MARKMCCADDEN

WE’RE only one game in, so let’s not lose the run of ourselves…

But John O’shea is going to lead us to World Cup glory in 2026.

Okay, there are a few caveats, the chief one being that O’shea is only in charge for one more game.

Unless FAI technical director Marc Canham has been pulling the wool over our eyes.

Maybe the big reveal in early-april will be that we’ve been suckered in by the biggest April Fool of all, and that O’shea IS the permanent manager.

Contractual obligations, blah, blah. Guess whose contract is up after these two games… John O’shea’s. Wink, wink!

Other caveats include the difficulty in qualifying these days for a World Cup, even an expanded version. Ireland’s seeding has taken a hit too, and the recovery will take a bit of time.

But yesterday’s performance against Belgium – a slightly weakened version of the world’s fourth best team, but a strong side nonetheless – gave us reasons to be cheerful.

Evan Ferguson (below) and Sammie Szmodics are only getting to know each other, but their link-up play suggested they’d been sharing a pitch for years.

At one point shortly before half-time it was as if Niall Quinn and Robbie Keane were back together in green.

As Caoimhin Kelleher’s thumping clearance was arrowing towards Ferguson’s head, Szmodics was already at full sprint.

The flick-on was perfect, but Szmodics still had Fulham defender Timothy

Castagne to deal with.

He outmuscled the

Belgian and sent his shot over the bar.

But there were shades, from the flick to Szmodics having to dig the ball out from slightly behind him, thanks to Castagne’s efforts, of Quinn to Keane deep into injury-time in the 2002 World Cup against Germany.

Even in the despair of another blank for Ferguson, his 21st consecutive game without scoring, there was hope.

After missing from the penalty spot, when his standing foot gave way slightly as he struck the ball, he still put himself about and wasn’t far off when he connected with Robbie Brady’s cross early in the second-half.

Speaking of Brady, just how good was the man who delivered that unforgettable moment in Lille almost eight years ago?

Left-wing-back has been a problem position for Ireland in recent times, but if he can stay fit we should expect to see more displays like the one he produced yesterday.

The shape of the team was solid, there was a real cohesiveness and the positivity of Josh Cullen summed up a seriously positive performance.

Szmodics’ through-balls, Kelleher’s confident and breezy side-stepping of Lois Openda, Seamus Coleman’s evergreen display… we could go on.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, O’shea plodded around the technical area waving his arms and shouting instructions with the authority of an experienced manager.

Just one more game for the former Manchester United star, before he’s back on the market?

April Fool, anyone?