Shane Duffy: Camp cohesion can get Ireland back on World Cup track

Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, left, and Shane Duffy following the international friendly draw with Hungary. Picture: Alex Nicodim/Sportsfile

One win in 13 typically isn’t a record to shout about but Shane Duffy insists the stalemate in Hungary on Tuesday showed Ireland are on the rise and capable of shocking their World Cup qualification rivals.

It would definitely cause tremors in Group A were Stephen Kenny to recoup a seven-point deficit on Serbia and Portugal by the campaign’s conclusion in November, yet the giant defender says there’s life left in Ireland’s crusade to Qatar.

Duffy has reason to be cheerful. The smile was back on his face, and the endorphins flowing throughout his body, following his first 90 minutes since February.

The beginning of the end of his loan spell at Celtic started once he was dropped after a 2-1 home defeat to St Johnstone.

Kenny showed no mercy to his stand-in captain a few weeks later either, culling him from an Ireland XI for the first time since Euro 2016 when the World Cup campaign began in Serbia.

With newly appointed deputy skipper John Egan and Dara O’Shea unquestionably Kenny’s preferred central-defensive pairing, and Newcastle United regular Ciaran Clark slightly behind in the pecking order, Duffy couldn’t afford to fluff his opportunity alongside the first-choice duo in a three-man unit.

His was deemed the finest performance from an Irish player by RTÉ pundit Kenny Cunningham. Duffy wouldn’t even allow a bout of cramp setting in with 20 minutes left to halt his audition for the qualifiers against Portugal, Azerbaijan and Serbia in September.

“I feel that I’ve had a year off, not playing my best stuff, so it was great to be out there helping the team get a result,” said the Brighton and Hove Albion defender.

I’m realistic and not stupid. I haven’t kicked a ball since February, so I’m grateful to the manager for just keeping me in the squad.

“I didn’t plan for the season to go as it did. There were setbacks but I’m big and ugly enough to deal with them and come out the other side. Mentally, I’ve turned a page and I’m not going to stop now.”

It will take more than last Thursday’s 4-1 win over minnows Andorra and a draw with an understrength Hungary side for a similar transformation of Kenny’s fortunes to be confirmed.

Still, Duffy is confident the pain of that 11-match winless run — including qualification defeats to Serbia and Luxembourg — can be eased further when the competitive business resumes in 10 weeks.

The Derry native cites the benefits accrued from their end-of-season camp in Spain as integral to better cohesion on and off the pitch.

“We’ve only played a couple of fixtures in the campaign so it would be stupid to write us off already,” he reasons.

“We fully believe the manager has the right thing going here and with a little bit of luck with players and Covid-19, we can kick on. It was probably the best 10 days in a long time that we had together. We really bonded, getting to do a lot more things together than what we had since Stephen took over last year.

“Hopefully we’re just getting going. It’s about turning the performances and results and shocking a few teams.”