‘Perfect’ return game, says Dunne

There were no adverse reactions in the immediate aftermath of his 25-minute cameo, but Richard Dunne last night admitted he’s not sure whether he will be fit enough to participate in Friday night’s qualifier at home to the Faroe Islands.

The defensive stalwart was delighted to get back on the field in what he called the “perfect game to return”, but despite Giovanni Trapattoni hinting he is in with a shout for a starting role against the Faroes, Dunne was less certain.

“It was nice to be back involved. I felt grand, it was just nice to be back in situations,” he said. “We haven’t spoken about Friday yet. There’s ongoing rehab that I have to do.

“I’ll have a chat with the doctor tomorrow and take it from there. It would be brilliant but it’s been so long, I don’t know. I might be stiff and sore in the morning. I’m delighted to just be back, to get more games would be brilliant.”

The loudest cheer of the evening was reserved for Dunne’s introduction, an ovation which the 33-year-old described as ‘really special’.

“It was nice after a year out to get a welcome like that. It means a lot to me to be back playing and for the fans to do that was really special. Hopefully it’s the end of a bad season.”

Prior to Dunne’s introduction, most eyes were trained on Wes Hoolahan. He lasted 75 minutes before being withdrawn for debutant Stephen Quinn and despite being happy with how he performed, the Norwich City midfielder refused to expand beyond ‘hopeful’ with regard to his chances of a starting role come Friday.

“It was a good performance, the lads were great and it was a good win in the end. It’s nice to get my first start and it was nice to get on the ball.

“It helped that they went down to 10 men as well, so we had a lot of time and we created a lot of chances. In the second-half especially, we looked quite strong going forward.”

As for starting Friday: “Hopefully. You just want to keep doing well and hopefully I’ll do well in training this week. If I’m called upon I’ll do a good job.”

Robbie Keane, meanwhile, feels that although Georgia being reduced to 10-men killed the game as a spectacle, it served as good preparation. With the Faroes likely to park the proverbial bus from the start, Giorgi Loria’s red card provided Ireland with an opportunity to, as Keane put it, work the gaps.

He said: “In respect of the Faroes game, with them getting a man sent off, it probably did help us because what they did in stepping back is exactly what the Faroes will do. We had to move it quickly, and work the gaps to score goals. That was the case tonight, so if we can repeat that, it will be great.

“It will be exactly like that on Friday.”