Forde thrilled with the ‘night of his life’

THE Galway native did not want the night to end. After waiting until he was 33-years old before making his competitive debut for the Republic of Ireland, it was no wonder that goalkeeper David Forde savoured every moment of Ireland’s draw with England at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night.

He had come a long way, via Galway United, Derry City, Barry Town, West Ham United (where he never managed to break into the first time) and Cardiff City before establishing himself as first choice ‘keeper at London club Millwall.

The route has been tough at times, so no wonder he felt it was a dream come true as he soaked in the atmosphere after holding a star-studded home attack to just one goal in front of 80,126 fans at Wembley Stadium.

The Inishannagh Park native was superb on Wednesday night, making a number of key saves as England chased a win in the closing stages, and he could hardly have been faulted for the Frank Lampard goal which levelled the tie on 22 minutes.

Suddenly, all the worries about finding a long-term replacement for Shay Given seemed misplaced among the Irish contingent, who were delighted by the Galway man’s assured performance between the posts in what was the fourth Wembley appearance of his professional career.

Forde had been there before for two play-off finals, and Wednesday’s win banished the memories of Millwall’s 2-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic in last month’s FA Cup semi-final at the famed London venue.

But this was different. He was playing for his country against England, the ‘old enemy’, in the first fixture between the two countries in 18 years. The kind of game he dreamed of playing in when he first kicked a ball around the Westside as a youngster, or when he would watch an FA Cup final at home on television. He could feel it in the atmosphere before the game, this was far more than just an end of season friendly.

“It was always going to be like that, with England taking on Ireland. It was a really good end of season game and Wembley is a very special place,” he told Tribune Sport from his Dublin hotel yesterday afternoon.

“Growing up as a kid in Galway, watching the games on television, I’d always dreamed of playing there. We’d watch the Cup finals  at home and it’s incredible to think I’ve now played there four times.

“But last night’s game was really something special. I was delighted with my own performance in what was such a big game. The atmosphere, the noise, was special and you’d forget it was only a warm-up for the Faroe Islands game next Friday. It was incredible to run out in front of more than 80,000 fans and to stay unbeaten against that England team.”