Daryl Murphy grateful for Mick McCarthy’s help

Flashback to the eve of Ireland against England in Suttgart at Euro ‘88: In those more easy-going days, when the media shared hotels with the players, an Irish journalist was passing by a partially opened room door when — just before it abruptly slammed shut —he caught a tantalising glimpse of a player, swathed in bandages, being furiously worked on by physio Mick Byrne.

This turned out to be Mick McCarthy, who duly took his place in the Neckarstadion the following day to help Ireland make history by winning 1-0 in their debut appearance at the finals of the European Championships.

Only later would McCarthy reveal how perilously close he had come to missing the match because of paralysing muscle spasms.