SOCCER/INTERNATIONAL/Republic of Ireland 1 Serbia 1:TO JUDGE by the numbers who missed the home side's late equaliser having decided they had had their fill of this game, the supporters will need a little more convincing, but the sense from Giovanni Trapattoni afterwards was there was enough evidence here to reinforce his belief that Irish football's new dawn is already peeking over the horizon.
Both managers, in fact, declared themselves content their players had done what had been asked of them. That this may not necessarily have been what the paying public would have requested was strongly suggested not only by the early departures but also by the hint of exasperation about some of shouts of encouragement from the stands and even the small amount of booing that greeted the half-time whistle and Serbian goal.
Had the visitors gone on to win it would have been harsh on the Irish who fairly comfortably held their own over the course of a rather dismal game.
Despite both sides fielding midfielders inclined to lend support to their strikers, it took more than an hour for one of the goalkeepers to be forced into a save, and it was the first minute of injury-time before Andy Keogh beat Vladimir Stojkovic from close range to salvage a draw for the locals.
Those with an unhealthy preoccupation with statistical precedent looked glum as Keogh's fine volley hit the back of the net for, they pointed out, the last two managers to get the Republic to major championship finals - Jack Charlton and Mick McCarthy - had both lost their first outings in charge.
The Italians, though, were clearly unaware of the fact and Marco Tardelli's celebration, in particular, bore a striking resemblance to the famous one he produced after his World Cup final goal in 1982.
So, while the players might have been accused of lacking urgency at times, the management team were clearly treating the game pretty seriously.
With the result of slightly secondary importance, there were several encouraging points for Trapattoni. Though closely marked and short of real sharpness, Damien Duff was back dragging defenders about, winning free kicks and looking to create opportunities for those around him.
Damien Delaney and Glenn Whelan made solid senior debuts, while veteran Dean Kiely looked assured in goal.
On the downside, the likely preferred strikeforce come the autumn - Kevin Doyle and Robbie Keane - looked tame enough, Stephen Hunt appeared to lack his usual energy and Paul McShane produced something of a howler for the Serbian goal.
The young defender gave no real indication last week he believed he has had a poor season at Sunderland, suggesting he had been hard done by in recent months. On the one hand. it's good his confidence hasn't been knocked by the criticism he has received but it is of concern that after attempting a sort of one-man offside trap 15 minutes from the end rather than tracking back with Marko Pantelic he didn't seem to see how he was to blame for the goal.
Neither Richard Dunne nor Delaney were on the same wavelength as their team-mate and the Hertha Berlin striker was simply in too much space for either to prevent the shot after Ivica Dragutinovic had neatly lofted the ball into Pantelic's path.
After disappointing in Portugal, Delaney looked good defensively but few of his more ambitious passes came off, with Hunt given a little too much to do on successive occasions.
It was much the same in the centre, where Dunne's presence did firm up the back four but did little to aid Ireland's ability to retain possession, with the City centre back's passing less impressive than it should have been.
Whelan, on the other hand, excelled at keeping things simple, especially in the second half when his tackling, movement and distribution all suggested he was settling in rather nicely.
Alongside the Stoke City midfielder, Liam Miller worked hard in the face of opponents who could push the ball about pretty effectively but who, like the Irish, didn't seem remotely inclined to up the tempo of the encounter.
On a couple of occasions Sasa Ilic showed his class with a well -timed, angled through-ball but for the most part the visitors were easily kept at bay and a Bosko Jankovic snap shot hit high but too close to the centre of the target from 25 metres a few minutes before the goal was as much as Kiely really had to deal with.
Ireland, on the other hand, had come close to taking the lead in the first half when Duff's cross was deflected by Dragutinovic then headed towards the far post by 19-year-old Slobodan Rajkovic. Vladimir Stojkovic parried to Keane, who turned the ball back towards the bottom right-hand corner but the highly rated young centre back, on loan from Chelsea to PSV, made up for his error by clearing off the line.
That was comfortably Ireland's best chance until the goal, which looked like something that might have been dreamed up on the training ground.
It started with Stephen Kelly's throw from the right and after Daryl Murphy, who did particularly well after coming on, flicked the ball on, Keogh wriggled away from his marker before producing a fine volleyed finish.
There will, one presumes, be better performances during this manager's reign but as initial signs go, a late fightback yielding a good goal are still worth cheering. If only to let those who left early know they've missed something good.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Kiely; Kelly, Dunne, McShane, Delaney; Duff, Miller, Whelan, Hunt (Keogh 81); Keane (Murphy 70), Doyle (Long 86).
SERBIA: Stojkovic; Rukavina, Ivanovic, Rajkovic, Dragutinovic; Babovic (Markovic, 82 mins), Kuzmanovic, Smiljanic (Kovacevic, 92 mins), Jankovic; Ilic (Kacar 86), Lazovic (Pantelic 70).
Referee: Lee Evans (Wales).
