WATCH: We need winning mentality to avoid ‘recipe for disaster’, says Martin O'Neill

Ireland managers present and past, Martin O’Neill and Giovanni Trapattoni, would surely be in agreement about one thing going into tonight’s defining game against Bosnia at the Aviva Stadium.

Even with an away goal in the bag, the cat is most definitely not in the sack. At 1-1 and, notwithstanding Robbie Brady’s best effort in Zenica, this play-off is still balanced on a knife- edge, the idea that the home side might not need to score to progress, simply anathema to the current occupant of the hot seat.

“We have to try to win the game,” O’Neill declared at his pre-match press conference. “If we set out with any other sort of mindset, things might not work out for us. We have to put things into perspective: Bosnia are capable of scoring and could wipe out the advantage of our away goal within minutes of the game starting and suddenly then they’re on the front foot.

“If we think we can keep them out for 90 minutes and camp ourselves just outside our penalty area, I think that would be a recipe for disaster. We have to consider being on the front foot, genuinely, and going and trying to win this game.”

Ireland’s ability to do just that will, one suspects, hinge in some measure on the availability of players who were absent for the smash and grab raid in Zenica. In particular, the team’s lack of pace in the final third would be substantially remedied should Shane Long unexpectedly come back into the frame but, although there was the encouraging sight of him training yesterday – as did John O’Shea – it won’t be clear until shortly before kick off if he is fit to start or, indeed, play any part at all in tonight’s match.

Daryl Murphy has also emerged as an injury concern, although the decision to have him sit out training, following a kick to the calf muscle, was being described as purely precautionary.

The very welcome return of Jon Walters from suspension, however, means one less big selection conundrum for O’Neill.

“He epitomises the spirit in the side, he’s never say die and he’s come up with big goals for us as well,” said the manager. “He’s been pretty exceptional throughout the tournament and I couldn’t speak more highly of him.”

Another big boost is that, even though there were five Ireland players teetering on the edge of a punitive booking in Bosnia, none is out of the final chapter of the qualification saga.

“Now there’s no more games,” O’Neill smiled. “That’s the point, that’s the great thing about it. It doesn’t mean you can fly around and pick up a yellow card in the first two minutes. But, yes, it is nice to know that this is the last game and yellow cards no longer apply in terms of worrying about the next game.”

We will, of course, have to wait to see if O’Neill starts Wes Hoolahan in back-to-back games after he struggled to make an impact on Friday, just as we won’t know until the team sheets arrive tonight whether Stephen Ward retains his place after his own troubled outing in Zenica. When asked yesterday if he needed to do something to repair what had been a vulnerable left flank on Friday night, O’Neill deflected the question.

“I’m not likely to give it away this morning, I don’t want somebody getting a head start on us,” he said. “Stephen did fine, he hasn’t played much for Burnley. He’s a natural left back for us, left foot, nice player, has never let us down in the games where I’ve been involved. The fitness element is always something you have to take into consideration with him until he starts playing more regularly. But he played against Germany, did fine, came off in that game and I just didn’t think he would be able to turn it around quickly in the next couple of days (for Poland). But he didn’t feel too badly at all and I wouldn’t have any problems about playing him again if the need arises.”

One thing’s for sure - there will be no room for sentiment tonight. Should Ireland go out, this game could well mark a final bow for Robbie Keane and one or two others but, in selecting his team, such considerations will be far from O’Neill’s mind.

“That’s called tough luck,” he said. “I’m not going to put players in because it might be their last international game. I put them in hopefully on merit in the side and hopefully because the experience they have garnered over the last 10,12, 15 years could stand us in decent stead. That would be the reason.”

And to someone’s suggestions that the veterans might be motivated to turn a last stand into a new departure, he observed: “I think the motivation is there. If we get beaten here it won’t be through lack of trying. We might lack a few things in our side, but a bit of strength of character is there.

“The ultimate goal hasn’t changed - trying to get to France. If we can get the atmosphere we had against Germany that will serve us greatly. The crowd were terrific that night. I think they sensed the importance of events taking place right from the start, they knew how good Germany were. I suppose we had backs to the wall for periods of that game and they stayed very strong and kept us going. I think we would probably need that again.”

Probably. Bosnia are certainly no Germany but, if there’s a hard way to do things, an Irish football team will find it.

“It all boils down to this game,” said O’Neill. And so it does – and some of us won’t be surprised if a qualification campaign that has gone right down to the wire could yet go all the way to a penalty shoot-out.

Keep the stress-busting tablets close at hand.