Progress off field clear for majority

TWO middling international teams on bad runs, with local pride at stake, the promise of quality on the low side.

On paper, that was Ireland v Northern Ireland, with third seed status in the Euro 2020 qualifiers on the minds of the O’neills in the home and away dugouts.

But of course this is a complicated relationship and the sheer volume and intensity of the boos that greeted the opening bars of God Save The Queen and continued throughout the anthem bore witness to that in front of watching DUP leader Arlene Foster (inset).

It was a bad start to the night but, the reception from the visiting fans for James Mcclean aside – the game’s loudest cheers were reserved for his two lamentably skied first half efforts over the bar – there was no bad blood.

In fact, the boos that ran out at the end from the home support were directed at their own manager – while at the Havelock Square end, their counterparts cheered a good performance.

A quarter of a century on from that infamous and acrimonious night in Windsor Park, clearly the rivalry remains sharp.

It was poignant to see Alan Mcloughlin afforded ‘Cult Hero’ status by the Republic in the programme for this game, after his equalising goal in Belfast had put Ireland through to the 1994 World Cup.

Sadly, Mcloughlin’s belated invite to this latest fixture came too late as he had made other arrangements and was helping at his former club, Swindon Town.

Perhaps he was better off, given the fare.

The attendance at the Aviva underlined just how far away both of these sides are right now from the business end of the international game, the travelling support that made the trip south swelling the little over half-full ground.

The pre-match statistics told a sorry story. Northern Ireland had won twice in 11 games and their opponents once in nine, so this was a chance for one of them to change the narrative.

Predictably, stalemate ensued.

Already the European qualifiers are looming large. There will be no more wriggle room after next week’s final UEFA Nations League games are put to bed.

Darron Randolph denied Northern Ireland victory as Gavin Whyte and Jordan Jones raced through one on one.

For Michael O’neill, whose side was clearly the better on show, there is also an urgent need for an upturn in form.

Inspiration, it seems, is in short supply – north and south of the border.