Prodigal son Keane’s return has Kerr purring

A GENTLE ‘thank you’ pat on the head from manager Brian Kerr to Roy Keane was enough to prove to the 42,356 Lansdowne Road crowd that the prodigal son of Irish football had been forgiven.

Matt Holland's 85th minute winner ensured Kerr's run of 15 games with just one defeat continued as Romania became the latest victim in the rehabilitation of Irish football.

"I was delighted not just with the reception Roy received - but indeed the entire team as we fully deserved this victory," said Kerr.

"I know that Liam Miller was the 'man-of-the-match' - he did very well as this was only his second start after a lot of injuries at Celtic last season.

"But to my mind Matt Holland and Roy Keane took control of the mid-field sector and set the tone.

"Roy Keane did the simple things well and it was always my hope to have the best possible Ireland team on the pitch.

"That's what I am employed for and Roy showed last night why he is a world class player.

"Considering that we had such a young side and much smaller players, this was a good result for us and sets us up nicely for Saturday's game against Nigeria and then the other two fixtures against Jamaica and Holland.

"It was a difficult decision for Roy to make to come back to the international scene.

"But he handled the situation very well and obviously enjoyed playing with so many youngsters around him.

"It was a good night for the game and for Irish football as a whole that Roy is back in the fold."

As per prior agreement, Keane will miss the next three matches. But it is now certain that he will be a major figure in the World Cup qualifying campaign when the real business starts against Cyprus in September.

"It was important to get this game out of the way. The very fact that Roy played the full 94 minutes shows his commitment. That makes me happy and I am sure the vast majority of Irish fans.

"He did the simple things well, his accurate passing was telling so often and I know that he is happy with his return to a green shirt," added Kerr.

Keane's midfield partner and match-winner Mattie Holland added: "I've always said with Roy in the side we have abetter chance and that's what we're here for, we want to qualify for the big tournaments."

Romanian boss Anghel Iordanescu paid special tribute to the two Keanes: "Roy Keane and Robbie Keane were the difference between the two sides.

"Ireland have good players very skilful and caused a lot of problems for our defence which permitted too many errors.

"The two Keanes made all the difference last night," added the Romanian coach.