VIDEO: Martin O’Neill: It will be nice not to worry about yellow cards tonight

Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill is far from complacent going into tonight’s crucial game at the Aviva Stadium, but admits it is nice to have at least one less worry than on Friday night.

Ireland travelled to Zenica to take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first leg of their Euro 2016 play-off game with several key players just one booking away from a match ban.

Everton defender Seamus Coleman, club mate James McCarthy and Norwich midfielder Wes Hoolahan all needed to stay out of trouble on Friday night and afterwards O’Neill praised the whole team for their discipline.

“Discipline is important,” he said. “I’ve said it before, you can pick up yellow cards for something innocuous during the course of a game and feel hard done by.

“But overall it was terrific. Because we did have a number of players, as did Bosnia, (in that position).

“There’s no more games, that’s the great thing about it.”

Although that’s not to say the cautious manager is giving the team permission to run riot during tonight’s second leg.

“It doesn’t mean that you can fly around and pick up a yellow card in the first two minutes,” O’Neill insisted.

“Obviously Stephen Ward picked up a yellow card and was on a bit of a knife edge for the last twenty minutes of the game.

“It is nice to clear it up, it is nice to know that this is the last game and yellow cards no longer apply in terms of worrying about the next game.”

O'Neill will be hoping his side can now finish the job they started with the 1-1 draw in Zenica on Friday.

Liam Mackey on Ireland v Bosnia at the Aviva Stadium.