Million thanks from Quinn to repay 'debts'

Sunderland 0 Republic of Ireland 3

Having met the Pope, survived a Tony Adams' drinking school and won a mention in Hansard during 18 years in the game, Niall Quinn took the stage in what for him was an even more memorable experience, and in the process helped drag football's tarnished reputation just a little further away from the gutter.

Jimmy Hill can hardly have imagined it during his campaign to abolish the maximum football wage 40 years ago, but £1m to some of the Premiership's top earners represents less than three months' work. Yet to the charities benefiting from Quinn's decision to channel all the near £1m proceeds to good causes, it is much more than loose change.

A children's project in Calcutta, Sunderland's Royal Hospital and Our Lady's Hospital in the 35-year-old's native Dublin ­ which treated Quinn for broken fingers and the effects of swallowing part of an alarm clock during an accident prone youth ­ will receive sizeable cash donations thanks to Quinn's wish to repay what he sees as debts accumulated during a lengthy career.

It is a gesture which says everything about a man who, if he so wishes in years to come, could no doubt add President of the Republic to his status as his country's top all-time international goalscorer.

With Sunderland's players keen not to emulate the feat of Southampton's Tahar El Khalej in crocking Kieron Dyer, the match itself was always going to be something of a sideshow, with the Republic captain Roy Keane's absence down to nothing more sinister than a hamstring problem which will not prevent him linking up with the squad for tomorrow's friendly with Nigeria in Dublin.

The Manchester United midfielder was not missed, Ireland taking the lead in four minutes as the Wolves winger Mark Kennedy steered home a David Connolly cross from close range. Connolly then fired home a 20-yard free-kick 11 minutes from the break.

As promised, Quinn appeased both sets of suppporters, emerging for the second period clad in green after a fruitless first 20 minutes in red and white as the Ireland's manager, Mick McCarthy, made 10 changes.

It was a surprise that on a night boasting so many substitutions, Quinn was withdrawn with an hour gone without having scored, a feat managed 10 minutes from time by Kevin Kilbane who with a downward header scored against his employers to notch a third for the visitors.

Yet for Quinn, not managing a goal on a night where he had already achieved so much hardly mattered.