Adam Idah: ‘There is so much more that we can give’

MORE TO COME: Adam Idah has every confidence he and Evan Ferguson can combine to lift Ireland from the rut they’ve descended into. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Adam Idah has every confidence he and Evan Ferguson can combine to lift Ireland from the rut they’ve descended into.

Another failed campaign signals the imminent cessation of Stephen Kenny’s reign and it will be 10 months before a new manager sees competitive games when the Nations League starts next September.

Goals at both ends have been costly in Ireland’s demise but another blank brought the tally to half of the eight Euro qualifiers they contested this year.

Ferguson, at just 19, has the weight of the nation resting on his shoulders after exploding onto the Premier League scene.

Injuries caught up with the Brighton man in Amsterdam on Saturday when a hamstring problem compounded the back issues he’d come into camp with and he made way shortly after the interval.

Norwich City striker Idah believes the array of talent exists to share that goalscoring burden when the era commences for 2024.

“There is so much more that we can give and many more years where we can play together,” the Corkman said of striking a partnership with Ferguson.

“Everyone knows Ev is a top-class player and he’s unbelievable to play with for a young lad.

“But I think overall our attacking unit as a team is unbelievable. We’ve still got Troy Parrott, Callum Robinson, Michael Obafemi and Will Keane; loads of players that we can roll out.” 

Just once – in the away defeat to Greece – have Ferguson and Idah being paired together. That’s primarily down to be known as similar options in Kenny’s preferred system containing one striker.

As his junior is carrying a knock, and changes were always likely for this low-key friendly, Idah is the most likely to start against New Zealand tomorrow.

Nathan Collins, too, appears to be out after he left the Johan Cruyff ArenA on crutches after hobbling off late on.

This is pedestrian fare in the context of the leap Ireland must make to be part of the qualification equation for future tournaments.

Plummeting to 58 in FIFA’s rankings means the consequence of drawing major forces like the French and Dutch again will prolong.

Idah knows Ireland must produce something special to end the tournament drought that will at least stretch to a decade for the World Cup.

“I’ve been in the squad nearly three years now and I still have plenty of years to go,” he reasoned about the stage of his generation’s development.

“Qualifying for big tournaments is the main goal by the end of our careers. We need wins against these big teams. Even if it’s just holding out for a point it makes such a big difference at the end of the day. It’s something that we all know. Now that we have experienced it, we try to move on from that.”