Dawn after the darkness

MAYBE Bob Dylan knows more about football than the rest of us. After all, he was the man who said the darkest hour comes right before the dawn.

In the normal course of events, a 1-1 home draw in a European Championship qualifier would not be a cause for delight and relief, but for Irish football the normal course of events had received such a seismic jolt in Cyprus last Saturday that there was a clear and present danger that it might not recover for a very long time. And certainly not in the space of four days.

But pride was restored in Lansdowne Road last night after a performance of heart, soul, composure and no little skill, earned the embattled Irish their first point of the European campaign — and probably saved Steve Staunton’s international management career.