Gibson’s rocket ignites Ireland

JAMES McCARTHY might have been cast in the Enda Kenny no-show role last night but there was no debate about the winning candidate at the Aviva Stadium, as a rocket to remember from Darron Gibson illuminated what, until then, had been a drab occasion and provided the first of three good reasons why a crowd of just 20,900 were, in the final analysis, glad they’d turned up for the inaugural Carling Nations Cup game.

Rolling back the years with an impressive display, Damien Duff added a second before Keith Fahey made it three with a precise free-kick, as Giovanni Trapattoni’s side equalled their best margin of victory to date, while his youthful Welsh counterpoint, Gary Speed, suffered a sobering introduction to international management.

Even more than the winning result, however, Giovanni Trapattoni will have been pleased with the confirmation that he now has an increased range of options at his disposal. Without ever being overly tested, Aston Villa’s Ciaran Clark acquitted himself well enough on his debut at left back while Stoke’s Jon Walters was a lively presence in the opposition box on just his second appearance in the green shirt.