Chance to put Germany rout right excites O’Shea

John O’Shea reckons his Sunderland team gave it “a good shot” in the Capital One Cup final but, after finishing up with a loser’s medal on the back of that 3-1 defeat by Manchester City, he can’t disguise his relief at being able to switch focus, not just to tonight’s game against Serbia, but to the European Championship 2016 qualifying campaign.

“Very excited,” is how he feels about Ireland’s draw. “It brings everything into focus when you see the teams we’ll face. It will come around very quick.”

O’Shea insists that, after that 6-1 World Cup hammering in Dublin under Giovanni Trapattoni, he is relishing the chance to try to set the record straight against Germany.