David Sneyd reports from Aviva Stadium

FOCUS WAS THE word that Adam Idah repeated as he reflected on his 93rd-minute equaliser that salvaged what could prove to be a valuable point for the Republic of Ireland in this World Cup qualifying group.

It was the Cork native’s sixth goal for his country – matching Evan Ferguson’s tally after he struck early in the second half against Hungary – and it came at the end of a week in which he was sold by Celtic to Swansea City.

His head might have been all over the place as a result of that unexpected change of clubs but, when it mattered, it was on the end of Ryan Manning’s pinpoint cross.

And that brings us back to focus.

Idah watched from the substitutes’ bench for an hour before he was sprung by manager Heimir Hallgrímsson.

He saw Ireland concede twice inside the first 15 minutes – the first time that’s happened in Dublin since losing 3-1 to Spain in October 1993 en route to qualifying for USA ’94 – and Idah spoke about the issues that led to such a disastrous start.

“Tense. The first half wasn’t great. We can do a lot better and just lacked focus in the first half,” he said.

“The first half was a poor first half. To go 2-0 down quite early on was tough. We looked to come back in the second half and turn the game round and I think the most disappointing part is we had all the chances and couldn’t put it to bed.

“I know we got the draw but I think we got a home game with the crowd behind you. They’re down to 10 men, you’ve got to take advantage.

“With the momentum we had, I think we had full belief that we were going to score but I think I thought we were going to score more. I think with the amount of chances we had and the ball flying in the box, I thought we could have put it to bed. That’s the disappointing bit but if you can’t win, don’t lose. It could be a massive point for us in the long run.”

Focus was a theme Idah returned to as he explained his own thought process on the bench.

“I know there’s lots of games where there’s a situation like that and you can be frustrated that you didn’t come on earlier and didn’t start the game,” he said.

“But I think it’s such an important game that you’ve got to stay focused and just do what you can for the team and get on the spot.

“I want to play as many games as I can. If I can’t, that’s what I’ve got to do. I’ve got to come on and make a difference and prove to the manager why I should be playing the games.

“If he doesn’t start me, then I’ve got to keep coming on and trying to do that. It’s a team game. We want to win as many games as possible. We want to go to the World Cup. However, I can help. I’m happy to do so.”

Idah said he knew what kind of run to make into space for his goal because of the “amazing” quality of Manning and made no demands about a start in Armenia on Tuesday despite his heroics.

“I think it’s going to be a tough game. Obviously, the conditions there are going to be quite different, but look, Armenia aren’t a bad side. I think people underestimate Armenia.

“I know they had a tough result tonight [5-0 to Portugal], but we’ve got to focus on ourselves. It’s not going to be easy and we want to take all three points, so we recover and prepare for that game.

“I just want the team to win. If I’m on the bench, I’m going to do what I did again. It’s about getting to the World Cup now and I think that’s one thing we’ve learnt as a team.

“It doesn’t matter who’s starting the game, who is coming off the bench, rolling it together and in any way possible, we want to help. I will try and give my best to help.”

The focus is clear.