Soccer: There was the odd piercing whistle of the season ticket holder to begrudgery but mainly the return of Roy Keane last night had a sense of rightness and completion about it. The team looked better for his promptings and presence.  Tom Humphries, at Lansdowne Road, reports

No longer will we watch Brian Kerr's sides and wonder if only, if only . . . And no longer will Keane's contribution and devotion be questioned so crassly and vehemently as it has been during these two years of seemingly ceaseless controversy.

He did the big thing and came back last night when the easier option would have been to fade away. He was rewarded, as he should have been, with a good performance and a warm reception.

Looking back now, with the circle closed and everyone older and calmer, the arguments about betrayal and patriotism and love of country seem so ludicrous and overblown. Whoever deemed it acceptably patriotic for a player nurtured in Irish football and made a millionaire in English football to terminate his international involvement so that he may continue sucking at the swollen teat of the Premiership for a little longer but characterised it a grotesque betrayal for a player to walk away from the comfort zone denouncing the preparation and ambition therein unworthy of an Irish side?

Keane returns to an Irish side worthy of him. Not that he hasn't played with good and great Irish teams in the past, sides which punched above their weight and enjoyed themselves doing so.

He has never played with a side, however, that not just believed itself to be on an upward trajectory but expected it of itself. The tradition of winning which Brian Kerr has bred into a generation of Irish talents was something which Keane discovered for himself at Old Trafford.

And he plays now in a side where his passionate leadership and constant hectoring don't seem odd. He was always in between cliques in previous administrations. Too young to be integrated with the veterans of Italia '90. Too old and too serious for the Take That generation who came along for USA 1994. Now he is the veteran, indisputably the best player. His tuition is needed. He has, too, a manager who will use him wisely, protectively and in a consultative role.

Last night was sweet. From the eighth minute when Keane burst through the Romanian slip cover (with surprising pace for an old guy with a gammy hip) and nearly scored, there was a sense that the expectation was going to be met by the performance. It was. He stayed for the full 90 minutes and looked to be enjoying it as much at the end as he was at the beginning.

When the final whistle blew there was a telling cameo as several Romanians approached Keane with offers to swap shirts (for the record Radoi Mirel got the garment for his grandchildren or Ebay, the choice is his.) The name Roy Keane still has cachet.

Something else. When Mattie Holland scored late last night, Keane was reflexive with his celebration and quick with his congratulations. He singled Liam Miller out too for a pat on the head. Friendly game or not it still means something.

Afterwards Anghel Iordenescu, the Romanian manager who reluctantly said goodbye to a fine unbeaten run, singled the Keanes Roy and Robbie out "as the world class players, the ones who made the difference". On an evening when Brian Kerr's record in charge of a team in transition began to look remarkable it was comforting to hear.

For Kerr, there were pleasant auguries everywhere. Liam Miller, the young Cork midfielder made in the mould of Keane, was extraordinarily impressive again, winning the man-of-the-match award with a series of pinpoint passes which concealed how little first-team football he has got in recent months. Andy Reid gave further hints of his promise. Andy O'Brien was calm and composed. Steve Finnan reminded us of why we were so excited about him a while back , Robbie Keane and Clinton Morrison combined well and on the bench Aiden McGeady, the next great star perhaps, sat and patiently bided his time.

"We had a nice balance across the midfield, a young team but a good performance," said Kerr. "I thought Roy played well. I thought the whole midfield played well. He gave a bit of presence, changed the play, showed why we wanted him back in the squad. We've not done badly in the last few matches but he did a good job today in the team structure. All round I thought it was a good team performance.

"I didn't expect him to play 90 minutes. He said he'd play it by ear, see how he was feeling. He was fine at the end, very happy to have played and I'm sure relieved to be back with that match under his belt.

"I was happy with the reception the crowd gave the whole team and Roy. It's been two years, time to move on."

Last night we digested the last of Saipan. It's mete and fitting that the paths of Keane and Brian Kerr have intersected. Two devotees of excellence and professionalism and attention to detail shall campaign a while together.

Chances are we won't see Keane in an Irish shirt again till the autumn. That's enough. The notion of this nascent Irish side competing with France in Paris in October doesn't seem all that ludicrous now.