Martin O’Neill’s early Christmas cheer at Euro 2016 progress

Martin O’Neill believes his team’s Euro qualification prevented a pre-Christmas gloom descending on the Irish public given the disappointment of the recent Rugby World Cup.

Monday night’s play-off victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina ensured Ireland will be represented at European football’s biggest international event next summer for only the third time in history.

Jubilation inside the 50,000-capacity Aviva stadium has since been replicated around the country, with an estimated 30,000 fans expected to travel to France for the showpiece in June.

This time last month, the nation was reeling from the shock exit of Joe Schmidt’s team from the World Cup at the quarter-final stage to Argentina, all the more gruelling given the talk of potential silverware beforehand.

“I know these sporting events can sometimes get a bit overplayed,” O’Neill told Newstalk last night.

“But with the disappointment of the rugby side, where there was a great opportunity of giving a boost to the people.

“I’m not saying it was disappointment from not winning the tournament, as that was always going to be difficult, but perhaps it was their best ever opportunity of getting into the semi-final.

“With that wee bit of disappointment, it felt like taking the baton on and if we hadn’t of made it, there might have been a lot of drudgery around Christmas time.

“I will obviously look forward to Christmas myself now with greater relish than I thought we might have been.

“Not that I didn’t believe it for a moment but let’s say in June time I thought we needed to win some matches. We did that in the last few months and have now qualified.”

When third-placed Scotland opened up a two-point gap, effectively three on the head-to-head record, with four qualifiers to go, it seemed Ireland’s qualification hopes, as well as the future of the O’Neill/Roy Keane axis, was doomed.

According to the Derryman, however, a big result against one of the top two in the group, coupled with a Scottish wobble, carried potential for a play-off to be snaffled.

“I wasn’t especially pleased when the draw was made,” O’Neill outlined. “There were other groups at that stage we could have ended up in.

“When it fell to Germany, Poland and a resurgent Scotland under Gordon Strachan, it put me on the back foot for 20 minutes. But then I thought let’s get on with this here and see what we can do.

“After we’d lost to Scotland at Celtic Park a year ago, it appeared, from an Irish viewpoint, to be a total disaster and of course it wasn’t.

“We still had to respond at home, to both Poland and Scotland, if we could, so I didn’t want to feel the doom and gloom that was around.

“But it was nothing in comparison to what happened when we drew with Scotland in June time.

“People were out saying it was all over and it wasn’t just blind bravado from me thinking that it wasn’t over.

“I’ve been involved in these tournaments as a player and manager and realise there are always twists and turns.

“Having opened by winning a big tie in Georgia, I knew Scotland still had to go there which wouldn’t be easy.

“Even when Scotland lost, it meant we still had to get a big result at home to Germany or away to Poland to still stay in the competition. That’s what we did.”

Looking ahead to the finals, O’Neill emphasised that match-sharpness will be at the fore of his selection criteria.

Roy Keane indicated that a 23-man squad, rather than a provisional panel, will be picked and stuck to.

“Players need time on the field and these next few months,” he affirmed. “After Christmas and the lead up to France, players do need to play and fitness does play on your mind.

“For instance, the likes of Aiden McGeady and Darron Gibson who haven’t had much playing time for Everton. McGeady was a massive part in the early part (of the qualification process) and we owe him an awful lot.

“His winner in Georgia was fantastic, giving us a massive three points, and I don’t forget those particular things. But players need to get time on the field as it’s important for fitness and confidence and the higher you’re playing, the more confident you will be coming into a tournament.

“One or two players in and around the squad have been excellent in their approach and loyalty, for want of a better word.

“We have some friendlies coming up in March and it might be a case in one of those games that they take an opportunity.

“Every single minute you’re on the pitch in those games, take your opportunity because these might not come around too often. I have to make judgments on club form and I will attend a lot of games in the next few months.”