Conor Hourihane looks to add goal threat to Ireland

We’re just seven years shy of a century since a side representing the 26 counties first played international football and in all that time, only one midfielder has broken double figures when it comes to scoring goals.

So take a bow Gerry Daly, the Cabra man whose 12-club career across almost two decades from the early 70s took in everything from a few years with Manchester United to a pair of spells with the New England Tea Men and an end note at Telford United.

Daly hit the net 13 times for his country in just 48 games. That’s even more impressive when put in context. The 16 midfielders named in Martin O’Neill’s current squad, for example, have managed 27 between them on the back of a combined 470 caps.