Martin Rowlands and Damien Delaney both played from the start in Giovanni Trapattoni’s first match as Ireland manager.
Trapattoni is spending the summer getting to know the players at his disposal with a series of training camps and friendly matches starting in Portugal this week. Sunday’s friendly against Portuguese Second Division side Portimonense comes ahead of more challenging engagements with Serbia and Columbia at Croke Park and Craven Cottage at the end of May.
Delaney played a full 90 minutes at left back, hardly surprising considering the squad only contains five defenders. Rowlands started in the centre of midfield and played for 73 minutes before being replaced by Wolves’ Darren Potter.
Another Molineux man Andy Keogh got the Irish equaliser but it was Rowlands who caught the eye of Independent journalist Daniel McDonnell who said in his match report: “In midfield, Liam Miller and Martin Rowlands started in the engine room, with Hunt on the left and Damien Duff on the right. Alas, the Newcastle man hasn't had much luck with black and white stripes, the chosen strip of yesterday's opposition. ”He was withdrawn at the interval, not feeling 100pc fit according to Trapattoni. In fact, it was the least heralded of that quartet, QPR man Rowlands, who shone, although he did concede the needless foul which led to Portimonense's Gonzalo drilling an early free-kick through the wall and past the returning 37-year-old Dean Kiely.”
The Irish play again this evening, against Lagos, with kick off 8pm local time.
Ireland: Kiely (Murphy 62); Kelly, McShane, Bruce, Delaney, Duff (Keogh 45), Miller (Whelan 71), Rowlands (Potter 73), Hunt (Hoolahan 71); Doyle (Scannell 75), Murphy (Long 57)
Meanwhile reports in the Midlands press and in today’s Daily Mirror suggest QPR will try and snatch Kevin Phillips away from newly promoted West Brom by offering him a two year contract. The Baggies are currently only willing to offer the 34 year old striker a one year extension but wage demands said to be in the region of £20k a week could scupper a move elsewhere. Phillips scored 24 goals in 38 games last season, including two against QPR at The Hawthorns, as West Brom won the Championship.
Just down the road at Molineux out of favour striker Freddy Eastwood is also being tipped for a move to Loftus Road. Eastwood joined Wolves from Southend for £1m last summer but has since fallen out with manager Mick McCarthy and started just ten games, scoring three goals. Eastwood’s continued absence from the Wolves team has been a real bone of contention between McCarthy and the Wolves fans and a host of other Championship sides, most notably Coventry, are monitoring the situation.
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