As the Republic of Ireland embark on their ninth international play-off, Paul McGrath remembers his own painful play-off memories and expects Martin O’Neill’s side to get the job done against Denmark.
The Boys in Green are preparing themselves for tonight’s first-leg in Copenhagen, and the play-off route is nothing new to the majority of the squad.
The clash with Denmark is the fifth play-off since the infamous night in Paris eight years ago and the Thierry Henry handball.
The French capital was the scene for Ireland’s first-ever foray into the play-offs more than 50 years ago, where a 1-0 defeat to Spain ensured the Republic would play no part in the 1966 World Cup.
The second came in November 1995, a stand-alone fixture against the Netherlands which ultimately brought the curtain down on Jack Charlton’s successful reign as national manager.
Anfield was chosen as the neutral venue with a place at Euro 96 at stake, but on a bitterly cold December night on Merseyside, the majority crowd of Irish supporters witnessed their decorated side fall to a Dutch team laden with youthful talent.
The budding talents of Michael Reiziger, Clarenece Seedorf, Edgar Davids, Marc Overmars and Patrick Kluivert were accompanied by established stars such as Edwin van der Sar, Ronald de Boer and Denis Bergkamp.
A goal in either half from Kluivert sealed victory and after taking Ireland to a European Championships and two World Cups, it was the end of the most successful period in Irish football.
The encounter with Denmark has brought the painful memories of Anfield flooding back for the former Manchester United defender.
"It was supposed to be men against boys, but it was the boys who won out that day" - Paul McGrath
"Back then they [Netherlands] were very, very scary. Kluivert was coming through and all these kids and they were all brilliant, he told The Marian Finucane Show on RTÉ Radio One.
"They just wiped the floor with us.
"Some of us were 33, 34 and 35. I think we all kind of realised it was going to be our last hurrah. It was supposed to be men against boys, but it was the boys who won out that day. They were fantastic footballers.
"They well deserved to beat us 2-0."
McGrath would play three more times in a green shirt before retiring in 1997, but there was a realisation throughout the ground, among players and management that the joyful and glorious chapter in Irish football was now closed.
"There was a point in that game where you just think, ‘these kids are too fast, they are better than us’. We didn’t have the legs anymore, and I think Jack realised that.
"He went for a walk around the pitch at Anfield afterwards and he was getting lorded by the Irish supporters. I thought that was lovely.
"The supporters even knew that that was going to be the swansong."
Looking ahead to Denmark, the 83-cap international expects Wes Hoolahan's creativity to be kept in reserve for the return leg in Dublin, and believes the burden of attacking responsibility will fall on the shoulders of talisman James McClean.
McGrath hopes that the West Brom man's passion will be channeled in the right way with so much at stake.
"I’m a huge fan of his. He wears it on his sleeve. He can overdo it sometimes and I hope he doesn’t do it in the first or second game."
Ireland’s top goalscorer from the group campaign is one of 10 players carrying a yellow card into the play-offs, but McGrath doesn’t expect any of O’Neill’s charges to be walking the tightrope once the action gets underway in the Danish capital.
"You can’t be pulling out of challenges," he says.
"You have got to just go full steam ahead. If you are one of the unlucky ones on a yellow card, you take one for the team."
The 57-year-old is quietly confident that Russia 2018 dreams will be realised, starting tonight in Copenhagen.
"I think Ireland will get a result tonight. I think it will be a draw or we might get a 1-0."
Live coverage of Denmark v Ireland on RTÉ 2 (7.25pm), live radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport and live blog on RTÉ.ie from 6pm.
