King: I thought we acquitted ourselves well

Noel King’s first game in charge as Republic of Ireland caretaker manager saw the former Shamrock Rovers stalwart endure a baptism of fire at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne.

A questionable formation, playing Kevin Doyle and Glenn Whelan out of position and refusal to introduce any substitutes made for a disappointing first outing.

Only the brilliance of David Forde prevented a heavier defeat although King was anxious to concentrate on the positive aspects of Ireland’s display in his post match TV comments.