King: I can hold my head high

Noel King’s two-game run as interim Republic of Ireland manager ended with a welcome if unconvincing 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan in front of a paltry attendance at the Aviva Stadium.

King deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation and recalled Andy Reid to play behind lone striker Robbie Keane but a disjointed display coupled with Kevin Doyle and Anthony Stoke’s inability to make an impact on either wing made for frustrating viewing.

Yet the Irish U21 coach’s pride at overseeing the senior sides’ fourth victory of an ultimately fruitless World Cup qualifying campaign was evident from his post-match comments.

“I’m delighted with that. The players were fantastic, passed the ball very well even though we didn’t get the passing right every time. Whenever we got the ball we used it quite well and I’m very proud of the player’s effort,” he said.

“The players put on a marvellous, marvellous performance tonight. I can walk around Dublin with my head held high. Look at the chances created. We scored three goals, created chances and played well. That’s all you can ask for.”

Man of the match James McCarthy was relieved to end the campaign on a high.

“It was always going to be tough against Kazakhstan as they got numbers behind the ball and made it difficult for us. The main thing was that we bounced back from Cologne, scored three goals and ended the campaign on a high”.

McCarthy also took time to wish Darron Gibson all the best in his recovery after his Everton team-mate was forced off with a suspected knee ligament damage

“It was difficult after Darron’s injury and fingers crossed he is not too bad. It could be a blow for both club and country so we all wish him a speedy recovery.”

John O’Shea hailed Ireland’s “fantastic” response to the concession of an early goal.

“We would have liked a clean sheet but it was a hell of a strike from the lad to put us a goal behind, but I thought the reaction straight away from the lads was fantastic,” he said.

“Noel said to us beforehand that whatever happens, if they score a great goal or whatever, keep your heads up and play properly. We got the rewards from it and we could have scored even more.”

Looking to the future and what sort of manager he would like to take over on a permanent basis, the Sunderland defender said: “We want someone positive, we want someone who knows us all.

“Who ever gets it, gets it, and they know they’ll have a good group of lads to work from and a team that’s hungry to qualify for the next European Championships.”