Issues remain but time has come for Stephen Kenny's Ireland to deliver

Serbia possesses quality but remain an unknown quantity. With a new manager and Euro2020 disappointment fresh on their minds, they are Ireland's first World Cup opponents in the latest qualification process 

A view of Ireland squad training at the Stadion Rajko Mitic in Belgrade yesterday. Picture: INPHO/Nikola Krstic

Stephen Kenny will be four days shy of a year in the post of senior Republic of Ireland manager by the time this latest international window closes with a glorified but far from glamorous friendly against Qatar in Hungary next Tuesday.

A quarter of this latest World Cup qualifying campaign will be done by then, Saturday’s home game against Luxembourg banked and tonight’s opener away to Serbia already consigned along with it to the history books before Portugal and Azerbaijan merit a first mention.