By Ade O`Connor
May 1 2003

A meaningless friendly it was not, Ireland’s win against Norway on Wednesday night brought out so many positives for Kerr’s men. From a new formation, to the rising of Richard Dunne, Brian Kerr must be delighted with the mode in which his team displayed against a tough outfit, on his Dublin debut. The Irish claimed a 1-0 victory, but it was so much more than the result, which cheered the loyal supporters at Lansdowne Road. Damien Duff snatched the only score in the match after 19 minutes, following a rebound from his own header off a Norwegian defender.

Duff was part of a Brian Kerr experiment, by playing just behind the front pairing, in a 4-3-1-2 formation. The new role worked very well, Duff finding he could drop deep to pick up the ball and run at the defenders on regular intervals.

Indeed, the Blackburn Rover was in scintillating form all evening, following his six goals in his last ten Premiership appearances. The Scandinavians failed to cope with the dribbling of the starlet, as he supplied the firepower for many of the Republic’s attacking moves.

Although the Norse men were not without their chances, including Gary Breen testing Shay Given was a dodgy header back to goal. Given was reached his 50th cap in an Ireland jersey, only the second in Ireland’s history, following Packie Bonner into the record books.

Nick Colgan of Hibernian replaced the Newcastle shot stopper on 60 minutes, after being promoted to number two due to Dean Kiely’s retirement from international football.

Colgan wasted no time in impressing, as he pulled off three impressive saves to keep Ireland in the lead of the game. Goalkeeper Colgan was just one of so many positives in a quality passing affair at Lansdowne Road.

Rejuvenated Richard Dunne had an excellent game at centre back, always seeming in control of the highly rated John Carew. Dunne marshalled the defence, putting in fine tackles and some impressive balls forward from defence.

This can only do his chances of making the next squad greater, as he proves that he is more than a wasted talent. However, the Manchester City man will have to wait his turn in the starting eleven, as Ireland look forward to welcoming back Kenny Cunningham, John O`Shea and Andy O`Brien.

It is hard to comprehend the true squad depth now enjoyed by Kerr, with so many youngsters making such a sound impression, Kerr faces somewhat of a selection headache in future.

Elsewhere on the park, David Connolly gained a starting berth for the first time in eighteen months, Kerr assessing the cover for his star front men. The Wimbledon hotshot did not disappoint, willing to drop back in search of the ball, and linking up well with Keane and Duff.

Many a time in previous years, Connolly had come on the field only to flop and disappoint, however inspired in front of an empty ground at Wimbledon, Connolly has converted himself into a potential Premiership player.

Steve Carr also put in a quality performance at right back, returning to Lansdowne Road after so long out with various injuries. Carr can afford to be proud of his forward runs, always looking dangerous, and at one stage even hitting the woodwork.

The game only had a single goal in it, but the Republic created so much and was often rewarded for their patient build up play. One move involving twenty-two passes before a shot on target from Mark Kinsella was most notable.

A three man Irish midfield was made to work all night, to compete with a packed midfield from Norway. Although, to their credit, Matt Holland, Mark Kinsella and Kevin Kilbane coped without too much trouble.

The performance of Kevin Kilbane deserves particular praise, constantly breaking from the midfield, beating his opposite number to start an attacking move. Captain Holland also turned out a decent performance, perhaps helping Ireland whilst in possession more than in previous games.

As the substitutes poured on towards the end of the night, the game was certainly diluted and the lack of continuity showed. Ireland did lose their rhythm, but did not lose the game. Alan Lee of Rotherham and Alan Quinn of Sheffield Wednesday both made their debuts in a green shirt.

These players may be stars of the future for Ireland, so the friendly game cannot be discarded as surplus to requirements, as Brian Kerr pointed out in the days leading up to the fixture.

Kerr may now assess the game, and review the plus points that come out of such an enjoyable display. The manager will be buoyed in that the likes of Steven Reid, Clinton Morrison and John O`Shea are all due back, and will be available for selection.

Certainly, the win highlighted all that is good within Irish football, to the doubters of Kerr’s credentials; more of the same will extinguish their negative train of thought.

Excellent news came from elsewhere in Europe as well, Russia going down 1-0 to Georgia in Tbilisi. The shock result blows the qualification group wide open, allowing Kerr to effectively start from scratch, erasing the opening two defeats.

The Republic’s qualification is now entirely in their hands, with three straight games at home, before travelling to Berne on October 11 for their final group game.

The next challenge falls on June 2, when the Irish entertain Albania at home. Three points from this fixture will set Ireland onto the right road to Portugal 2004.

A night that put the smile back on the face of Irish football, spirit which will be needed on the tough road ahead to the European Championships.