After being handed a lifeline thanks to results on Friday Ireland managed to battle hard on Monday night to take full advantage, but John O’Shea is fully aware it is the results against Germany and Poland next month which will prove crucial to Ireland’s qualifying hopes.
However a negative came from Glenn Whelan and James McClean picking up their third yellow cards of the campaign, ruling them out of the Germany game.
A slow first half at Lansdowne Road saw Martin O'Neill's side struggling to break Georgia down but the breakthrough did eventually come in the second half when some mazy dribbling from Jeff Hendrick allowed him to feed Jonathan Walters at the front post - the Stoke City man doing well to squeeze between defender and goalkeeper to bundle home.
Next up is the visit of world champions Germany to Dublin and Ireland will go into it knowing that their chances of booking a ticket to France 2016 are in their own hands. And if the a clash with Joachim Löw’s team isn’t tough enough it will be made tougher by the fact that Ireland will be without both Whelan and McClean.
Whelan saw his name go down in the referee’s book for dissent while McClean was booked almost instantly after coming off the bench when he clattered Giorgi Papunashvili.
Although he splits opinions and perhaps receives an unnecessary amount of criticism when it comes to his role in the Ireland team, O’Shea feels that the loss of Whelan for such a crucial game is a major blow.
“You saw tonight at different stages he was controlling the tempo,” the Sunderland defender said.
“He’s crucial to the team. A few of the lads were on yellow cards and we had to keep an eye on that. Glenn was aggrieved with the decision and unfortunately the ref has given him the yellow. But that’s what the squad is for. We’ll need someone to come in and take his place.”
The role played by Whelan in a midfield three is very much an undervalued one in the game - breaking up opposition attacks and playing short passes to maintain possession. For this the Clondalkin man can sometimes be questioned for what exactly he brings to the game in a green shirt but O’Shea is very quick to point out that the squad know just how important he is.
“We know how important a role he plays for us. It’s one of those things when people talk about what he does for the team. He’s an unsung hero. He does all the dirty work in the three-man midfield. At one stage in the first half he had two great tackles and kept the ball going with momentum. I’ve played with Whelo a long time now I know how good a player he is.”
It’s certainly safe to say that you don’t make 214 appearances in the Premier League for nothing and Whelan will be missed next month. However the performance last night of Jeff Hendrick will please Martin O’Neill as he sees the 23-year-old beginning to mature and grow in confidence with every game.
