Rep of Ireland 5 Northern Ireland 0:IT TOOK the guts of an hour before the home support mustered a half-decent chorus of that old favourite about there being only "one team in Ireland".
The reality is it would be ridiculous to suggest you could make any sort of serious judgment about the relative strengths of the two associations’ respective teams on the basis of what we saw here. What was put pretty much beyond doubt, though, is that there’s only one squad worth talking about.
Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni was forced to hand Stephen Ward his international debut at almost no notice at all after Stoke’s Marc Wilson failed to show up without explanation despite having been named in the starting line-up on Monday.
Wilson may have wanted to avoid lining out against the team he chose not to play for, as James McCarthy is rumoured to in Scotland, but as things turned out the tiny contingent of Northerners who made the journey to Dublin despite the boycott called by the main supporters’ organisations in Belfast probably would have welcomed something to shout about.
Nigel Worthington started with four teenagers and a number of other players who might be fortunate, on another night, to make the Northern Ireland bench. Anyone who doubted his claim he can ill-afford to lose those players, like Wilson, who have defected to the Republic, would have to have been convinced by the display here. However the playing of God Save The Queen prior to the game provided a reminder there is only so far the IFA is willing to go to win over those young players who claim they cannot identify with its team. Not for them the road taken by the Welsh and Scots who have long used other anthems.
It also proved, incidentally, that Irish people from this side of the border are willing to be disrespectful to that national anthem – as long as the queen in question isn’t actually present at the time. The disrespect of the hard-line section of the home support turned to derision as Northern Ireland, having started brightly enough, were over-run. When Sammy Clingan sent in a free after a couple of minutes and Jonny Gorman met the clearance with a shot that flew narrowly wide of Shay Given’s goal there was, briefly, the suggestion we might be in for a contest. The gap in quality soon told.
The thrill of making his debut was soon topped for Ward by his, and the Republic’s first goal, with Keith Treacy and the other newcomer to start, Simon Cox, linking up for a short corner before Treacy’s cross was fumbled by Alan Blayney for the Dubliner to tap in.
Within 13 minutes it was 2-0 with 19-year-old Watford defender Lee Hodson gathering a Stephen Kelly ball upfield that had been flicked on, only to badly miss or under-hit his attempted pass back to his goalkeeper. The youngster’s anguish was plain as he realised Robbie Keane was lurking in the centre and Blayney was helpless as the Ireland skipper lifted the ball over the ball over the Linfield player from a narrow angle.
On the strength of this show it was hard to see how Blayney could be preferred to Alan Mannus, the Shamrock Rovers goalkeeper. Still, the 29-year-old did make one outstanding save midway through the second half to deny Keane.
Gorman had as good as prevented a goal with a defensive block inside his six-yard box after 40 minutes, but by then the visitors were starting to look overwhelmed. Rarely have Trapattoni’s men pushed the ball around so fluently. The ease with which they cut through the back four was underlined by the third goal which came on the stroke of half-time when Séamus Coleman, having looked a fraction offside, crossed and Blayney turned the ball into the path of retreating centre-back Craig Cathcart who literally couldn’t miss.
Keane got his second, and 48th in 106 games, eight minutes after the break from the penalty spot but the bigger blow was that referee Craig Thomson sent off 18-year-old Adam Thompson for his push on the striker from a position clear of the last defender.
Blayney and Cathcart had made errors to contribute to that opportunity and both centre backs were at fault for standing off Cox after Stephen Hunt found him 10 metres outside the area. The West Brom striker coasted past his opponents before firing home a low shot to the right corner.
Somebody really should tell him it isn’t always this easy.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Given (Manchester City); McShane (Hull City), Kelly (Fulham), Delaney (Ipswich Town), Ward (Wolves); Coleman (Everton), Foley (Wolves), Andrews (Blackburn), Treacy (Preston North End); Keane (Tottenham Hotspur), Cox (West Brom). Subs: Lawrence (Portsmouth) for Coleman (55 mins), Keogh (Wolves) for Keane 62 mins), Hunt (Wolves) for Foley (70 mins), Forde (Millwall) for Given (72 mins).
NORTHERN IRELAND: Blayney (Linfield); Thompson (Watford), Cathcart (Blackpool), McAuley (West Brom), Hodson (Watford); Carson (Ipswich Town), Clingan (Coventry City), Davis (Rangers), Gorman (Wolves); Feeney (Oldham Athletic), McQuoid (Millwall). Subs: Norwood (Manchester United) for McQuoid (half-time), Coates (Crusaders) for Gorman (55 mins), McGinn (Celtic) and Boyce (Werder Bremen) for Feeney (72 mins), Garrett (Linfield) for 76 mins).
Referee: C Thomson (Scotland)..
