Mick McCarthy: "I've always trusted David McGoldrick, he's such a good player"

Colman Stanley reports from Aviva Stadium

Ireland boss Mick McCarthy lavished praise on goalscorer David McGoldrick and hailed the spirit of his side following a late draw against Switzerland on Thursday evening.

It was a game that felt very familiar. 1-0 down, and a spirited comeback against a superior side, and McCarthy made no attempt to hide this when he spoke to journalists following last night’s match at the Aviva stadium.

However, the Irish did look more threatening than they did away to the Danes, and with David McGoldrick grabbing his first international goal, there was a good feeling about the result and performance after the match.

He admitted that his side are not the best in the group, and was understandably very pleased with his side’s result against a team he described as a “very good side”, and one with “very good players playing for good clubs”.

He was particularly impressed given the fact that his centre midfield only had six games between them so far this season.

He mockingly asked the crowd of journalists, “Why not play somebody else I hear you cry? Well because they’re the most experienced players.”

It was obvious to anyone at the Aviva last night that there was an upgrade in the atmosphere compared to nights over the last couple of seasons.

The reaction of the crowd following McGoldrick’s equaliser was immense, and the likes of which we haven’t seen since a certain Shane Long strike.

McCarthy was quick to echo these sentiments. “When the goal went in it was like the days of old, Jack’s days, my days when qualifying for the World Cup. The noise and the atmosphere was fabulous and I’d like to thank the fans for that.

“The way we played and the way the lads conducted themselves, and against Denmark, has helped people believe in the team again.”

“Worked well didn’t it?”, was his response when asked about the substitutions and formation changes, he made when his team went 1-0 down.

“Well I did change the shape of the team. I put Scott Hogan on and went 4-4-2 and a bit gung-ho. If we’d had got beaten 2-0 we’d have been beaten 2-0”.

He also went out of his way with jubilant praise for goal scorer McGoldrick. A player who he managed during his tenure at Ipswich.

“Didsy has always been an excellent player. For me he has. I’ve always trusted David McGoldrick, he’s such a good player.”

Aside from his praise of the ‘stoic’ and ‘resilient’ nature of his players, McCarthy also pointed out that the Swiss tactics, like the Danes, of ‘shutting up shop’ after going ahead, contributed largely to the equaliser.

Looking ahead to Monday’s friendly against Bulgaria, he assured journalists that League of Ireland star Jack Byrne would be involved.