FAI chief retains hope Ireland can set up ‘a big October’

FAI boss John Delaney is confident Ireland can still set up what he calls “a big October” in their current European Championship qualifying campaign.

Fourth in the group, Martin O’Neill’s men play back-to-back games against Gibraltar and Georgia next month and, with Delaney expecting points to be dropped among Ireland’s rivals in the same period, he reckons six points from the matches in Faro and Dublin will put the Boys in Green firmly back in contention for a shot at qualifying for France in 2016.

“They are very big games, Gibraltar away and Georgia at home,” he said at the official opening of the all-weather facility at Mounthawk Park in Tralee. “We will have to look for maximum points, obviously. But at that juncture Georgia are hosting Scotland, Scotland are hosting Germany and Germany host Poland.