Ireland's 4-0 victory over Gibraltar in Faro may not change the opinions of the decision makers when it comes to deciding on the future of Stephen Kenny's roll with the national team, and the manager acknowledged that the November double header "may well be" the last games of his tenure.
But it was certainly a welcome win for the under-pressure manager following the disappointing defeat in Dublin to Greece on Friday night, as there was real pressure on Kenny to make sure that his side were not the first team in history to drop points to the team from the Rock in European qualification.
Thankfully for Kenny, he did not have to endure a scoreless opening 45 minutes, as was the case in Dublin last year, as Evan Ferguson was on hand to settle the nerves with a steady finish at the near post.
And it was a goal of real quality as Chiedozie Ogbene drew two players out wide on the right before sliding a perfect pass to right back Matt Doherty, who was looking to get forward from the opening whistle, and the Wolves defender sent a tempting ball across the face for Ferguson to clip home.
"It’s better to score an early goal than obviously the last time going in at the break [scoreless]," said Kenny, speaking at the post-match press conference.
"It was well worked, it’s what we have been working on so it’s good to see it come to fruition.
"With Matt (Doherty), Jason (Knight) and Chiedozie (Ogbene) working those openings on both sides, and the fact that Evan (Ferguson) delayed his movement… Sometimes strikers get across the front two too early and it kills the angles, so by delaying his movement and coming really late made it easy for himself, so that was good."
The blanker defence was not easily breached, however, as Ireland still seemed a touch predictable, slamming crosses into a crowded penalty area, which yielded little – several corners were also kept clear of Dayle Coleing’s goal.
"I don’t think we had many aimless balls; set pieces, we didn’t quite maximise them in the first half," said Kenny. "But not everything you try is going to work, but the majority of it did."
But Ireland were showing growing signs of creativity, especially down both flanks with Mikey Johnston looking lively on the left. "I love wingers," the manager enthused, speaking to RTE television after the game.
And it was that combination of Ogbene and Doherty down the right that led to the second with Johnston this time attacking the front post, with his persistence paying off as he helped the ball home after the first effort hit the post.
But Gibraltar offered absolutely nothing in reply and the second half saw Ireland increase the pressure from the opening exchanges with two chances coming from corners and while Shane Duffy volleyed the first one wide, Doherty was in the right place to nod home following a fine flick from McGrath to help the ball across the face of goal.
Chances came aplenty as a more relaxed-looking Ireland went in search of number four, and it duly arrived as McGrath’s fine performance continued with a clever cross for Robinson who guided his header past Coleing.
Ireland employed a four-man defence for the second consecutive game, and the manager admitted afterwards that despite playing most games with three at the back, he is happiest when he can play his preferred 4-3-3 formation.
"4-3-3 is the system I have coached the majority of my life, I know it best," said Kenny. "But just getting the wide players has been a real issue for us.
"We played Jason Knight there the last day but he is better as an attacking midfield player. So it is an issue for us getting a bit of depth in that position because you can’t put a system in place and then players are injured, so you have to change the system.
"So these are the dilemmas that you have, but I’m not complaining about that, it is just the reality."
A 4-0 away win can never do a manager any harm, however, it probably will not help change the mind of the decision-makers within the FAI who will assess his overall performance after next month’s games.
And while it will allow the manager a modicum of space to prepare in peace for the final group game against the Dutch, there is every chance that the FAI will call time on the Kenny project next month as the chances of securing a play-off continue to fade.
"I honestly don’t know. It may well be," said Kenny, when asked whether he expects next month to be his farewell as Ireland manager.
"We’ll give it everything against Holland, against New Zealand. There’s no doubt, of course I want to be the manager of Ireland. It’s brilliant.
"I understand the Greece results. I understand that. Losing to Greece, that’s a 50-50 game, we lost it. There’s a lot of criticism because of that. That’s ok. There’s also been a lot of good football that people shouldn’t forget either.
"It’s a big game. Holland need to win to qualify. They will be flying. We’ve got to put a performance in against Holland in Amsterdam. It’s a big challenge, it’s one we are looking forward to. After that, it’s out of my control."
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