Staunton's Ireland still 'on course'

Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Staunton admitted his players were "absolutely devastated" after an added-time goal denied them an away victory in Slovakia.

'Still on course'
Marek Čech drilled the ball beyond Shay Given with seconds remaining to claim a 2-2 draw and dash Ireland's hopes of three points which Kevin Doyle's stunning second-half goal appeared to have given them. Staunton said: "Judging by the dressing room the lads are absolutely devastated, but I wouldn't say it is a bad result. We are still on course and we want to win every game but we are playing two difficult games in such a short space of time.

Doyle concern
"It's natural when you're playing away from home to have the mindset to drop deep but I want to change that mentality because if we do that we will see the game through." Staunton said Doyle was taken off with a hamstring strain but that it was too early to tell whether he would be a doubt for Wednesday's match against the Czech Republic in Prague. "I don't think it's too serious but we will have to keep checking him over the next 24 hours and see how he is.

'Bonus'
"It was a great finish from Kevin. We have seen him do it in the Premier League and also in the League of Ireland." Staunton said he did not expect his side to let the disappointment of last night's near miss affect their performance in Prague, saying: "I think it's a bonus the game is coming so quickly. They will be down but I've no doubt they will soon be getting their minds on to the Czech Republic game."

Germany on top
Another bonus for Staunton is that the result effectively leaves two teams fighting for the runners-up spot behind Germany with Slovakia coach Ján Kocian acknowledging his own side's challenge was over. "We said we needed six points from these two matches and now we are out of this group of three it is going to be very interesting to see who goes forward from this group," he said. Slovakia entertain Wales on Wednesday.