Goals no priority for Cunningham

Republic of Ireland captain Kenny Cunningham has warned fans not to expect an avalanche of goals as the pressure mounts on boss Brian Kerr’s squad in their World Cup campaign.

The Faroe Islands go into tonight’s Group Four showdown on a bumpy pitch at the Torsvollur stadium in Torshavn with nothing to lose, in stark contrast to the task facing Ireland.

While the merits of playing against such sides in qualifying competitions has long been debated, for players like Cunningham and his Irish team-mates, games like these are where their mettle and resolve are truly tested.

There will be none of the comforts of a plush Premiership stadium, and with Ireland having thrown away a two-goal lead against Israel at the weekend, playing a team like the Faroe Islands serves as a true barometer of a team’s quality and desire.

“We know we’re expected to win, which brings a fair amount of pressure,” said Cunningham, “but we’ve found ourselves in this situation before, so it’s not alien to the players and is something we should be able to cope with.

“But people have to realise international football is getting a lot more competitive. I think the more experience these so-called minnows are getting, the more difficult they are becoming to beat.

“Their players are in European leagues gaining experience, becoming more professional.

“We will be up against a very well organised side, and that’s reflected in the scorelines these days. It’s very rare you see eight or nine-nil results.

“If there’s an avalanche of goals then that would be fantastic, but as players that’s not what we have been talking about.

“We’ve been talking about being hard to beat, giving away very few opportunities and being brave enough to get on the ball all over the pitch.

“Invariably, the majority of the time it’s about being patient, being positive with our passing, looking to get on the ball and dictate things, and in the last third, being as inventive as we can.

“We do feel we have the individual players who can win games for us, so it’s a case of getting those players on the ball so they can make a difference.

“But we will also give them the respect they deserve because although in international football terms they’re a very young side, we know any point they gain will be viewed as a huge success.”

While Kerr is simply looking for his players “to do a job” against the Faroes, rather than play pretty football, Cunningham is adamant it is no use trying to ‘win ugly’ either.

“It’s easy to say the result is all that matters,” added Cunningham.

“Ultimately it’s by playing the way I have already mentioned that you create chances, score goals and win games.

“If you are playing ugly football then eventually you are going to come unstuck, so hopefully we will be positive in our approach and I think we will because there’s still a lot of disappointment lingering from the game on Saturday.

“We have an opportunity to rectify that, and if we can do that then it will ease the disappointment of the points dropped at the weekend.

“So we just have to make sure we’re professional in our approach, stay focused, keep our concentration and get the result we need.”

Midfielder Roy Keane and right-back Stephen Carr return from the suspensions they served against Israel on Saturday, with the likelihood John O’Shea will switch from right-back to central defence to accommodate the loss of Andy O’Brien who was sent off in that game.

In attack, Robbie Keane is out with a shoulder injury, and yesterday Clinton Morrison sustained a lower-back problem late on in training and is a doubt, although Kerr insists he will be fit.