Forde Ôover the moonÕ after making full Irish debut

CIARAN TIERNEY

It was a long time coming, but boy did he enjoy it. A clean sheet, a couple of fabulous saves, and a rare victory over the Italians ensured that Galway native David Forde enjoyed a full debut to be treasured when he lined out between the posts for the Republic of Ireland in Belgium on Tuesday night. 

Coming at the end of a season in which the commitment of some Irish players to representing their country in ‘friendlies’ came under fire, the Millwall goalkeeper was clearly overjoyed that his first high-profile start for the Republic had ended in a memorable 2-0 victory.“It was absolutely fantastic to get a clean sheet against Italy and to win 2-0 away from home,” a delighted Forde told Tribune Sport on Wednesday.

“I’m over the moon. All you can do is take on what’s in front of you and I was pleased with how the whole game went. The whole team worked their socks off. We wanted it badly.”

The Republic have not beaten Italy since Ray Houghton hit the back of the Azzurri’s net in the 1994 World Cup in the USA and Forde was thrilled to play his part, coming off his line to make a key interception on the half-hour mark and making a fingertip save to deny the Italians before Simon Cox wrapped up the win in injury time.

At 31, the native of Newcastle in Galway City became the oldest player since World War Two to make a full senior debut for Ireland, a statistic he only became aware of at a press conference in Liege the night before the game.

“I didn’t know that until Monday night,” he said. “It’s absolutely fantastic. I finally got there after all these years and it just goes to show that perseverance pays off. I am still young for a goalkeeper when you look at the likes of David James and Edwin Van Der Sar. So I think I’ve a good few years left in me and a few more caps to win.”Forde, who made his League of Ireland debut for Galway United in September 1999, said that he was not nervous before his first full international at the Maurice Dufrasne Stadium in Liege. Instead, he was keen to impress manager Giovanni Trapattoni after finally getting his chance in the absence of regular goalkeeper Shay Given.

“It was always my dream, ever since I was a young lad in Galway, to represent my country. It was always top of my list of goals to achieve in football. So it was great to get out on the field and finally play for Ireland last night,” he told Tribune Sport.

“I wasn’t nervous last night. I have already played in two play-off finals with Millwall, in front of crowds of 85,000 at Wembley. Last night’s game was only a friendly, but I was really keen to show the manager what I have. At the end of the day I am an experienced player and I’m hoping now that my performance last night can cement my position in the squad.”

For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.