The only recent clash between the two was a friendly put together while Mick McCarthy waited for word on whether qualifying games with Yugoslavia and Macedonia would go ahead (unfortunately, they would).

On the night, Steve Carr made his first appearance in the green, Steve Staunton was captain and Big Tony Cas made the difference when he came on towards the end, his pacf sorry, aerial strength setting up two cracking strikes from Graham Kavanagh and Mark Kennedy.

Kevin Kilbane also impressed as a substitute and young Robbie Keane and Damien Duff came off the bench as well. Staunton would probably grab such a routine win on Wednesday if offered it right now.

It's all the way back to 1970 for the time before that, two qualifiers in two weeks (a draw and a defeat) noteworthy for a certain E Dunphy in the midfield.

Mentioned only because the only other win over the country that gave us Sven, besides the 1999 vintage, was in a 1959 3-2 friendly in Dublin. Scorer of the winner . . .a certain J Giles.

Barry O'Donovan