Stephen Kenny emerged from his first game as Republic of Ireland manager with mixed feelings after seeing skipper Shane Duffy snatch a 1-1 Nations League draw in Bulgaria.
Kenny's reign looked destined to begin with defeat in Sofia with his side trailing deep into injury time to Bozhidar Kraev's 56th-minute strike.
But Duffy, who had been at fault for the Bulgaria goal, powered home a header in the third minute of stoppage time at the Vasil Levski Stadium to ensure it ended 1-1.
Kenny said: "It's the ultimate honour to manage your country. There's no greater honour, that goes without saying. In football, you can't have a greater honour.
"But the game itself, because we haven't had a game, an international game at any level, really, since last November, that's my first experience of no crowd at the games and it is quite surreal. It was quite surreal, not having a crowd at an international game.
"You would have had a passionate Bulgarian support and you would have had a really great Irish travelling support, so they were unusual circumstances.
"But the players are just a really exceptional group of people, a very, very humble group and they give everything of themselves.
"We're disappointed we didn't win tonight, but we didn't lose and that point could be important. We showed a lot of quality and we made mistakes also, some good play and some room for improvement also."
For Duffy, who this week completed a dream loan move to Celtic and was asked to captain the side in the absence of Seamus Coleman, there was disappointment and elation in his first game for Ireland since the death of his father Brian in May.
He said: "It was tough, of course. It's the first game where he's not been here, so it was emotional, of course.
"But I'm a professional, I want to play football, focus on the game and know last minute there, he was probably looking down on me.''
Republic of Ireland ratings
Darren Randolph: Has a fight on his hands to become number one at West Ham, but he is Ireland’s best ‘keeper and one of the most consistent performers. Very alert on a couple of occasions in the first half but didn’t get the protection he deserved for Bulgaria’s opener. 7
Matt Doherty: Given the nod ahead of captain Seamus Coleman. A bit wasteful with one or two possessions in the opening half. Pressed forward as the game wore on and probably kept the door ajar for Seamus Coleman. 5
Enda Stevens: Always makes the pitch wider with his confident passing, the Sheffield United defender picked up a harsh yellow card in the opening half and had to be on his toes with Bulgaria’s diagonal deliveries. Left side much better than Ireland’s right side. 6
John Egan: Highly-rated by the new manager the Sheffield United central defender had an easy time of it in the opening half. Coughed up a couple of cheap possessions but his passing range was impressive too. 6
Shane Duffy: It was notable Celtic’s new signing rarely went long when in possession which was one of the first signs of the new regime. Too slow to react to the danger that resulted in Bulgaria’s opening goal, but grabbed a late equaliser with a typical header from a set piece. 5
James McCarthy: The forgotten man of the Irish team, he was played in his best position last night – defensive pivot – and tried to be productive on the ball. Also ideal for breaking up the opposition’s counter-attacks. Decent shift. 6
Conor Hourihane: The Cork man has been slightly under appreciated at club and international level, but was always going to get the chance to display his passing range under the new manager. Some decent passes without being particularly incisive. 6
Jeff Hendrick: Played on the right side of a three-pronged midfield, also the Newcastle United man’s favourite position. Plenty of perspiration and he tried to force the issue in the second half. Still more in the Dubliner. 6
Callum O’Dowda: The Bristol City man was on the cusp of Martin O’Neill and Mick McCarthy’s teams, but was entrusted with an attacking right-sided midfield role. Lively in the opening stages but his wing play was a bit predictable. Doesn’t give the right side a lot of penetration. 5
Adam Idah: Making his senior debut, the 19-year-old was tightly marked. Has good physical presence and has pace and power. Didn’t have the greatest of games but you can see he has quality in his game. 5
STAR MAN: Aaron Connolly: Another one of Kenny’s U21 starlets, the Brighton man never let the Bulgarian defence relax. Had a decent early chance when he might have opted to pass to Idah and was the team’s most dangerous forward. 7
Subs
Robbie Brady: Gave the side a bit more impetus in the last 20. 5
Callum Robinson: Sharpened the right side. 5
Shane Long: Busy in the quarter of an hour he got. 5
Ratings compiled by Brendan Crossan
MANAGER WATCH
STEPHEN Kenny kicked off his senior managerial debut in Sofia last night playing his preferred 4-3-3 formation.
He resisted the temptation of trying to shoehorn both Seamus Coleman and Matt Doherty into the starting line-up and went for the latter at right back, which was a slight selection surprise.
Another notable aspect to Kenny’s first game in charge was that he picked players in their favoured positions. There were no square pegs in round holes.
James McCarthy has rarely played as a defensive midfielder for Ireland, which is his best position, and it appears it’s his to lose despite being withdrawn after 70 minutes.
Conor Hourihane and Jeff Hendrick also can’t complain about being played out of position as the pair were posted either side of McCarthy and had licence to support the attack.
One area of concern was in defence – which has been arguably the most reliable element of the team over the past couple of seasons.
The back four unit didn’t look compact at any stage and seemed strung out and uneven at times. Clear evidence of this was Bulgaria’s opening goal when Shane Duffy and John Egan were on different wavelengths.
Doherty, in particular, played very high at full-back which meant the central defensive pair were pulled apart to cover the vacated space a little more than a defensive pair would normally have liked.
One defensive midfielder also left the side a little exposed when Bulgaria gained possession.
The manager made the right changes at the right times in a bid to rescue the game. Carrying a knock coming into the game, McCarthy was never going to play a full 90 and made way for Robbie Brady on 70 minutes.
And there was sound logic to the introductions of Callum Robinson and Shane Long in a bid to break down the Bulgarians.
Compiled by Brendan Crossan
