The unspoken wish of Mick McCarthy as he slipped quietly away from Tolka Park last evening was that all his days would be as serene and rewarding as this. McCarthy, at the start of probably the most critical phase of his managerial career, had just watched his players impart a salutary lesson in professionalism to the local part-timers in the second half of Eoin Hand's testimonial game. And if his forthcoming dates with destiny in Iceland and Lithuania will surely prove more traumatic, victory was still mildly reassuring in this the first meeting in more than 20 years of the cream of the local talent and their emigrant footballing ambassadors.

Much of what he saw was adequate rather than ambitious; and yet this performance in its better moments was designed to encourage as he prepares to take his players to Reykjavik tomorrow morning.

Consolation was less readily attainable for Pat Devlin and his national league team after their challenge had disintegrated in the closing 45 minutes of the game.

That the local team was intent on making some pertinent points to McCarthy showed in the opening half hour when the tackling was sharp and the direction of attack varied enough to demand the respect of big-name opponents.

But the perceived discrepancy between the teams widened with each passing minute in the second half and in the end the scoreline scarcely distorted that which had gone before.

And yet it would be manifestly unfair to dismiss this performance by the National League without paying due tribute to the solid defence of Paul Curran and Declan Geoghegan and the tireless efforts of Eddie Gormley to redress a growing imbalance in midfield.

On an evening when the attendance, disappointingly, barely topped 2,000 McCarthy paid the opposition the compliment of putting out a powerful team which against all the odds was captained by Tony Cascarino. That surely was a diplomatic decision but after missing a couple of likely chances early on the big man discharged his responsibility by putting his name on the last of the three goals.

Appropriately, too, Roy Keane, the man who had been tipped to lead out the international selection, also got on the scorers list, a rare enough distinction in a career which has been spent predominantly in that grey area in midfield.

Keane, giving substance to his reputation as a growing force in the national side, played well and there was applause too, for Jason McAteer, returning to the team after serving a three-match suspension.

Inevitably, much of the interest focused on the performance of Kevin Kilbane, the only newcomer in the squad, who got his chance as a half-time replacement for Keane. At least some of what Kilbaine attempted was reminiscent of Kevin Sheedy in another more affluent age, notably in the quality of his crosses.

Mark Kennedy, who had filled the wide role on the left in the opening half, was awarded a more central brief after the interval and conscious perhaps of the growing threat emerging on his left, went down to produce some excellent touches and an admirable second goal for his team.

All-in-all then a satisfactory night for McCarthy who described it as excellent preparation for the world cup games. "There is no substitute for actual match competition and in fairness to the National League players, they made us work for anything we got an hour," he said.

"After that the difference in fitness told but from our point of view it was a very good exercise".

Ironically, it was the National League who threatened first with Shay Given having to move smartly to deny Ciaran "Tarzan" O'Brien but gradually the pattern of the game emerged with Gary Kelly on the right setting up some good chances for the front two, Cascarino and David Connolly.

Cascarino should have done better when Connolly's pass left him in the clear barely three yards out and then Curran effected a superb tackle on the Feyenoord player after McAteer's perceptive through pass had split the defence.

The National League net was now surviving perilously and after Steve Staunton had driven a 30 yards shot just wide it shook for the first time with Keane's score seven minutes from the interval.

Connolly's return pass into the path of the Manchester United midfielder was well nigh perfect and doing everything right Keane drew the goalkeeper before slipping the ball just inside the left hand post. Brian Mooney, effective in short sharp bursts, ought to have done better than shoot wide early in the second half and with that chance went the National league's best hope of scoring.

Ominously more and more gaps were beginning to appear in their defence and in the 56th minute the second goal duly materialised when Kennedy fired in the shot from the edge of the penalty area and goalkeeper Tony O'Dowd knocked it onto the base of the upright on its way to the net.

Later O'Dowd denied Connolly with a superb reflex save but 18 minutes into the second half Cascarino completed the scoring, applying the textbook finish after Connolly had headed on Kelly's cross.