Celtic clash proves winner for Ireland, Bonner and McCarthy

IT'S all systems go for Wednesday's World Cup meeting with Liechtenstein, after yesterday's meeting of the clans at Lansdowne Road had provided Mick McCarthy with the reassuring evidence that his preparations are on schedule.

True, he could have done without Ian Harte's injury time own goal which applied a deceptive gloss to the scoreline for Celtic but overall, he had reason to be satisfied that even at this belated stage of the season, his players are still competitive.

On occasions, they had to be, to survive against a Celtic team which, rising above the internal turmoil at Parkhead, produced a performance of sufficient quality, to repay the patronage of their supporters in a crowd of almost 22,000.

They had assembled to pay homage to Packie Bonner and the man who rewrote the record books for Irish goalkeepers did not disappoint them on a day heavy with emotion.

Returning to the scene of some of his biggest triumphs, he started the game for Ireland, replaced Gordon Marshall in Celtic's goal for the last eight minutes and moved the crowd to unashamed nostalgia, with a splendid save from his old teammate, Tony Cascarino, in the 85th minute.

That piece of athleticism might have been borrowed from the summer of the man's career and it provided the perfect postscript on a day when Ireland and, perhaps, Celtic too, were seeing the last of an idol.

In the course of the coming week, he will meet Celtic's chairman, Fergus McCann to discuss his future at a club where he has been employed on an unusual playing coaching contract for the last year.

If this was to be his swan song, he could scarcely have made his exit on a more hospitable stage as the crowd, to a person, voiced their approval almost every time he touched the ball.

The more serious aspect of the game was to assess form for the Liechtenstein game and here, the exercise proved well worthwhile, as McCarthy got the answers he demanded in terms of pace and commitment.

Apart from the absence of David Connolly who was withdrawn after complaining of tiredness during the warm up routine, the team which started yesterday, may well be the one which confronts Liechtenstein on Wednesday.

Tony Cascarino was hastily promoted from the bench to take his place and, looking fitter than in either of his last two Ireland appearances, he put himself about with some abandon before securing the goal his perseverance deserved in the dying minutes.

Further back, Gary Kelly played with a purpose which suggests that he is keen to build on his convincing performance in Romania and Alan McLoughlin, left out of the starting lineup, seized the chance in the second half to ensure McCarthy of at least one difficult team selection on Wednesday.

Mark Kennedy, deployed in an attacking role alongside Tony Cascarino in the opening half, has seldom looked sharper and enjoyed the satisfaction of hitting the best goal of the day with an explosive shot early in the second half.

If there was a downside to the display, it lay in recurring doubts about the ability of the newly formed defence to deal with crosses floated into the goal mouth. Some of the headed clearances were less than decisive and the manner in which Malky Mackay rose unchallenged to score Celtic's first goal, was ominous.

It's a weakness which is unlikely to be expensive on Wednesday but long term, it could present the Irish manager with problems as he seeks to compensate for the aerial authority which Paul McGrath once brought to the middle of the defence.

Paolo Di Canio, honouring a promise to Bonner, to travel from his home in Italy for the game, duly turned up in Dublin but the club chairman refused to withdraw the two week ban imposed on the player on Friday, for remarks which were termed "unhelpful" to the club.

Jorge Cadete, his accomplice in some spectacular smash and grab raids for the Parkhead club, did play, but after a promising start, he gradually drifted into anonymity, some intent, the hometeam might have scored three times in a 10 minute Hourish which saw Gordon Marshall produce good saves to deny Gary Kelly and Cascarino before reacting smartly to knock Ray Houghton's firm drive over the top.

It all suggested that Celtic were merely making up the numbers but then out of nothing, Simon Donnelly threaded a pass through for Cadete and before the Irish defence quite knew what was happening, he had deposited the ball in Bonner's net.

Fortunately for the Irish, Cadete moved a fraction before the pass was executed, but that disallowed strike was sufficient to remind McCarthy's team that they could ill afford to gamble at the back.

Taking the message on board, they tightened subsequently without ever quite imbuing confidence in defending aerial situations and soon Roy Keane's opening goal, scrambled from close range, had given Ireland the early cushion they coveted.

Celtic, enjoying it seemed, the bulk of the support from the crowd, were denied only by Given's nimble save after Chris Hay had cleverly turned Harte, but by the time Mackay finally opened their account with a firm header from Jackie McNamara's corner in the 65 minute, the Irish were two in front, thanks to Kennedy's brilliant strike.

With time running out, Cascarino got the reward his persistence deserved, after Alan McLoughlin had taken the ball from Tommy Johnson close to halfway.

A winning margin of two goals would have been no more than the home team deserved but then with the game in injury time, Harte had the misfortune to turn a cross from the Celtic substitute, Morton Wieghorst into his own net.