Few players needed to impress as much as Hull's Robbie Brady yesterday after the defensive side of his game let him down at a crucial moment in the qualifier against Poland.
As it turned out, his match-of-the-match performance was about the most encouraging thing about the match.
Brady proved more than a match for Raheem Sterling and delivered the best set pieces of the encounter. His certainly eclipsed Wayne Rooney in that department and there was a touch of good fortune about the manner in which Joe Hart stopped a second half free as it flew towards the bottom right corner.
Good workout
“I thought we did alright and put in a decent performance,” said an understandably satisfied Brady .
“Nil-nil was probably a fair enough result but we’d a couple of chances so a bit disappointed we didn’t get the win. It was a good workout and hopefully it will put is in good stead for next week.”
His set-piece deliveries, something else that disappointed back in March, certainly look like being important for Ireland on Saturday but more critical was the apparent ease with which he handled the defensive side of things.
“Yeah, I try to pick up every pointer I can; especially off the lads who have been playing there for years. It’s a little bit different to the position that I’ve been used to playing all season [mainly a left wing back] but playing there has helped my defensive side, so hopefully today is just another lesson in the left-back role.
“You learn in every game you play and with the lads behind me today and talking to me during the week, it’s helped me. I quite enjoyed it. The more you play, the more familiar you get with the position so I’m looking forward to the weekend and hopefully getting a start.”
Switched on
Sterling, he said, had the potential to cause him real problems but he was clearly happy with the way he coped.
“It was alright,” he said. “I played against him a couple of times this season and it was okay but you’ve got to be aware. He’s a top player and can open you up at any minute, so you’ve got to be switched on at all times.
The challenge now is to produce that sort of performance against the Scots.
“Yeah, definitely,” he acknowledged.
“It’s a different game Sunday but we’ll get our preparation done and go and do the job. Hopefully if I’m playing I can put a couple of good deliveries in for the lads . . . I’m sure they’ll do the rest.
“It’s an important factor in every game you play and if I do get the chance I’ll look forward to it.”
