Dunne: Ireland can still qualify

ALL going according to plan, the Irish defence won’t be hogging the headlines tonight but that doesn’t mean that Richard Dunne will be anything less than fully focused for the 90 minutes in Serravalle.

For a guy who travelled to the World Cup finals in Japan and Korea but never got to kick a ball in anger, qualification for a big tournament in two years’ time remains a desirable goal, regardless of the scepticism of critics who believe that Ireland can only ever hope to play catch-up in Group D. The Man City defender thinks differently. Qualification is still on, he maintains, but only if the Irish kick off their 2007 campaign in the right frame of mind. And then kick on from there.

“We’ve got three big games now and it’s vital that we get the nine points from them,” he says. “People might look at tonight’s game as a bit of a formality but it’s a potential banana skin. Some day San Marino will improve and start picking up points here and there and it’s important tonight that we get stuck into them and hopefully get an early goal and get the three points.”