‘I know we can go to Wales and win’

Extricating themselves from sticky situations has been the hallmark of the current Ireland regime and assistant manager Roy Keane set the tone on Tuesday night when confronted with the notion of this campaign going awry.

Keane’s opinions on the blazer and corporate sections within football have been well vented in the past and addressing those privileged to receive hospitability in the VIP lounge of Lansdowne Road in the aftermath of their defeat to Serbia, his words and tenor spoke of a man determined to turn things around.

A caustic reply was retorted to the host’s contention that the road to Russia had been derailed in the past week. One point from six may have dropped Ireland back to third spot, yet the attainment of six from the concluding pair of qualifiers against Moldova and Wales to clinch a play-off berth is well with the team’s capabilities, according to the Corkman.

While Martin O’Neill couldn’t perform a three-card trick by adding Serbia to his previous must-win triumphs against Germany and Italy, another ultimate challenge awaits in Cardiff on October 9. The cup nature dynamic surrounding a shoot-out against the Welsh for a play-off is what Irish players have become accustomed to.

“We’ll have to reach the World Cup the hard way — which is the way we’re well used to by now,” said striker Shane Long.

“It’s that not ago that we were in the same position. People should remember the Italy game at the Euros. The questions was asked of us and we stood up to win, as we normally do.

“It’s still in our own hands. First up we have to beat Moldova at home and then head to Cardiff. I know we can go to Wales and win.”

Long, who has scored just once in a campaign blighted by Ireland’s lack of firepower, felt they were unlucky not to take a point off the Group D leaders.

“Our performance was much improved from Georgia but we didn’t get anything from the game,” the 30-year-old admitted. “There wasn’t a whole lot we did wrong in the match — their winner was a superb strike — but we probably didn’t create enough chances to score.

“Maybe our lucky will change. We’ll take lessons from these two games, for myself I’ve to try get more minutes on the pitch at Southampton, and we move on to next month’s matches.”

Though the permutations regarding the exclusion of the one second-placed team across nine groups from

the play-offs are plentiful, David Meyler considers the equation simple.

The Corkman will now be favourite to feature from the start of the double-header after his delivered a far more effective performance on Tuesday that the midfielder he replaced, Glenn Whelan, had in Georgia. With a similar steel to his fellow Leesider Keane, Meyler vowed to battle on in pursuit of extending their qualification quest into the November play-offs.

“Two wins puts us on 19 points and let’s see where that takes us,” noted the Hull City man.

“Losing to Serbia was disappointing but we’ve bounced back in the past during the Euros and have the characters in the squad to do it again from this situation.

“After not getting what we deserved from the Serbia game, we can’t have any regrets. Sometimes that happens in football.

“The hunger and desire is there now to go and win these two games. They’ll be tough but I believe we’ll win them. This campaign is not dead for us.”

Keane would approve of those sentiments.