When Austria hammered Ireland in 1971 it put paid to League of Ireland argument

“I thought that was a friendly,” Paddy Mulligan mutters, when recalling the events of Sunday, October 10, 1971.

The memory is understandably a little hazy — Mulligan did win 50 Ireland caps — but every other detail of events in Linz are crystal clear. Maybe his mind just wanted to water down the impact of one of the darkest days in Irish international football history.

Austria smashed six goals without reply past Ireland. Liam Tuohy’s first game as manager stands as Ireland’s worst European Championship result, with Mulligan the only non-League of Ireland player lining out for the boys in green.