The autobahn to Germany starts here

TONIGHT’S friendly match against Canada at Lansdowne Road marks the start of a new era for Ireland.

Brian Kerr is free for the first time to exercise his preferences in terms of selection, formation and tactical approach, relieved of the pressures of having to produce qualifying points.

A friendly match against a team ranked 83rd in the world - fully 68 places behind Ireland - may not in itself be an event of any great moment. Yet this is a pivotal time in Irish football as Kerr begins the process of rejuvenating a team that looked spent at the end of the European qualifiers.