I wanted to show I wasn’t a quitter, says Alan Judge

Alan Judge didn’t think it would take until he was hitting 30 for his big Lansdowne Road moment to arrive but there were spells it looked beyond him.

Ireland’s late matchwinner in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over USA hadn’t even been included in Martin O’Neill’s original extended squad, increasing the sense of joy after smashing home within two minutes of entering the fray as Ireland’s final substitute.

This time two years ago, Judge was a frustrated figure, laid up with that very left leg in plaster.