The miracle of Budapest happened on a Sunday afternoon. Caoimhín Kelleher was booked on a separate flight to the FAI charter, returning to London, until word spread around the Puskás Aréna changing room that creamy pints were waiting for the players in Gibney’s of Malahide.
A rare experience was on offer after the Republic of Ireland beat Hungary. Robbie Keane singing tunes. The late-night, early-morning lock-in allowed the players process a monumental shift in how the team was perceived by the nation.
“It was good to get back to Dublin after the game,” Kelleher remembered this week. “It’s a night we’ll always remember. It was also nice to take a few days to reflect on the madness that had unfolded.”
Brentford manager Keith Andrews gave his Irish pair, Kelleher and Nathan Collins, time off until the Thursday before a Saturday match against Brighton.
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Kelleher described those hazy days as a combination of “golf and Guinness”. He joined Collins and Dara O’Shea at a gig by Irish band Amble in Shepherd’s Bush on the Monday, when lead singer Robbie Cunningham brought the sold-out London venue’s attention to the three footballers in the crowd.
“That was a very Irish event,” says Kelleher.
Back in the humdrum of the Premier League this week, Kelleher has finished a long day of training, preparation for Nottingham Forest and a stream of media duties by chatting to The Irish Times.
Presumably, you’ve already fielded a lot of questions about penalties and Panenkas?
“Possibly,” he replies.
The Panenka might be rendered extinct since last Sunday’s African Cup of Nations final in Rabat, when Morocco’s Brahim Díaz dinked an injury-time spot kick into the arms of Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy.
For his part, Kelleher recently caught a Panenka effort from Sunderland’s Enzo Le Fée, in a game that secured Brentford’s 10th win in the Premier League, leaving Andrews’s side two points off the likely Champions League spots.
He also saved a penalty down the middle from Cristiano Ronaldo in Lisbon last October, when the normally reserved Cork man almost cleared the crossbar in celebration.
The Panenka seems like a foolish choice against the Ireland goalkeeper, as he appears to wait for the kicker to make a decision before trusting his cat-like reflexes.
“Maybe you can put the pressure on them by holding your feet a little longer, but other times you have to gamble and go a bit earlier,” explains Kelleher. “It is a nice feeling when you can save one.”
The 27-year-old has saved eight of 15 in-game penalties for Liverpool, Brentford and Ireland. It is a phenomenal return, enhanced by four stops from eight in what’s already been a landmark season in his career, having left Liverpool last summer, 10 years after he entered the club’s academy. He put constant pressure on Alisson Becker during his time at Anfield, reliably deputising whenever the Brazilian’s hamstrings tightened, but the club gave him a clear message in 2024 by signing the Georgian international Giorgi Mamardashvili.
This prompted Kelleher to openly talk about signing for a club that value him as their undisputed starter.
Initially, Brentford seemed like a risky move, especially when Thomas Frank departed to become Tottenham Hotspur manager nine days after Kelleher signed a five-year contract. Turns out it was Frank’s judgment that was flawed.
Andrews, then the set-piece coach, took him on the initial tour of the Robert Rowan performance centre. Despite a worrying exodus – including the departures of Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United and Yoane Wissa to Newcastle – the opportunity to work alongside Andrews, his former Ireland coach at under-21 and senior level, and to play behind Collins every week, proved a stronger draw than even a Champions League side such as Bayer Leverkusen.
“The chance to be playing every week and how Brentford develop players and give you an opportunity to flourish, that was massive for me.
“It was the culture of the club, they are always looking at what is next. Looking at the players coming up, to see if they are ready, always looking at the next option and who they can sign to improve the team. It’s just a very well run club.”
And Andrews? “There wasn’t much convincing to be done. He toured around the place with me, came to the meetings, he was a big part of why I joined. And Nathan and the former Liverpool lads [Sepp van den Berg, Fábio Carvalho and Jordan Henderson].
“I’ve always connected well with Keith. Since he became manager, he has been brilliant, helping me to settle and knowing it is my first season as the number one. He is always encouraging me. He did the same as a coach with Ireland.”
Andrews’s promotion caught many by surprise. Clearly, his coaching philosophy chimes with Brentford sporting director Phil Giles’s data-driven approach that has the Bees competing with the wealthiest clubs in the Premier League.
“Listen, you never know what is going to happen [when an assistant coach becomes the manager] but what Brentford did know about Keith is he’s a very good speaker and very good with the players.
“It was not a surprise to me. He has really taken to the role.”
Brentford’s 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge last weekend was unlucky. Their German winger Kevin Schade spurned the sort of chances that have been going in all season as they missed the opportunity to go fourth, above Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
“The league table is very tight. We are two points off the Champions League but also a defeat or two off from falling to 12th. Maintaining performance and consistency is what we talk about all the time.”
This brings the conversation to Collins.
“Nathan is 24 and so mature. Being captain of the national team and captain of Brentford means people can forget how young he is. That is a lot of pressure on young shoulders, but he takes it in his stride. He has been brilliant for us.”
In Yerevan last September, Ireland fell to a 2-1 defeat that could have been a lot more embarrassing only for Kelleher’s brilliance on the night. That loss was framed as a new low after a decade of deflation, yet performances and results improved thereafter.
Is it as simple as professional pride rising to the surface?
“One game isn’t enough for such a massive reaction like that,” said Kelleher. “We knew ourselves [Yerevan] was a very poor performance. We were honest with ourselves. It wasn’t reflective of where we were as a team. There was a lot of reaction from that performance, but in October we were unlucky to lose in Portugal and got the win against Armenia at home.”
Ireland’s complete reversal in form and fortunes has largely been put down to the return of Séamus Coleman and Troy Parrott from injuries.
“We really value ourselves as good players,” Kelleher countered. “When we had to get a win against Portugal at home, as a group, there was a lot of belief. The mentality has always been that we need to perform, and we need to get the country to a World Cup.”
The sequence of events leading to Parrott’s third goal in Budapest are etched into the Irish psyche. Injury time was almost spent when Kelleher sent a 50-metre diagonal ball down upon Liam Scales, who jumped higher than the biggest Magyars to nod down for Parrott to finish.
Was it something he planned? Perhaps a subconscious tribute to Rory McIlroy’s 7-iron at Augusta. Or just a punt? “Don’t think it was as good as McIlroy’s shot!” he laughed. “Just tried to put it in an area in the box for the lads to attack it. Last throw of the dice. I never expected to play out as it did.
“The reaction from people at home ... I realised how big the moment was from talking to family in Cork. But we also realise how much support was already behind the team and how much we will need it in March.”
Onwards to Prague, against the Czech Republic on March 26th, when Ireland must again scale the heights of November. If they escape the Fortuna Arena, either Denmark or North Macedonia will come to Dublin on March 31st with a World Cup place at stake.
“Nobody can look past Prague. It will be very hostile from their fans as there won’t be many Irish supporters in the stadium.”
“In the stadium” being the key words. The FAI only got 1,024 tickets for a 19,370-capacity ground but thousands of Irish people are set to descend on the Czech capital from all corners of Europe.
“It’ll be a very tough game but we can definitely take a whole lot of confidence from the Portugal win and, even more so, going away to Hungary and getting the result.
“It is a nice dream, the World Cup. But Prague is in our way first. Hopefully we can create something special, again.”
