IT was a five wins in a row fiesta and Alive Alive O in the old Amsicora stadium in Cagliari yesterday as the record breaking Irish hockey squad whacked Poland 5-2 and left no doubt as to their worthiness to move on to the second stage of the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur next March.
What's more, the Squadra Verd has made a considerable flesh impression on Sardinian sports fans, who well remember the exploits of Jack Charlton's men at the Stadio Saul's Ella in 1990.
The Italians do not expect any compassion when the sides meet in the final match of Pool B this afternoon. The home team would need to win by four goals to edge Poland out of the other qualifying berth in the group but such a result, of course, is out of the question. Indeed, as Irish manager, George Compton remarked, "We want to keep working and keep on winning.
Yesterday's fifth victory brought the best out of the Irish side in all sectors. Called from their beds at 6.0 a.m., the defenders were vitally alert in the opening stages the midfielders steadily made their mark, and the enigmatic Daniel Clarke, in his 80th international, found his most effective form of the tournament in striking a hat trick.
Dual Polish strikers Karol Podzorski and Krzysztof Wybieralski pushed menacingly for a breakthrough at the start. But Neil Cooke, gaining his 50th cap, and the clean tackling Greg Sterritt soon shut out this pair after Europe's top ranked goalkeeper Ivan Bateman brought off several very valuable saves.
Although Poland were unlucky to lose their accomplished midfielder Tomas Szmidt with a dislocated shoulder after a quarter of an hour, Ireland were showing more ability through the field and emphasised their resourcefulness in taking the lead in the 24th minute. Errol Lutton broke up a Polish raid and had the support of Colin Hade who despatched a long pass to Clarke, lurking near the goal line. Clarke lashed in a shot which the Polish goalkeeper kept out but Julian Stevenson had stormed up in anticipation and dexterously despatched the loose aerial ball to the net.
Ireland threatened to score again before the internal, particularly through the darting Stevenson and David McAnulty, yet it was not until the start of the second half that the Polish defence cracked. In a nine minute blitz, the margin zoomed to 4-0. First, Alistair Dunne slotted home a well placed short corner. Next Lee Tumilty playing with admirable assurance at right midfield - found space for Clarke to hit the target from an acute angle, and then Clarke deflected home his second goal from a Robbie Taylor free.
Ireland relaxed to a degree as the persistent Padzorski and the wily Wybieralski reduced the deficit to 4-2 but, following another full press, Clarke completed the first hat trick of the tournament. From Ireland's seven short corner, Taylor's shot was saved but the much involved Hade swept the loose ball back across the goalmouth for the Lisnagarvey striker to net his 16th international goal.
Clarke may again be chased by young autograph hunters this afternoon as Ireland aim to beat Italy for the 12th time in 16 meetings, with a lone defeat being sustained in Rome in 1993. The Italian goalkeeper Davide Ghiradi, though, and the captain Roberto Giuliani, one of tour local players, will be foremost in the resistance.
Alan Dowd, the Ireland captain is expected to give his injured back another rest but physiotherapist Nadia Bibby from Portstewart feels that she can have Dowd ready to the tournament semi final against New Zealand on Thursday.
The New Zealanders and Canadians will again be among Iceland's closest rivals in Kuala Lumpur along with Poland. The fifth ticket to be won in Cagliari will be well deserved by Italy but much nerve will be needed in the play off here. As well as Malaysia, the other automatic qualifiers for next year are Argentina, South Korea, Spain, South Africa, Belgium and Belarus.
And, awaiting the six teams to reach Utrecht in the 1998 finals are Pakistan, Netherlands, Australia, Germany, India and England.
On their performances in Cagliari to date the Irish squad may well be capable of emulating the teams who previously went all the way to Buenos Aires in 1978 and Lahore in 1990.
