TWO CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE
Duffy and Egan are looking like worthy heirs to Ireland’s great defensive partnerships
CENTRAL defensive partnerships have buttressed all the very best Irish international teams, and there were few better in harness than Mick McCarthy and Kevin Moran at Euro ‘88 and Italia ‘90. As hard as nails, and utterly fearless, very little got past the McCarthy-Moran axis which conceded only five goals in eight games at those finals. Thirty years on, in Geneva tomorrow night, Ireland will lean on a relatively callow partnership of Shane Duffy and John Egan as they attempt to stand firm against the Swiss. Against Georgia on Saturday, in their first game together, the duo were immense. Duffy was a constant rallying presence in both penalty areas, as he belied his lack of preparation with a contribution of brawn and brain. Egan, a ready-made replacement for Richard Keogh, seized his moment with a performance of impressive maturity for a player who was making his competitive debut, and almost capped things with a goal. Of his header which caught the upright, he said. ‘Yeah, it hit the post and bounced out. On another night it goes in.’ On a night of few individual highs in the green shirt, Duffy and Egan were rock-solid and will need to be so again against the expected Swiss bombardment. Neither was afraid to put their points across either as they voiced frank encouragement at each other, and at those around them. And the inexperienced partner, Egan, saluted his senior colleague’s contribution as Ireland pocketed a point that may yet prove vital when the gunsmoke clears Group D. ‘It shows the character of the man, he was full-blooded and at full throttle throughout. He was never going to miss the game.’ Duffy is adamant he is ‘good to go again’, after making an unexpectedly rapid recovery from a calf injury. He revealed afterwards that Brighton were anxious about him taking on two games in four days. ‘They (Brighton) didn’t want me to play because it should have been four weeks out, but I had two scans on it and it was clear. ‘There was no chance I wasn’t getting here,’ he stressed. The post-match mood in the Irish camp was one of annoyance that they were unable to get on the front foot and force Georgia back. Instead, a war of attrition led to a largely chance-less duel, until the arrival of Aaron Connolly late on as a substitute. ‘The result was alright but I we’re disappointed with how we played with the ball. I know we’re better than that,’ added Duffy. ‘You’re going to get lads giving everything but we let them control the game. ‘It was one of those nights when the ball wasn’t sticking. ‘It was our game plan to go there and press them, dominate the ball and dominate them like the first game. But football is funny. Look, it’s one game, we go again on Tuesday and we can win.’ If Ireland are to scalp the Swiss and advance to the finals, they will need more creativity in midfield and a cutting edge in attack. McCarthy doesn’t have someone like Wes Hoolahan to turn to, but in Connolly, he has a potential ace up his sleeve. Duffy is a founding member of the Connolly Fan Club, having kept an eye on his compatriot at Brighton. ‘He’s a great kid. I’m just trying to keep him settled, keep his feet on the ground,’ said Duffy who said of Connolly’s cameo, ‘It’s been coming. He’s got a big future ahead of him. ‘That’s not to put too much pressure on him, as he’s got everything ahead of him. I love him to bits and hopefully he can do it for us as well. ‘I thought he made the difference when he came on.’ In Geneva, Duffy and Egan will be as vigilant and courageous as they can possibly be, putting body and blood on the line. If they do their jobs, there might just be a sniff of a goal for Connolly at the other end.