Ireland captain Kenny Cunningham declared himself happy with his side's performance and result, after they drew 0-0 with Poland in Bydgoszcz last night.
Brian Kerr's men kept a clean sheet in what was an uneventful match, but Cunningham insists that Ireland set out what they planned to do and the most important thing was not to be beaten away from home.
This was Ireland's first away friendly since Kerr's debut game in charge in Scotland in February of last year, and Cunningham said: "We have been a little bit spoilt at Lansdowne Road in the last couple of games."
"The home crowd carries you on occasions and if there are moments when you are suffering a little bit the crowd picks you up and carries you on the crest of a wave almost."
"That wasn't the case here. One or two decisions went against us which normally might not and that was frustrating, but it was important to keep our discipline and our composure and we did that," he added.
The Irish captain also paid tribute youngsters such as Liam Miller and Alan Lee, who made their first international starts last night. "Everybody deserves credit because this was possibly one of our youngest ever squads at senior international level and there was a lot of inexperience on the pitch and on the bench," he said.
"Everybody showed great character. We didn't create as many chances as we would have hoped but it is important in those circumstances not to get too frustrated, you keep your shape and your concentration and don't concede a goal."
Meanwhile manager Kerr also felt that is was an important exercise in gaining some experience away from home. "We got very few decisions from the referee, he gave them every push and throw-in. The players have to learn that's the way it is away from home, so this game did fit the bill of what I wanted," he said.
Filed by Rob Wright
