WE CAN TRIP UP SWISS, SAYS KEEPER RANDOLPH

ECHOES of epic European escapades on the road will spur the Republic of Ireland on against Switzerland in Geneva tomorrow night. Goalkeeper Darren Randolph has been a reliable last line of defence as Ireland have erected a forcefield of defiance away from Dublin, most recently in wins away to Austria and Wales in the last World Cup qualifiers. ‘Some of the best days have been away wins like Vienna and Cardiff. Can we do it on Tuesday? Yeah,’ Randolph said with a quiet conviction. ‘There have been big nights away from home and there is no reason why Tuesday can’t be another one. We have done it numerous times in the past. We need to beat one of the two other teams to qualify and we’ll go for it.’ The Group D table has Ireland on top, ahead of Denmark by virtue of the away goal in Copenhagen in June, but a massive finish is needed. ‘The way the group is, it was always going to come down to beating Switzerland or Denmark and taking points off each other,’ added Randolph. For striker James Collins, the introduction to a competitive Euro qualifier came with a health warning about what referees will allow or not at this level. Collins was exasperated with being pulled up by Italian official Marco Guida in Tbilisi for being over-robust in his play. ‘I think the referees are quite soft in European (games). But that’s how I like to play, to put myself about and make it tough for defenders, get in the box and score goals.’