Last throw of dice in October

Out of luck and in need of favours, another critical October beckons for Martin O’Neill but this time it’s different.

A campaign which started with a bang is chugging along at a whimper and requires something unprecedented to be retrieved.

This time two years ago in their pursuit of Scotland for a Euro play-off spot, Martin O’Neill insisted Ireland needed to beat either Germany or Poland in their remaining two games to succeed. On this occasion, the full complement of six points are required from the matches against Moldova and Wales.