Dunne forecasts good news for Ireland

Richard Dunne still sees a bright future for the Republic of Ireland despite a defeat to France which has darkened the outlook for Irish World Cup hopes.

Brian Kerr’s side face an uphill struggle to qualify for next summer’s World Cup finals following last night’s 1-0 defeat to France at Lansdowne Road.

Nothing less than six points will do from their remaining two Group Four matches, against Cyprus in Nicosia on October 8 and then at home to Switzerland four days later.

That should be good enough to clinch a play-off place but as has become customary for a group that has provided many ups and downs, the rollercoaster ride is far from over.

Centre-back Dunne, starting his first competitive match for the Republic in four years, did not deserve to be on the losing side with his stand-out performance merely an extension of what he has been producing for Manchester City recently.

It was rough justice on Dunne and the rest of the Ireland team who deserved a draw but were beaten by a curling effort from 20 yards by Arsenal striker Thierry in the 68th minute.

“It was a bit of a nothing game, and then Henry goes and puts one in the top corner,” assessed Dunne.

“We’ve all seen him do things like that before, and it’s something you have to be aware of for 90 minutes. You have to watch him for the whole game.

“But with players of Henry’s quality able to put the ball away like that, it’s hard to defend against.

“Unfortunately, they had the man to do it, and we didn’t.

“I still don’t think we should have lost but then we shouldn’t have won either. A draw would have been a fair result.

“A defeat makes things difficult but it’s still in our own hands. It’s not all doom and gloom.

“We know we can go to Cyprus and win, and we can beat Switzerland. Everybody knows that. It’s just a case of doing it on the night.

“We just have to get this one out of our mind, look forward and get everyone behind us.

“We can’t dwell on this too long. This was billed as the biggest game for a long time, and now it’s the same situation for next month.

“Cyprus becomes the biggest game, and if we win that, then we move on to the Swiss.

“We had to win our remaining games anyway before this. It just means we have to win the last two now and hopefully that will mean a play-off place.

“I can’t see us topping the group. I expect France to go on and win it. Maybe the best thing for us is for France to beat Switzerland, and then we beat the Swiss.

“It will be us through then. We’ll be second and then we have to hope for the luck of the draw.”

Ireland’s problems are compounded by the fact they will be without suspended trio Roy Keane, Andy Reid and Clinton Morrison for the game in Cyprus after they were all booked last night.

“Anybody who is in the squad is capable of playing and doing good things for us,” insisted Dunne.

“Whoever plays, that won’t be detrimental to the team. It’s a chance for players to come in, just like this was a chance for me, and hopefully they will grab it.”

Despite his performance and after ousting Andy O’Brien from the side, Dunne is unsure whether he has done enough to keep his place for the clash with the Cypriots.

“With it being my first game for so long and us losing, you don’t know how the manager looks at it,” said the 25-year-old.

“On a personal level I thought I did quite well. I see it as a reward for the way I’ve been playing for City, and I played like I’ve been playing for City for some time now.

“I know I’m a better player now than compared to my last [competitive] appearance four years ago, by a good distance. I feel I’m more mature, fitter and confident.”