REPUBLIC of Ireland ace Wes Hoolahan has no intentions of throwing the toys out of the pram after making his first appearance in the 2018 World Cup qualification campaign against Moldova last Sunday.
An unused substitute in Ireland’s opening two fixtures in Group D against Serbia and Georgia, the Norwich City playmaker starred in the side’s 3-1 win in Chisinau, setting up two of Ireland’s three goals.
The 33-year-old made an instant impact last Sunday night by threading the ball through for Shane Long to open Ireland’s account after two minutes and he had a hand in James McClean’s second goal by exchanging incisive passes with Séamus Coleman.
Hoolahan, though, made no issue of the fact that last Sunday night was his first chance to shine in the World Cup qualifiers: “It’s obviously the manager’s decision, he picks the team,” he said.
“When he calls me in, I’m there to play. It’s a great honour to play for my country, so whenever I get the chance, I go out there and try my best.”
Hoolahan was a thorn in Moldova’s side up until his late substitution and, even though he lost possession a few times, albeit in the final third of the field, he was the most inventive player for the Irish.
“The manager gives me licence to [play] behind Shane and get on the ball as much as possible and create chances for the other lads in the team. I get on it as much as I can and it gives me a good licence to roam around.
“I contributed to the goal Shane got and to be involved in getting the three points is important too. To come out of here [after two games] with six points in the last four days is good.”
The absence of Jeff Hendrick (suspended) and Robbie Brady (concussion) gave Hoolahan the chance to make his mark for the Republic and after last Sunday’s night’s impressive display, it will be interesting to see what combination boss Martin O’Neill goes with against Austria in Vienna next month, should he have a full complement of midfield players available.
“Obviously, there’s a long way to go,” added Hoolahan, “we just need to churn out results. We didn’t play well on Thursday [against Georgia], but we still got the three points and that’s the most important thing. Serbia [2-2 in September] was a great point.
“If you’re not playing as well, it’s important you don’t lose the game and we have players in the dressing room that can do that. Sometimes, it’s difficult playing against the lower teams, but our mentality was right, we kept going to the end and we got an important three points.”
