Dunne and Given pay glowing tributes to Keane

Players' Reaction: Emmet Malonetalks to some relieved players who will not be sorry to see the back of Cyprus

ON FRIDAY evening the Cypriot Tourist Board had dropped by the GSP Stadium in Nicosia to provide the visiting media with promotional bumph on what they reckon to be the island’s many attractions. To judge by Richard Dunne’s demeanour as he headed for the team bus some 24 hours later, the message never got as far as the players.

“We were just saying there, it’s a horrible place to come,” said the Dubliner. “I’ve never enjoyed it so just to get out with the three points is the main thing. I suppose the important part is to qualify now.”

The Aston Villa defender made no great claims for the quality of Ireland’s play, conceding it had all been a bit of “a battle” but “mentally we’re all a little bit stronger, a little bit more mature and while you can look to play nice football all the time, when the game is as tense as that, there’s a lot of pressure.

“In the last 15 minutes when people started getting tired we had the ability to keep knocking it around a bit. Once we started doing that, we looked a much better team and really, we were in control of the game”.

That wouldn’t have counted for much had it not been for Robbie Keane’s late header and one by one the players paid tribute to their captain as he hit the 40-goal mark in international football and kept the team firmly in the hunt for a place at next summer’s World Cup finals.

“He’s been fantastic in this campaign, every goal has been an important one,” said Dunne. “He’s just been great, he’s been a real leader for the side and hopefully his goals will take us all the way.”

Shay Given, almost always one of the heroes when the Irish have done remotely well during the past decade or so, was equally enthusiastic. “If you want someone on the end of a chance, he’s the one,” said the Manchester City goalkeeper.

“That’s his 40th goal for Ireland now and he’s streets ahead of every other goalscorer, It’s fantastic for him. They say the hardest part of football is putting the ball in the goal and Robbie has got a great knack for sticking the ball away at the right time. He deserves great credit. He is a great captain and a leader as well. He deserved his goal tonight.”

Given was seen by many as an obvious candidate for team captain when Keane was handed the armband under Steve Staunton but he paid a glowing tribute now to the way the striker has grown into the role.

“Yeah, I mean he speaks for the team, he’s a leader off the pitch, he’s a really good captain, not just a leader and boss in the changing room but when he’s called upon, he’s there in the right place at the right time and getting massive vital goals for the country.”

As for the team’s hopes of qualification, Given feels that Saturday’s win has taken the team to the brink of being assured of second place with everything now to play for when Italy come to town next month.

“We’re not there yet,” he cautions, “but it’s the biggest chance we’ve had for a number of years, it is getting exciting when you think how big this was, it’s a massive game for people in the whole country. We’ve got a massive three points and now roll on the Italian game.”

Having done so much to get the Irish this far in their qualification journey, Keane could do with chipping in with another one or two against the Italians and the Irish captain is hoping that Bulgaria can bolster Ireland’s hopes of topping the group by avoiding defeat in Turin on Wednesday.

“Italy have a tough game now against Bulgaria on Wednesday and hopefully that will open the group a little bit,” he said.

“It was important that we did the job tonight because in our back yard we’re always confident that we can beat anyone, no matter who it is.

“We’ve given ourselves a good stepping stone now and these two games are massively important now. People expected Italy to win the group but at this stage we definitely want to win it. If we end up second then so be it, but we want top spot and there’s no reason why we can’t do it.”