Hockey Olympic qualifier/Ireland 1; Ukraine 0: The final hooter signalled sweet release after six years of torment as Ireland got their Olympic qualifying bid off to the perfect start here with an overdue and timely win over Ukraine.

The ghosts had finally been exorcised, and how the players savoured the moment. There were hugs and high-fives all round as the past agonies were put to rest.

Put in context, the result, while certainly welcome, was perhaps not entirely expected.

The much-changed Irish squad had been deprived of no fewer than eight of the players who had lost 4-3 to the same opponents at the 2002 World Cup in Perth.

In their place were a relatively inexperienced bunch, who were galvanised by the remaining core of experienced campaigners. But Lynsey McVicker, Jenny Burke, Linda Caulfield and Ciara O'Brien - to name four of the latter - were as ecstatic at the final hooter as the rest of them.

Groups of local school children have been ushered into impromptu fan clubs of the various competing nations. The Irish players ran to the corner of the Lloyd Ellsmore Stadium to reciprocate the applause to 300 Asian kids, who were somewhat incongruously waving tricolours.

Sterner tests lie ahead - starting with a game which was played late last night with the hosts, who opened with a hugely impressive 2-2 draw with pre-tournament favourites Britain - but this was about laying a bogey as much as anything else.

Ireland had played, but never beaten, Ukraine in five previous meetings.

McVicker and Burke were among those who had played in all of them. It had been a long wait.

Fittingly, those two were involved in the goal, which arrived in the 21st minute. O'Brien's free found Burke who, after releasing McVicker, took the return pass and found the net from close-range.

"I've been waiting five years for that," said the Hermes striker, now converted into a left-sided midfielder. "They were one of the teams we knew we needed a result from," she added. "Everyone raves about their number eight (Tetyana Kobzenko), but in the past I think we'd overconcentrated on her. We watched countless videos of them, and it paid off.

"They really came at us in the first half, but we'd worked hard at defending their penalty corners, which had been our undoing in the past."

Ireland captain McVicker, too, heaved a sigh of relief at the outcome.

"When we went in front and they came at us so strongly it would have been tempting to become concerned, because we'd been ahead against them in nearly every game we've played," she said. "But Angie (Platt) pulled off some great saves in the first half and we grew in stature as the game went on."

Coach Riet Kuper was naturally delighted with the result that keeps Olympic qualification a real possibility.

"I'm very happy and I think we deserved it," she said. "They're a very skilful side - maybe more so than us - but it's just the start we wanted."

Provided Ukraine don't pull a surprise result out of the hat, Ireland are likely to finish third or fourth in Pool A, which adds huge significance to their two cross-over games next weekend as they chase the top-five berth which would book them their tickets to Athens.

Early days yet, but a good start nonetheless.

IRELAND: A Platt, N Symmons, C O'Brien, K Maybin, F Connery, L Caulfield, J Orbinson, J Burke, J McDonough, E Cregan, L McVicker (capt). Subs: B McKeever, S Beaney, N McCaughern, D Casey.