Relief as Ireland get back to winning ways

Rep of Ireland 3 Wales 0:A GLANCE at their recent record and depleted squad always suggested Wales might be something of a soft touch in this opening game of the Carling Nations Cup but then a look at the Republic of Ireland's results over the past six months or so would provide a swift reminder that nothing could be taken for granted.

In the end, though, the home side did prevail and fairly easily with Darron Gibson, Damien Duff and Keith Fahey all getting decent goals in the final half hour to deliver Ireland’s biggest win since the 3-0 defeat of Algeria last May. For Giovanni Trapattoni, a man who attaches a fair bit of importance to the habit of winning, it will have come as something of a relief after the trials and tribulations of his side’s last few games at the Aviva Stadium.

The game itself was low key in front of a crowd officially put at 20,900, even smaller than expected, but the performance was solid with a string of pleasing individual performances, not least from Jonathan Walters, who got better and better as the night went on, and Glenn Whelan, who contributed a great deal to the home side’s superiority in midfielder before departing with a quarter of an hour to play.

With little at stake for the regulars, most eyes were on Everton’s Séamus Coleman and Aston Villa’s Ciarán Clark, debutants with the potential to play their way swiftly into Trapattoni’s plans for the rest of the Euro 2012 campaign.

Having thrived in the higher octane world of the Premier League over the last few months it was probably foolish to fear either might be fazed by the occasion here. Both looked comfortable in their roles they have grown into at club level of late to the extent it would not be a surprise to see one or the other feature in the competitive games against Macedonia during the summer.

Neither, in truth, turned in a flawless performance but then few of their more experienced team-mates did although Seán St Ledger did at least produce the recovery of the night when he stumbled after preventing Rob Earnshaw from breaking free and had to head a ball scarcely a foot off the ground to clear the danger as Hal Robson-Kanu loomed.

The newcomers both had their moments, though, and also combined well for what was perhaps Ireland’s best chance in the first half, a short free-kick that Gibson played to Coleman who in turn flicked on perfectly for Clark to head just wide. Coleman, though, also came close to conceding a penalty with the midfielder hauling back Robson-Kanu after almost half an hour as the Reading player sought to pick up a return pass from Earnshaw on his way towards goal.

Earnshaw himself was more put upon, however, with the striker bundled about by various members of Ireland’s back four over the course of the evening, not least five minutes into the second period when John O’Shea shoved him in the back allowing the ball to run to Whelan who ran 50 metres before passing to Duff. The Fulham winger fed Shane Long only for the striker to blast over from an angle when Walters was sitting unmarked at the far post.

The minutes were slipping by and the game, like the crowd, was in desperate need of a goal. Ireland, always slightly on top but by now comfortably the better team, looked the more likely to produce it and they did on the hour when Gibson linked up with Whelan and then let loose from the edge of the area with one of those scorchers we have waited a long time to see him produce for his country.

It was the sort of contribution Trapattoni has talked about Gibson making for quite some time and the Italian would doubtless stop worrying about where or how regularly the midfielder got his game with his club, Manchester United, if he could pitch in like that a little more often.

The breakthrough achieved, Ireland began to coast and the remaining goals came easily enough. Walters made the second impressively when one of his countless attempts to make something of a lost cause paid off. His chance came when Chris Gunter dawdled under pressure and the striker picked the full-back’s pocket before pushing the ball low into the area. Long did well to leave it for Duff who had plenty of time to pick his spot and bag his first international goal in almost five years.

The third came with eight minutes left when Walters again won a free on the edge of the area and Keith Fahey, on just before the opener for Coleman, curled the ball low around the wall and past Wayne Hennessey to the bottom right corner. It was a nice way for the midfielder to restake his claim for a place but the competition might finally be beginning to hot up a little.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Given (Manchester City); O’Shea (Manchester United), Dunne (Aston Villa), St Ledger (Preston North End, Clark (Aston Villa); Coleman (Everton), Whelan (Stoke City), Gibson (Manchester United), Duff (Fulham); Walters (Stoke City), Doyle (Wolves). Subs: Long (Reading) for Doyle (half-time), Fahey (Birmingham City) for Coleman (59 mins), Keogh (Bristol City) for Duff (71 mins), Green (Derby County) for Whelan (76 mins), Wilson (Stoke City) for Gibson (81 mins), O’Dea (Ipswich Town) for O’Shea (85 mins).

WALES: Hennessy; Eardley, J Collins, D Collins, Ricketts; Crofts, King, Vaughan; Church, Earnshaw, Robson-Kanu. Subs: Gunter for Eardley (half-time), Ledley for Vaughan (61 mins), Eastwood for Robson-Kanu (68 mins), Easter for Earnshaw (80 mins), Nyatanga for Ricketts (83 mins).

Referee: M Courtney (Northern Ireland).