Stephen Ward: 'The buzz around the squad is outstanding'

"It's great to finally be here. It's been a good camp so far and we are all looking forward to Monday."

Stephen Ward is confident the Republic of Ireland's preparations for Euro 2016 will send them into battle in exactly the right frame of mind to exorcise the ghosts of Poland.

Four years ago, Ward and his team-mates travelled to eastern Europe with high hopes of making an impression, only to fall at the first hurdle having failed to collect a single point from group clashes with Croatia and eventual finalists Spain and Italy.