History, however, suggests they'll get one, at best two.

For, in order to meet the minimum objective in the double-header away to Slovakia and the Czech Republic next week and give those resurgent Euro 2008 hopes real credibility, Steve Staunton's side will have to alter a national predisposition and win a game of consequence on the road.

Ireland, you see, traditionally travel like a Leaving Cert student not yet over acne . . .with little grace and great difficulty scoring.

Indeed, in the team's 81-year history, Ireland have only ever won four competitive games away to sides that had previously qualified for an international tournament.

The last came 13 years ago, Jack Charlton's aging squad adequately masking the fact it was about to all implode with a facile 4-0 win against a dismal Northern Ireland. The game was most notable for Roy Keane's first international goal, John Aldridge, John Sheridan and Andy Townsend getting the others. Three years before that, at the era's peak, John Byrne . . . with two . . . and Tony Cascarino secured a 3-1 win against a Turkish side that gave absolutely no indication a World Cup semi-final was only a decade away. One of the rare occasions when Ireland truly had to deliver on the road, it proved fruitless as England's simultaneous 1-1 draw away to Poland gave them the Euro '92 spot.

Indeed, it's a full 20 years since Ireland won away against opposition of authentic quality, Mark Lawrenson's sixth-minute goal undoing a Scottish side that featured Alan Hansen and Gordon Strachan to greatly smooth the path to Euro '88. Before that, Ireland had only served to spoil the party for our next opponents' antecedents. Ray Treacy and Turlough O'Connor cancelled out John Dempsey's own goal to deny Czechoslovakia the point they needed to get to the 1968 European knock-out stages, sending Spain instead.

Of course, whatever about beating teams of pedigree . . .

such as the Czechs . . . Ireland have also struggled against middling ones . . . such as Slovakia. Those four results apart, our qualification record on the road is signposted by reality checks, late losses and drab draws. The polar opposite to Sven Goran Eriksson, playing away from home brings neither excitement nor satisfaction for your average Irish player, only apprehension. Since the Charlton era alone, a defeat and a draw in Macedonia, parity in Albania and a late surrender against Israel have proved mortal wounds in four different campaigns. Last October is of course best left unmentioned.

And though the recent win against Denmark may point to a new departure, we have over-indulged in the liberty of a friendly before. Three years ago, Ireland won 1-0 away to a Holland side that got to the semi-finals of Euro 2004, only to three months later surrender to Switzerland, who performed so abjectly in the same tournament.

Of course, if we're going to take history as a guide, then perhaps it's best to settle for two points. Only one of those wins . . . away to Scotland . . .

brought qualification, with our three World Cups all courtesy of moral victories on the road.

It will, however, take a bizarre series of results for that to work out this time.

HAVE BOOTS, WON'T TRAVEL

Ireland have only ever won four competitive games away to teams that had previously qualified for a major international tournament
22 November 1967 2-1 v Czechoslovakia, Slavia Stadium, European Championship qualfifier
18 February 1987 1-0 v Scotland, Hampden Park, European Championship qualifier
13 November 1991 3-1 v Turkey, Inonu Stadium, European Championship qualifier
16 November 1994 4-0 v Northern Ireland, Windsor Park, European Championship qualifier