Manager Don Givens saluted a stunning two-goal debut by Michael Doyle in the Republic of Ireland Under-21s' win over Cyprus. The Celtic midfielder, currently on loan to Danish team Aarhus, struck twice early in the second half of a 3-0 win and Givens said: "It was a debut to remember. You couldn't ask for more and he deserved it for a very impressive display."
Ireland began with five new caps in the line-up and three more took the field as substitutes later, making a total of nine players in the squad who won the World Under-16 Championship four years ago.
"I think that is a worthy performance considering we had so many first timers in the team, but we've got to do that now as we look ahead to the next qualifying campaign," Givens said. "We took time to settle in the first half but after the interval our passing and team-work was much crisper and I am delighted with not only the result but the way we achieved it."
"It's a very promising sign for the future and I challenged the players before the kick-off to go on and make a name for themselves. I told them they should not be content to just live on the glory of being Under-16 champions for the rest of their careers and hopefully they are going to take me up on that," Givens added.
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
