By the end of the campaign to qualify for the 1994 world Cup there were signs that the Charlton team and the Charlton plan were getting old. None more clearly pasted than when Spain came to Lansdowne on October 13th, 1993.

1. John Sheridan v Spain. Ireland 1, Spain 3. October 13th 1993

With the matchday headlines announcing that Charlton was hoping for the early celebration of qualification that a win would bring, Spain went three up in 26 minutes.

Ireland's consolation came late when John Sheridan, a surprise substitute on a day which required grit and not finesse, rifled home a shot. Sitting, by then injured, on the Irish bench, Kevin Moran heard a colleague curse the luck that brought so little so late. Moran gazed out onto the Lansdowne pitch glassy eyed and muttered, "No. I think that might be a very important goal."

A month later Ireland went to Windsor Park and qualified by means of Alan McLoughlin's equalizing goal. Ireland and Denmark finished the group on 18 points each. Both teams had a goal difference of plus six. Ireland had scored four more goals, however. Had Sheridan not scored in Lansdowne, had Ireland lost 3-0 that day, having thrown in the towel after the first nightmarish 25 minutes, the second qualifiying place would have gone on goal difference to the Danes who, along with Spain, would have been on their way to America for the summer of 1994.

2: Jason McAteer v Holland. Ireland 1, Holland 0. September 1st, 2001, WCQ

The first really great day of the Mick McCarthy era, a goal so bright in the memory that we forget that we still had to go to Cyprus and then to a play-off series with Iran before qualifying for the 2002 World Cup finals.

Those who were there will never forget the drama or the atmosphere in which this was played out. The Dutch should have been three goals up in 20 minutes. Ireland lost Gary Kelly to a red card early in the second half. The Dutch ended up with a series of superstars being played grotesquely out of position and long balls being hoofed at Ruud van Nistelrooy. An astonishing day sparked by that Roy Keane tackle on Marc Overmars and that Jason McAteer goal.

When all seemed lost, when Kelly was gone and the Dutch calmly ascendant, McAteer struck with the goal that all but guaranteed Ireland a place in the World Cup play-offs.

Roy Keane started a move that ended shortly afterwards with Finnan cutting inside his man. He found McAteer in space on the far side of the box. McAteer hadn't been playing first-team football at Backburn and there was a lot of work to do. He hit it like a man whose moment had come, driving the ball past van der Sar with a half volley.

"Yeah, it was a beautiful moment. Surreal. It's something you dream about as a kid, scoring a goal on the world stage for your country. It doesn't get much better than that, it really doesn't. You score, you look at the crowd and you think: that's what it's all about, that's what it's all about. The crowd kind of suck you in and . . . ah, a beautiful moment."

3: Liam Brady v France. Ireland 1, France 0. March 30th, 1977, WCQ

The good old days and John Giles' personal pick of all the games in the Lansdowne era.

"We'd been beaten in Paris a few months before that. It was a time when France were coming on to their good side, Platini, Bathenay and those players. They beat us 2-0 in Paris and there was a controversial decision which might have put us back in the game ( Frank Stapleton had scored from a Brady cross but the Yugoslav referee gave an outrageous offside). So, Lansdowne Road was a big one to get back into the race."

As it happened Brady scored after just 10 minutes that Wednesday afternoon. Giles himself took the free, which was headed clear but came to Brady some 30 yards out. The French defence pushed out looking to catch Don Givens offside but Brady broke through and slid the ball calmly under the advancing form of Rey, the French goalkeeper.

"We scored early and it was a tight one then near the end the crowds since then have became accustomed to success and this business of going quiet has started. Back then beating France in Dublin was big and there was no complacency. I remember the crowd that day roaring all the way to the end," adds Giles.