Martin out to end on a high

MARTIN O’NEILL has challenged his Republic of Ireland players to end a dismal 2018 on a high note against Denmark tonight.

Ireland have won only one of the eight matches they have played this year, a 2-1 friendly victory over USA in June.

The slump in form has heaped the pressure on O’Neill, who celebrated five years in charge earlier this month.

Ireland, already relegated to Nations League C, only have pride to play for against the Group B4 winners but O’Neill said: “It would be very nice to end with a win.

“Since March, we have played eight games and five of them have been friendly matches. But we’d like to do better competitively and this is an opportunity for us to do precisely that.

“At international level momentum is sometimes difficult in the sense that the games are sporadic.

“Sometimes in three months you might have a totally different side. So I don’t think I’ll worry too much about momentum in that sense.”

O’Neill (right) could play 18-year-old Michael Obafemi after the Southampton starlet’s decision to commit to the Republic.

Dublin-born Obafemi was promoted from the Under-19s to the senior squad for the first time this month but the striker is also eligible to represent England and Nigeria. O’Neill is weighing up handing Obafemi his first cap and tying him down in Aarhus.

He added: “I think he’s definitely committed himself now to us. He obviously wants to play so I’ll have a little look at that situation.”

Opposite number Age Hareide has told O’Neill to remember the good times as he battles to turn around his country’s fortunes.

Hareide, O’Neill’s former team-mate at Manchester City and Norwich, said: “If you have a bad run, you have to think of the days you had good run and you have to try to do things you did when things went the right way.

“I know that Martin is working very, very hard to try to change the luck and that’s why we have to be on our tiptoes.”