Healthy lifestyle paying dividend for Shay Given

Whilst his lack of game-time at Stoke City carries its own concerns into his Ireland situation, Shay Given has cracked the formula for lifting his legacy into the realm of the great Dino Zoff.

The Italian was 40 when hoisting the 1982 World Cup, the same age Given will be should Ireland negotiate their way to next year’s European Championship in France, whether it be automatically over the upcoming five days or through next month’s play-off route.

It is games like the visit of the world champions on Thursday that convinced Given to revise his post-Euro 2012 retirement into a temporary stay from the scene he first entered in 1996.