We miss hitman Keane, admits O’Neill

Not for the first time, an Ireland manager was left to rue missed chances, after Turkey followed the example of Serbia to inflict a second 2-1 home defeat in succession at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday.

And not for the first time either, an Ireland manager was left to ponder the difference the presence of the country’s record-breaking goalscorer might have made.

When I asked Martin O’Neill if Sunday’s game had reinforced for him the sense that Robbie Keane, assuming he stays fit and in form, can still have a big role to play in Ireland’s Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, the manager’s response was unequivocal.