One of Shane Duffy’s first thoughts after emerging “knackered” but alright from the 90 minutes in Tbilisi was to pay tribute to Brighton for not standing in the way of his international commitments despite their initial fears that his calf injury would be of a much longer duration.

It didn’t take long at Mick McCarthy’s pre-match press conference for the visitors present to learn that Aaron Connolly’s fever had already reached Tbilisi.

In a spirit of, as he put it,“nothing ventured, nothing gained”, Mick McCarthy has made the left-field decision to play Conor Hourihane atleft-back against Bulgaria at the Aviva Stadium tonight.

It appears there’s quite the mutual appreciation society developing between Mick McCarthy and James McClean.

They were known as the superb six, a cohort ready-made to complement Ireland’s golden generation of Robbie Keane and Damien Duff, but the tribulations of those bright young things should temper the hype attaching to the latest sextet.

Taking a look at what to expect from tomorrow's Euro qualifier against Denmark.

When, after just six minutes of the second leg of the World Cup play-off against Denmark in 2017, Shane Duffy used his height and his head to put Ireland a goal to the good, the eruption of joy on the pitch and in the stands of the Aviva Stadium suggested that what we’d just witnessed was one of those defining moments which the Derryman might find hard to top for the rest of his career.

Damien Duff and Ronnie Whelan may have found fault with the tennis balls served up in protest against John Delaney at the Aviva Stadium, but Mick McCarthy could see the funny side after a performance and result that sets Ireland up nicely in Group D.

When the FAI — or rather John Delaney, since they remain one and the same thing, at least for now — declared on Saturday night that they were creating a new position for him, it transformed a mere theory we had last November into an obvious truth.

IT Tralee manager Liam Brosnan accused the referee of 'targeting' their Kerry county players as the college exited the Sigerson Cup with 12 men and lost Kerry defender Gavin Crowley to injury.

From the cold shoulder in Ireland to the warm embrace of Nottingham, Martin O’Neill is surfing a wave of enthusiasm, expectation and, of course, nostalgia on his return to the City Ground.

Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane have parted company with the FAI by mutual agreement.

To be unkind about it, O’Neill declaring himself a winner in the immediate aftermath of a home defeat to Wales felt a bit like Ozymandias still proclaiming his greatness from amid a pile of rubble in the middle of an empty desert, says Liam Mackey.

Displaying levels of confidence and self-belief that — in the aftermath of a deflating 1-0 home defeat to Wales which took a winless run of competitive games to five — will be variously interpreted as defiant, determined, or delusional, Martin O’Neill has unequivocally expressed the conviction that he is the manager who will lead Ireland to the finals of Euro 2020.

Shane Duffy is probably the only Irish player entitled to have mixed feelings about the last time the Danes were in town and only then if the definition of the word ‘mixed’ can be stretched to accommodate one spasm of ecstasy giving way to prolonged agony.

James McClean will welcome Declan Rice back into the Republic of Ireland squad with open arms should the West Ham United player opt against a switch of allegiance to England and stick with the Boys in Green.

Brian Kerr expects the Republic of Ireland side will do enough next month for Martin O’Neill to ride out the remnants of the storm that has engulfed the Derryman in the last week.

Snippets of last night’s display in Poland offered encouragement for Ireland’s Nations League rescue mission yet the questions about Martin O’Neill’s leadership won’t dissipate.

Ireland’s extensive injury woes, coupled with absenteeism of a more controversial kind, were always going to constitute a major talking point in the build-up to tonight’s Nations League clash against Wales.

Ciarán Clark admits the decision by his Ireland teammate Declan Rice to stall his international career came as a major shock.

International football is these days resembling a transfer market and this time Martin O’Neill is nursing the bloody nose.

Séamus Coleman and Martin O’Neill have called on Ireland’s new breed to lay down a marker against France tonight.

His desire to spend a stint at boyhood idols Celtic is apparent but the first priority for James McClean is the immediate uncertainty over his club future.

Speaking on The Late Late Show, Brolly recalled how he put him up last winter, rent-free, and helped him get a job.

Music lovers are being invited to nominate their favourite songs or ballads for the first-ever EU songbook.

If James McClean could replay November’s World Cup game against Demark which ended in such crushing disappointment for Ireland, there’s one thing he’d do differently.

Cork City boss John Caulfield says his war of words with Dundalk boss Stephen Kenny in the wake of last year’s FAI Cup final has been consigned to history.

John Delaney has insisted Martin O’Neill is “100% committed” to the Ireland job but he doesn’t expect speculation about the manager’s position to end when he signs a new contract next week.

Martin O’Neill is staying on as Republic of Ireland manager after turning down the chance to manage Stoke City.

Martin O’Neill’s immediate future, both as manager of Ireland and prospective manager of Stoke City, hangs in the balance as the Premier League club closes in on naming a successor to Mark Hughes.

The Football Association of Ireland could be about to lose Martin O’Neill from their grasp after the Ireland manager last night held what was understood to be a productive meeting with Stoke City about their managerial vacancy.

Martin O’Neill has moved into pole position to become Stoke City manager but the club’s board are understood to be split on their choice of the Ireland boss.

Horse sports received plenty of recognition at the RTÉ Sports Awards on Saturday night, but it was James McClean who collected the top award.

Tottenham 2 - Brighton 0: Tottenham, who seem to be playing the Premier League in the shadow of their own Champions League excitement, needed a fortunate goal from defender Serge Aurier and a late deflected Heung-min Son effort to beat Brighton and keep their top-four challenge alive.

It’s not often that the great minds of the Irish management team and the Irish media think alike but such was the case this week when we asked Roy Keane for his thoughts on how Shane Duffy has progressed to the point where he is now widely regarded as the rock of the Irish defence and one of the most consistent centre-halves in the Premier League.

Shane Duffy puffs out his cheeks and exhales at the thought of clinching World Cup qualification over the next week, fully aware he’ll experience better emotions than Ireland’s last successful tournament tilt.

Between a lack of game time at West Brom and the vilification he routinely receives from the stands and on social media, the Premier League must sometimes feel like a cold house to James McClean.

Martin O’Neill has said he would be disappointed if James McClean was not feeling frustrated about his restricted game time at West Brom.

He’s taken a lead role in developing a cultural shift for Irish football but Damien Duff won’t complain should Martin O’Neill’s old-fashioned approach propel the country to a first World Cup since 2002.

Cardiff hero James McClean insists Ireland didn’t overdo the celebrations after Monday’s win against Wales as they know it will mean nothing unless they reach the World Cup.

Looking down half the length of the pitch towards the Irish penalty area, it was like watching film of the sun coming up over the mountains — on fast repeat.

Colm ‘Gooch’ Cooper has staunchly defended the decision to have a testimonial, one that has caused controversy in GAA circles.

If Martin O’Neill was seeking encouragement about the talent pool for the next campaign, the Ireland manager should have received some assurance from the display of the next generation.

If, as recently as the beginning of March this year, it had emerged that the FAI were planning to offer a contract extension to Martin O’Neill, the news would have occasioned little in the way of contentious debate.