Andrews follows the Irish leaders

A LATE arrival on the international scene who has become a first choice of the Trapattoni era, Keith Andrews believes the Irish team is growing in confidence with every game and, following the precious point secured in Sofia on Saturday night, sees no reason why they shouldn’t still be eyeing top spot in World Cup qualifying Group 8.

Says the Blackburn Rovers midfielder, who only made his competitive debut in February in the 2-1 home win against Georgia: “I haven’t been here for the whole campaign, but I’ve felt that, since I’ve come in, with every result we’ve got, the belief has grown a little bit. It’s a squad that’s full of confidence and we’ve gone strength from strength. We’re lucky that we’ve got a strong unit and a lot of real leaders around the pitch as well, doing a lot of talking and communicating, and that’s stood to us.”

The 27-year-old Dubliner hails as “fantastic” the result in Sofia, though he admits the performance was not quite complete.