Martin O’Neill: England game an appetiser to main event

Martin O’Neill is hoping that changed times will mean England’s visit to the Aviva Stadium on Sunday will be a very different kind of experience to the last sighting of the Three Lions at Lansdowne Road.

But, as the Irish squad began their preparations at a wet and windy Gannon Park yesterday, the manager was not about to lose sight of how even this high-profile friendly is still only a stepping stone to the real goal of beating Scotland in a vital European Championship the following week.

“It’s 20 years ago since the last debacle,” said the Ireland manager. “I call it a debacle because that’s exactly what it was. Hopefully life has moved on since then and of course it’s a big game and obviously has historic interest.”