It's rare for me to miss watching an Ireland game live, but that was the case in September as weekend camping tickets purchased for the 2015 Electric Picnic meant I spent the night of September 4th standing in a field in Laois with RTE's live commentary from Faro in one ear, and the Coronas playing on the main stage in the other. The 4-0 win was eclipsed by the much more meaningful result that night in Georgia, where a first half goal from Valeri Qazaishvili gave the Republic a fighting chance to get out of Group D.
One unforgettable night in October later, where I was privileged to witness the lowest ranked side ever to beat the reigning world champions, meant that the final result in Warsaw would not knock us out, no matter how many goals Scotland mustered against Gibraltar. Two world class performances in a row were beyond the team, and in truth the loss to Poland was deserved, even if we were a more powerful header from Richard Keogh away from getting the 2-2 draw that would have meant automatic qualification, and instead faced the lottery of the play offs.
November was a nervy month, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as some of the qualified sides proudly modelled their new strips to be worn at the Championships in France, while we waited to see what team from the top seeds we would be drawn against. I didn't want Ukraine, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Sweden were much of a muchness, with Hungary very much the preferred side. Ultimately we were drawn to face Bosnia & Herzegovina, a team very much in our own mould - hard working with a selection of top class talent. Some bizarre early results in qualifying, including losing to Cyprus at home, had cost them automatic qualification but they were in the top seeds for a reason, and were expected to qualify.
On an extremely foggy night in Zenica, so bad in fact that the opening goal didn't register with the fans, the commentary team and the entirety of the bar where I watched it for about 15 seconds, Ireland emerged with a creditable draw, meaning it was still very much all to play for in the return leg in Aviva stadium. While the Germany qualifier had seen a return of the famed Lansdowne Roar following Shane Long's goal and the final whistle in that game, the reaction of the crowd to this fixture was on another level. With a capacity crowd behind the team for the first time in a long time, qualification for the second consecutive European Championships was assured courtesy of a Jonathan Walters brace.
I've never enjoyed a new year after a failed qualification campaign, knowing that the next meaningful international won't be played until the following September, but facing into a tournament in June adds extra meaning to the upcoming friendlies against Switzerland, Slovenia and the Netherlands. Will any uncapped player put his hand up for selection in the final squad, as James McClean, Steven Reid, Jason McAteer and Phil Babb have done in the past, will the team be able to achieve their first win at a European Championship since 1988, will the terror attacks in Paris cast a shadow over the tournament, will I get tickets for all the games?? I look forward to it all!
Highlights:
On an extremely foggy night in Zenica, so bad in fact that the opening goal didn't register with the fans, the commentary team and the entirety of the bar where I watched it for about 15 seconds, Ireland emerged with a creditable draw, meaning it was still very much all to play for in the return leg in Aviva stadium. While the Germany qualifier had seen a return of the famed Lansdowne Roar following Shane Long's goal and the final whistle in that game, the reaction of the crowd to this fixture was on another level. With a capacity crowd behind the team for the first time in a long time, qualification for the second consecutive European Championships was assured courtesy of a Jonathan Walters brace.
I've never enjoyed a new year after a failed qualification campaign, knowing that the next meaningful international won't be played until the following September, but facing into a tournament in June adds extra meaning to the upcoming friendlies against Switzerland, Slovenia and the Netherlands. Will any uncapped player put his hand up for selection in the final squad, as James McClean, Steven Reid, Jason McAteer and Phil Babb have done in the past, will the team be able to achieve their first win at a European Championship since 1988, will the terror attacks in Paris cast a shadow over the tournament, will I get tickets for all the games?? I look forward to it all!
Highlights:
- Shane Long's goal against Germany
- Qualification for Euro 2016
- James McClean's summer transfer
- The form of Alan Judge for Brentford
- The transfer of Richie Towell to Brighton and Hove Albion
- Jack Byrne and Ian Lawlor getting first team experience at SC Cambuur and Barnet, respectively
- The emergence of Josh Cullen at West Ham
- The further down the slide career form of Conor Henderson, Conor Clifford and Anthony Stokes
- Reece Grego Cox and Sean Kavanagh going from squad regulars in 2014/15 to three appearances between them in 2015/16
- The loss of Jack Grealish and Marcus Agyei-Tabi to England
- Aiden McGeady yet to make a league appearance for Everton this season, he's made more appearances for Ireland than the Toffees in 2015/16
- Tommy Hoban, Connor Smith and Sean Murray unable to get Premier League experience in a completely reformed Watford squad
- Some first team experience for the Irish players in the setup at Liverpool - Conor Masterson, Daniel Cleary, Alex O'Hanlon and Corey Whelan
- The emergence of another goalscorer for the senior team
- More competition at left full back
- Qualification for the following underage sides:
- The U17s in the Elite Phase of the U17 European Championships in Poland in March
- The U21s in the second half of their qualifiers
- The ladies' U19s in the Elite phase of the U19 Championships here in Ireland in March
