Martin O’Neill left to work off scraps

If last night’s concluding qualifier was to provide a glimpse into the future of Irish football, then it’s difficult to be optimistic.

Not so much the defeat to Poland gave cause for concern but the age profile of a team potentially awaiting another year for a competitive game should the play-offs not yield progression to next year’s European Championship finals.

Even without veterans Shay Given and Robbie Keane in the line-up, the average age of Ireland’s starting team amounted to near 28.