Loads of praise for the Irish newcomer who galloped all over the Aviva Stadium

Niall McIntyre

A tidy player.

Ireland hosted Wales in their third game of the Nations League on Tuesday night and there was a lot riding on it. A loss here would almost ensure Ireland’s relegation from division two to division three in the Nations League and they would then drop from second to third seeds in the draw for Euro 2020.

So it was no wonder the boys in green were up for it. They weren’t overly slick in possession or free-flowing in their attacking moves but we never really expected that.

One thing they were, however, was gallant, and nobody horsed into the men of Wales as much as our centre forward Callum Robinson.

He made his debut in for Ireland in the reverse fixture against Wales over a month ago and he came on as a substitute in the game against Denmark on Saturday too.

The 23-year-old, who qualifies to play for Ireland through his Monaghan grandmother, looked lively in the early stages of the Aviva Stadium clash.

He has some nice touches but he’s also a willing runner and he made it his business to put the Wales defenders under pressure as Ireland laid down a marker in the early stages.

Not only was he manning the centre forward position, he was also galloping backwards, forwards and all over the place, putting the Welsh wingers under pressure too.

This high-pressing game proved an effective tactic for Martin O’Neill’s men as it prevented Wales from settling or getting any sort of foothold in the game. It forced the Welsh backs and midfielders to make a few rushed decisions.

The only problem was that Ireland were similarly rushed and wasteful in possession. As is often the case with this team, they struggled to string any meaningful passes together or to pose any sort of threat on the Wales goals.

At half-time, the scores were tied at 0-0 but Ireland folk were a little bit optimistic about this new youngster on the block.