Dunne: we know this is our chance, and the hunger is there

FOR footballers, a 30th birthday is nothing to celebrate. The anniversary bestows a veteran status on even the sprightliest of players and forces them to confront a life bereft of the weekly adrenaline shot of competitive action.

Richard Dunne still has another three months as a twenty-something but he is not oblivious to the passage of time. The 29-year-old knows that he is likely to have just one more shot at appearing at a World Cup, having been denied the chance by Mick McCarthy in 2002, when he was reduced to the status of frustrated onlooker.

It is just one of many reasons for his steely resolve ahead of Saturday’s tussle with Bulgaria, a game which could see Ireland take a stranglehold on a top-two finish in Group Eight.