England v Ireland: Fans stay friendly for international

It was a quiet day for the boys in green on the pitch yesterday, and an even quieter one for the boys in blue off it, as Ireland's international friendly with England passed off without incident.

Fears of flashpoints between opposing fans failed to materialise as both sets of supporters contributed to a largely convivial atmosphere at the Aviva Stadium.

Reports of unsavoury incidents involving England fans at recent away matches in Poland and Italy sparked concerns that trouble might flare up, as happened during the sides' last meeting on Irish soil two decades ago.

Players and managers from both teams had appealed to fans to respect the wishes of British and Irish police forces for a peaceful event, with a large security force on patrol across Dublin city over the weekend.

This, combined with the early afternoon kick-off time and measures introduced by English authorities to stop known hooligans travelling to Ireland for the match, meant any trouble was averted, and gardaí praised fans for their behaviour.

“We’re happy everyone’s having a good time, and there was no trouble,” said a Garda spokesman.

Passports confiscated

On top of ordering trouble-makers to hand in their passports over the last two weeks, those barred from travelling for the fixture had to sign in at a local police station in the UK yesterday.

Spotters from English police forces were also planted around the Aviva Stadium to identify anyone who might have slipped through the net.

Some 400 gardaí were deployed in the lead-up to the game to avoid a repeat of the 1995 riots which saw 43 people arrested, 20 hospitalised and damage caused to the Lansdowne Road stadium.