ONCE AGAIN, THREE was the magic number at the Aviva Stadium last night as the Republic of Ireland battled to a nervy 2-1 win against FYR Macedonia.

Most importantly, there are the three points gained from the night’s toil which see Ireland top Group B, joining Russia and Slovakia on ten points after five games.

However, for manager Giovanni Trapattoni, there were also three reasons to be cheerful with the manager feeling that his team selection was ultimately vindicated by the result despite long periods of uncertainty in the second half.

“There are three reasons to be happy,” the Italian explained. “The three points; the performance of the team in general; and the performance of players like O’Dea, Gibson and Foley that people always questioned.”

In particular, the manager highlighted Kevin Foley who had been criticised in some quarters as an overly-defensive selection at right-full.

I’ve always been told that Foley is a defensive player, that he’s not offensive enough.

Tonight he proved the opposite, and I’m happy that my choices have been proven right.

Alongside the reassuring performances of those to whom the manager had handed competitive debuts, goalscorer Aiden McGeady was also singled out for praise with Trapattoni earmarking him as “the best player on the pitch this evening.”

The manager also appeared to be pleased with the manner in which the winger has matured and developed at Spartak Moscow, stating that his goal was proof of a confidence and self-belief that had previously been lacking in McGeady’s play.

He’s very self-confident now, but a year ago, I don’t think he would have even attempted the shot that he scored from.

We have more players like him who have extraordinary potential but they’re not aware of it. It’s up to us to give them a bit more self-confidence.

If Trapattoni was seeking further entries on his list of reasons to be happy, the appearance of James McCarthy as a late substitute might well be one. The Wigan midfielder replaced goalscorer Robbie Keane with three minutes to play, with the manager hinting that the youngster will start in Tuesday evening’s friendly against Uruguay.

However, where McCarthy will be deployed is a matter which will have to be discussed between player and manager over the next 48 hours.

Tonight, I wanted to put McCarthy in a situation where he could choose his own role on the pitch.

If you want to allow young players to grow, you have to put them in positions where they’re comfortable.

One player who certainly won’t feature on Tuesday is Wolves striker Kevin Doyle. He limped off after just eighteen minutes of the first half and it appears that he has sustained damage to the medial ligaments in his left knee.

If the injury is as bad as initially feared, Doyle could be out of action for up to two months, ruling him out of the remainder of Wolves’ battle for Premier League survival.

Barring a further major setback, Doyle will almost certainly have recovered to take his place in the Irish starting eleven for Ireland’s next competitive fixture, the dreaded trip to Skopje on June 4.

Speaking after last night’s disappointment, Macedonian coach Mirsad Jonuz was adamant that his side will be ready to take points off Ireland when the sides meet again.

“I’m very happy with the side’s performance, particularly in the second half,” Jonuz said. “But it’s very difficult to lose the game in this way.”

Maybe with a different goalkeeper and a different performance, we could have won tonight.

Our players will be motivated and we will expect to win the game in Skopje against Ireland.

Catch up with last night’s action in TheScore.ie’s minute-by-minute coverage here >