Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
HOPEFULLY TH BALL WILL HIT ME AND GO IN
Long just needs a bit of luck before he goes on a run
SHANE LONG didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as his goal drought extended to 25 games for club and country on Friday night.
But he knows all that will be forgotten if he nets the goal in Cardiff which takes Ireland to the World Cup – or at least into the play-offs next month.
Long had three great chances against Moldova – in the 15th, 23rd and 61st minutes – to break his extended duck, but all three went a-begging.
The 30-year-old’s frustration was clear from his reaction to the third miss, a right-footed shot on the fly that powered past the far post.
“You’ve just got to keep believing,” said Long. “Sometimes when it’s like Friday night you kind of have to laugh it off and move on to the next one.”
The Southampton striker references his final season at Reading, when he scored 23 goals in the Championship – 28 in total – before going 11 games without a goal midway through the next one – the 2011-12 campaign – for his new club West Brom.
“You’ve just got to keep going and going and suddenly it’ll come and they’ll fly into the net for you,” said Long.
“In training I’m hitting the net no problem, it’s just not happening in the game.”
It might be a different story if Long was 20 again and fretting over his situation.
But the experience of 12 years in England has developed his mental strength and he insists confidence isn’t a problem as thoughts turn to Ireland’s need to beat Wales in tonight’s group finale.
“It comes with being a striker – you’re always going to be judged on goals. I know it’ll turn right if I keep doing the right things,” Long added.
“It would be worse if I was playing bad, nothing was happening for me and the ball was bouncing off me and I wasn’t getting the chances.
“Look, it’s hard not to be frustrated. I want to score goals for my country but I’ll keep believing and it will come.
“I feel over the last three games with Southampton I didn’t really have many chances and on Friday I got three but they just wouldn’t go in for me.
“The first one just went past the post, I couldn’t connect any better. The second one was a save and the third one, I don’t know how it went past the post.
“You know, sometimes this happens but I’ll keep getting in the right positions. Thankfully it didn’t cost us.
“I think if you ask any striker and they go through this stage, it just won’t go in for them, but hopefully the ball will come and hit me in the face and into the goal and it’ll kick on from there.
“I feel like I’m playing well and doing everything right – just hitting the back of the net is the next step and hopefully I can kick on.”
In fairness to Long, he put his own situation to the side when he was called ashore in the 79th minute – he smiled broadly and gave debutant Sean Maguire a hug and a few words of encouragement.
“I’m delighted for him,” said the Tipperary man. “He’s obviously come from the League of Ireland to England and he’s fine over there.
“Obviously being a Kilkenny man there’s a bit of rivalry there! He’s really worked hard to get to where he is.
“He’s still young and the future looks bright for him. When he came on he deserved his chance and getting that debut under his belt is obviously a big honour for him so I wanted to make him as comfortable as he could.”