The Long road that eventually turned

SUDDENLY, everything appears to be falling into place for Shane Long.

Ireland’s qualification campaign may have stalled at the Aviva Stadium last Friday but the Reading striker’s stuttering international career received a much-needed kickstart.

His appearance off the bench was a first in a competitive fixture for his country in three years. His goal brought a drought of similar length to an end and he is in pole position to build on all that against Slovakia even if the circumstances aren’t ideal.

It is an article of faith that no player should express pleasure at the misfortune of another, no matter what door it may open, but Long’s sympathies are entirely genuine as he is a good friend of the injured Kevin Doyle who left the squad yesterday.

However, with the Wolves striker unavailable and Giovanni Trapattoni highly unlikely to deviate from his sacrosanct 4-4-2 that leaves just Long and Andy Keogh fighting it out to be Robbie Keane’s wing man in Zilina.

Keogh would have been the smart bet had Doyle left with a sick note a week ago. After all, the Cardiff forward has featured in games against Georgia, Bulgaria, Italy, Montenegro, Armenia and Andorra in recent times.

Long’s cameo has altered those odds.

“I feel like I have been playing well at club level and it was nice to get the nod on Friday,” said Long. “It was just a case of come on and give it your all and hope that it is enough.”

A start against Slovakia would be his first for Ireland since scoring his last international goal – one of a brace – against Denmark in August of 2007 and his first in a competitive context since his debut against San Marino six months earlier.

A regular squad member in the time since, he admits that such inactivity has been tough to deal with but accepts that his club form, which he feels has improved in 2010, had hardly merited anything else.

“I think at times you just fall out of favour at the club or you’re not playing as well as you can and you can’t put your finger on it. You are doing all the same things but it is just not happening on the pitch.

“I have pulled myself back together again and started since January really and played a lot of games since then. You learn a lot from playing games and I have improved as a player.”

Much of that he puts down to Brian McDermott who was made Reading manager at the start of 2010 after a decade at the club in which he filled various roles such as chief scout and manager of underage and reserve teams.

“Before he was manager he was a good friend as well and he has helped me out a lot since he has been in management. He took me aside and showed me a few different things and it is always nice to know that you have that backing from your manager.”

Though Long is happier with his game, the goals haven’t exactly been flowing apart from a five-week period early this year when he struck seven times, three of them in FA Cup ties against Liverpool and Aston Villa.

He would like to see himself as being a regular goalscorer but accepts that there is more to the role than claiming match balls and, in that, he need look no further than Doyle for the blueprint as to what is required.

The Wexford man can count his managers at club and international levels among his most ardent fans for a contribution that, at its best, allies ferocious workrate and selflessness with a threat in front of goal.

“I’m good friends with him. I played with Kevin at Reading for a long time as well and he’s kicked on to be one of the big strikers in the Premier League. It’s hard boots to fill. I’d like to follow in his footsteps and hopefully get myself to the highest league.”

Long would do well to ape Doyle’s experiences against the Slovaks as the absent front man scored a goal in both the home and away fixtures when the country’s met in the last European qualifying campaign.

Slovakia have since defeated Russia and also appeared and prospered in a World Cup, a tournament in which they displayed their tactical flexibility by using a 4-5-1 system as well as their trademark 4-4-2.

Russia’s use of the former formation added plentiful ammunition to those who say that the latter is outdated but Slovakia’s loss to Armenia in Yerevan has raised the stakes for the hosts as well as the visitors tomorrow.

“A draw will still be a decent result,” said Long. “We’ll try and win the game out there but if we draw it’s still a good result.”