LAST UPDATE | 6 Jun 2021
IF THE PLAYERS’ mission ahead of the Andorran friendly was to secure a result to make the game instantly forgettable to the rest of us, then: Job Done. (Eventually.)
What is interesting from here is how it will be remembered by the Irish players, with Jason Knight saying the victory – Ireland’s first in 13 matches since November 2019 – can be a “catalyst” for better things to come.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s friendly with Hungary, Matt Doherty struck a similar note.
“It was a very big win just in terms of confidence. We haven’t won a game in a long time, so just to kind of wipe the slate clean and kind of kick on from there. It was starting to get to the point where, no matter who we played against, it was just going to be a difficult game for us. We got the win, so we go to Hungary with a different mindset and obviously looking to stay unbeaten now for as long as possible.”
Doherty admitted that confidence levels have been affected by the lengthy winless run.
“It’s like anything, if you have a run of games where you don’t win, and losses like that, then you start to doubt yourself. Your confidence takes a hit. If we were confident we wouldn’t have lost that many games.
“I don’t know if we saw it against Andorra. We were just…so eager to get out there and play. We were probably a little bit frenetic and we lost our way a little bit because of the honesty of the group, just wanting to do well, and wanting to do win a game for Ireland, and lost our way a little bit in the first half and the beginning of the second half. We got the wake up call that maybe we needed and we kind of settled in after that.
“The confidence was not at its highest point but how could it be after that amount of losses? Look, like I said, we’ve won the first one now so it’s time to go to Hungary, see can we beat Hungary, get as many wins and draws and stay unbeaten as long as possible.”
As bad as the results have been, Doherty believes the team are progressing under Kenny, albeit steadily.
“Results-wise, it doesn’t look great, does it? But performance-wise, there were definitely performances there where we feel like we should have won a few games, we should have drawn in Serbia. So I think the progression is there in terms of the style of play and not going away from how we are trying to play, just because the results haven’t been great.
“I think there has been definite improvements and there was definitely a few of the games on another day we could have won the game, so I am not going to get too disheartened or down. I know we have lost a lot of games and that is not good enough either. But I think there is some steady progress.”
Doherty played all 90 minutes at right-back for Ireland against Andorra, though the Hungary game on Tuesday offers a chance for him to reprise his partnership with Seamus Coleman, injury-permitting.
Coleman missed the Andorran game with a hamstring issue, and though he trained yesterday, is rated as touch and go for Tuesday’s game.
The pair played on the right flank in a 3-5-2 against Serbia and in the first half against Luxembourg, linking up well in the second game in particular before Doherty went off injured at half-time. Hungary play a back three, which gives Kenny a chance to repeat that formation on Tuesday.
“We like playing with each other, that’s for sure”, says Doherty of the prospect of teaming up with Coleman. “He knows my game and I know his game, he likes to come out with it, we are comfortable giving the ball to each other, we know if we give the ball to each other we are not going to lose it, we trust each other on the ball. So for that game I really enjoyed playing with him.”
Doherty will soon be adapting a new manager at club level, too, as Spurs’ search for Jose Mourinho’s replacement goes on. Overtures to Antonio Conte are the latest to come to nothing, but Doherty says he hasn’t been distracted by the saga.
“It doesn’t really change anything to be honest. It’s kind of just wait and see. I’m in camp now, there is nothing I can do about it. It’s just kind of wait and see on who they decide to appoint. Other than that, get on with it.”
Doherty fell out of favour at Spurs as last season progressed, though he insists he had no problems with Jose Mourinho, to whom he lived next door during their time in North London and describes as “one of the best managers ever.”
Tuesday will be Ireland’s final engagement until the trip to Portugal in September, as Hungary and the rest get on with the business of a European Championships. The pain of missing out won’t mean Doherty will be tuning out entirely, however.
“I’ll definitely watch it. I’ve a lot of friends playing for different countries. It’s not like just because I’m not there I won’t watch it. Once I get 36 holes in, whatever game is on, I’ll be watching, yeah.”
