

As Georgia had a final push, we got numbers back and blocks from Keogh and Doherty saw the final danger off and when Hourihane finally got released, he headed for the left wing and under pressure rolled the ball down the touchline to eat up the final few seconds to confirm the win and the three points.

Table (Tennis)

The win wasn't the biggest thing to take from this. Had it been a scrappy 1-0, after similar in Gibraltar, then despite being in the same position points wise, legitimate questions would still be being asked and there'd be little sense of change. As it is, the astonishing comeback from Denmark from 3-0 down on 85 minutes to grab a draw leaves us top of the group and with a new sense of optimism and purpose. The fact that the two most influential players on the park in McGoldrick and Whelan wouldn't have been involved without that change in management adds another dimension to the win.

But let's not get overly carried away. This was a team who we seem to have the hex on and there's certainly harder battles ahead. Both Switzerland and Denmark will be far harder tests and we'll have a better idea of how we've developed after the Denmark game in June. Still, you can only beat what's in front of you and it's mission accomplished for this international break.

However, mission is far from accomplished for those of us that believe change is also necessary at board level. While the protests on Tuesday certainly kept things in the news cycle for a few extra days, this feels like only the beginning. With an Oireachtas Committee hearing due to occur on April 10th, this momentum needs to be continued. If you have concerns over recent and not so recent revelations then raise issues with those politicians involved or with the media. If there's one thing politicians like it's a bandwagon and if they feel the wind is blowing a certain direction, you can be sure they'll tilt their sails that way.

Having seen the landscape move in terms of what we witnessed on the pitch, let's see how it looks when we return in June.