Support act fails to grab the attention

Republic of Ireland 1 Bolivia 1:It may have seemed reasonable to question the order of the games on Saturday's double bill at Foxboro but to judge by the performances and the attendance this was one decision at least that the promoters of Ireland's eastern seaboard mini-tour got right.

While New England and Kansas City served up something of a treat in the day's MLS main feature, the international support act proved a fairly forgettable one.

Official figures were hard to come by but it seemed as if barely 1,000 peope were in the vast stadium when Ireland's game kicked off. A steady trickle of arrivals helped to make things look fractionally more respectable by the end but as the internationals made way for the club players there was still a considerable way to go before even the 13,000 or so who usually show up to see the Revolution play in the 68,000-seat stadium were safely inside.

Steve Staunton will not be complaining. Having left Dublin 10 ago with a squad decimated by injuries and withdrawals, he watched another young and inexperienced side battle its way to a draw. A teenager, Shane Long, who has yet to play a full 90 minutes at this level, scored Ireland's goal after 12 minutes and though Miguel Hoyos equalised almost immediately, a 23-year-old goalkeeper, Wayne Henderson, with only fractionally more senior international football under his belt, kept his side in it during the second period.

That a game played on such an atrocious surface was even moderately entertaining was in part down to the fact that both sides made so many errors and each set of attacking players were given almost free rein to show what they could do.

The results were mixed with Alan O'Brien producing an impressive 45 minutes before fading and being replaced in the second half while Anthony Stokes showed again that he must come to terms with both his own power and limitations if he is to make the swift progress so many expect of him at the top level.

Long's goal ensured his display will be remembered favourably and he did generally do well, although it should be noted that the Bolivian goalkeeper, Hugo Suarez, was entirely to blame for allowing a header aimed directly at him to reach the back of the net.

Joe Gamble clearly found it hard to impose himself but Daryl Murphy made an immediate impact after replacing the Cork City midfielder at half-time. The Waterfordman consistently at the heart of Ireland's best attacking moves over the last 45 minutes, during which he valiantly sought to conjure up some possibilities for the team's lone second-half striker, Kevin Doyle.

As it had been in the first game, the number of positional changes late on made it hard to fairly assess some of the individual performances but Stephen O'Halloran again stood out as a real prospect and one whose natural talents, as a left-sided defender, may well open international doors for the 19-year-old in the not too distant future.

Darren Potter also did enough here to suggest his performance in New Jersey, where he actually ended up captaining the team on his debut after Kevin Kilbane's withdrawal, was no fluke.

Stephen Hunt, meanwhile, may be disappointed he did not make more of an impression before the Bolivians decided their chances of winning the game had probably passed and it was desirable to ensure they at least secured the draw. That shift in their thinking coincided with the departure of Joselita Vaca, a gifted attacking midfield player who threatened to run riot from his stomping ground just behind the Bolivian strikers.

The 24-year-old failed to establish himself during a four-year stint in the MLS but he has been rejuvenated since returning home two years ago and the Bolivians may wonder quite how, given all the difficulties he caused the Irish, they didn't win.

A couple of good saves from Nicky Colgan and two really fine ones from Henderson go a long way towards explaining their failure but on balance, Staunton will insist, his side deserved their draw for the effort they put in alone.

That would clearly not be enough against the Czechs or Slovaks, games which Kevin MacDonald admitted afterwards the Irish must win in the autumn if they are to revive their slim hopes of European qualification.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Colgan (Barnsley); O'Cearuill (Arsenal), Bennett (Reading), P Murphy (Carlisle Utd), Kelly (Birmingham City); Gamble (Cork City), Kilbane, (Wigan Athletic), Potter (Wolverhampton Wanderers), O'Brien (Newcastle Utd); Stokes (Sunderland), Long (Reading). Substitutes: Henderson (Preston) for Colgan, D Murphy (Sunderland) for Gamble and O'Halloran (Aston Villa) for P Murphy (all half-time), Doyle (Reading) for Long (54 mins), Hunt (Reading) for Kilbane (67 mins), Gleeson (Wolves) for O'Brien (79 mins).

BOLIVIA: Suarez; Pena, Mendez, Alvarez; Hoyos, Garcia, Reyes, Mojica; Vaca; Arce, Moreno. Substitutes: Cabrera for Morena (half-time), Andaveris for Garcia (61 mins), Pinedo for Arce (70 mins), Galindo for Vaca (74 mins), Pizarro for Reyes (81 mins).

Referee: T Vaughn (USA)