Cox: I showed what I can do

SIMON COX knew what was being said.

He knew what the majority of people felt about his elevation into the starting 11 ahead of Shane Long and his performance would probably be measured with a more critical eye by the majority of those in the Aviva Stadium as a result.

Not that it seemed to bother him.

“I was pleased with my game,” said the West Brom reserve.

“Obviously, I haven’t played in a while. I went out there to give everything and leave everything on the pitch and make as many people as possible stand up and see what I could do.

“I saw the papers and that yesterday morning and if that’s what you guys want to write – to say that it was a bad choice to pick me or whatever – well, I showed what I can do.”

Cox was at the centre of the game’s defining moment, running on to Glenn Whelan’s hopeful punt and attempting a shot on goal over the advancing goalkeeper who was duly sent to the line for using his hands outside the box.

Or so it seemed at the time.

Subsequent viewings revealed a more complicated scenario once the heartbeat slowed and the green specs were removed and Cox admitted afterwards he knew less than everyone else despite his presence at the heart of matters.

“Whelo’s lifted the ball over and it’s brushed my arm. I’ve tried to lob the keeper as I’ve seen him coming out. Whether it’s hit his arm or not I don’t know. It was all a bit too quick for me. I just started appealing with everybody else. Maybe it was a bit of luck for us and a bit unlucky for them but we’ll take that in these sort of games.

“We’d rather take that sort of luck in the next game than this one. I think we would have come out with the right result in this game regardless of whether they went down to 10 men or not so if we were asked whether we’d rather that bit of luck in the next game instead of this one, we’d probably say yes.”

Could the free have gone the other way?

“If he’d given a free against me, I would have thought it was a bit harsh. It wasn’t a deliberate handball at all. I just tried to bring it down and if it brushed my arm – well, it did brush my arm but some you get, some you don’t. Obviously, I got that one and they didn’t.”

Whatever about the rights and wrongs, Cox did little of the latter on the night and the likelihood of another runout in the play-off next month looks good given Robbie Keane’s injury and Kevin Doyle’s suspension after last night’s red card.

Doyle was fuming at the second yellow that saw him walk.

“I accept the referee made a bad decision and maybe tried to even the game up,” he claimed.

“I wouldn’t like to go up and try and hurt someone in purpose, and I didn’t. He got up within five seconds.

“Obviously, I didn’t connect, maybe I glanced him and he hit my elbow. He went down, made a lot of noise and the referee bought it. You can’t jump with your hands by your side, I didn’t know he was there.”

Cox is ready to step into the breach. If required.

“If the manager chooses me, then great. If he chooses Johnny Walters or Shane Long, then I can’t complain. All I can do is what I did out there tonight – go out and empty the tank. I’ll be fully supportive of whatever decision the manager makes. We’re all singing from the same hymn-sheet here. We all want to get to the Euros and that’s all we care about.

“You give yourself the best possible chance every time you play and every time I’ve put on the green shirt I’ve given my best. Possibly with the lads being out, it gives the other lads and me a chance to get in there.”