IN MARCH 2019, Ireland fans were chucking tennis balls onto the pitch here in protest.
Five years on, they were making a racket as they found another John from Waterford more to their liking.
Back then, the second game of Mick McCarthy’s second stint in charge, against Georgia, was interrupted by a hail of fuzzy green balls which cascaded from the stands to signal supporters’ discontent with John Delaney’s reign which had entered its final chapter.
McCarthy was on a fixed-term contract, charged with leading Ireland to Euro 2020.
It was before Covid-19 came along, delayed the tournament and deprived him of the chance to qualify through the play-offs – before handing over the reins to Stephen Kenny.
John O’Shea’s deal is an even shorter one.
Along with those pulling pints and serving chips in the stadium, he is another member of the gig economy, albeit better paid and not required to hand back his uniform at the end of his shift.
The chances are we will see him in an Ireland tracksuit again, although he ditched his attire for the rest of the week by opting for a suit, the wool zip top his only concession to the bitter elements.
The faded Guinness and Harvey Norman sponsor logos from Ireland’s Six Nations title-clinching game a week earlier underlined how quickly the sports news cycle moves on.
The barely visible 22s were a reminder of the squad number most associated with O’Shea.
It is less than six years since he won his final, and 118th, cap here, against the USA. It was also Declan Rice’s last, and fourth, appearance for his, first, country.
The home side that day included goalkeeper Colin Doyle, who was about to turn 33 and had just three previous caps, the first of which was won in 2007.
His second, away to Turkey in 2018, was followed within 24 hours by a club appearance for Bradford City as he was playing at a level, League One, where fixtures were not automatically postponed during an international window.
Although the team was in much need of a rebuild, Martin O’Neill was not exactly blessed with raw materials with which to work.
Minding goals for Ireland on this occasion was another Corkman, Caoimhín Kelleher, whose best days are still ahead of, rather than behind, him.
He has played the last 10 games – including a Carabao Cup final – for a Liverpool side still chasing a treble despite their last-gasp FA Cup defeat to Manchester United last Sunday.
Kelleher acquitted himself well but, presumably, O’Shea will start Gavin Bazunu against Switzerland on Tuesday and defer a decision on who will be Ireland’s no 1 for the Nations League campaign to the full-time manager.
But O’Shea – aided by two former Manchester City apprentices, Paddy McCarthy and Glenn Whelan, and former Ireland boss Brian Kerr – may just be beside whoever that is to be a sounding board for the big calls.
O’Shea was – after Damien Duff, Anthony Barry and John Eustace – part of Kenny’s staff but not inextricably linked to it which has allowed him to be part of Ireland’s present, and probably its future.
INTERIM IMPRESSION
As first impressions go, this was a good one.
There was no change in system and no major overhaul of personnel either.
A debut for arguably the Championship’s Player of the Season Sammie Szmodics came at the expense of the division’s best performer over the past month, Mikey Johnston.
But there was an increase in intensity.
Whilst Belgium had the ball for long periods outside Ireland’s box, they were not allowed to retain possession at their leisure.
They generally had an Irish player snapping at their heels waiting for a chance to swipe the ball off their opponents.
They were not always successful but the intent was appreciated by the home crowd of 38,128 and, when they were, they broke with purpose.
Playing in triangles may be as old as football itself but it can still be effective when properly done.
Szmodics fitted in well, his ability to take the ball on the turn allowing Irish attacks to continue at pace when, in other areas of the pitch, they found themselves having to go backwards to regroup and look elsewhere for an opening.
The most obvious example of the Blackburn Rovers’ player ability was for the two best chances in open play.
The first was after Evan Ferguson had won the ball off Wout Faes and laid it off to Josh Cullen.
Cullen’s first-time pass was taken in his stride by Szmodics who picked out Chiedozie Ogbene.
His confidence on the back of an impressive debut season in the English top flight with Luton Town must have played its part in deciding to go himself.
CHANCES
But he fired into the sidenetting when a cut-back to the incoming Séamus Coleman looked the better option.
At 35 years of age, you do not want to be making those lung-busting runs for nothing and the Ireland skipper understandably hit out at this team-mate’s decision-making.
The second was straight from kick-off at the start of the second half with Ferguson heading over Robbie Brady’s cross after Szmodics had teed the veteran up.
Given the opposition, it was not likely Ireland would have a raft of opportunities and, so, one as clearcut as that early one could not be squandered.
They did get another before the break, courtesy of referee Rohit Saggi’s generous awarding of a penalty for handball against Arthur Vermeeren when it had struck his face first.
Belgium will feel justice was served as Ferguson lost his footing as he struck the ball with Matz Sels able to bat it away.
Despite having the lion’s share of possession, Belgium were not carving Ireland open with the most nervous moment of the first half when, with Lois Openda baring down on him, Kelleher casually dragged the ball back before laying it off to Nathan Collins.
It might have stopped a few hearts around the ground but Kelleher – who made a fine stop to deny Thomas Meunier in the second half – appeared to know what he was doing.
Much like the Ireland interim boss.