Coleman gets taste for the national stage with support from family

Seamus Coleman admits tasting international football with the Republic of Ireland has left him wanting more. The Everton winger, 22, had friends and family inside the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday night to see him make his debut against Wales in the first game of the inaugural Nations Cup, which ended in a comfortable 3-0 win for the hosts.

After playing for almost an hour, Coleman is hoping the Ireland manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, saw enough to keep faith in him for the crunch Euro 2012 qualifier against Macedonia next month.

"Playing for your country is what every professional wants to do and I am no different," said the former Sligo Rovers player. "He [Trapattoni] was delighted with the good, convincing win and he congratulated me on my debut, which was all I wanted. To be honest I just wanted to play whether it be right-back or right-wing. I am used to right-wing because of my time at Everton and I really enjoyed it.

"I am just going to go back to Everton and to work hard there and, hopefully, the club form will be rewarded with more caps at international level.

"The game was similar to Premier League football," added Coleman. "We knew all about their players as well so that probably helped on my debut. There were a bit of nerves beforehand but I wasn't overly nervous. All my family and friends were down from Donegal so they went home happy."

Coleman made way for the Birmingham midfielder Keith Fahey, who scored his second goal for Ireland in the 82nd minute with a free-kick to seal the win.

"I haven't been taking free-kicks since I left [Irish club] St Patrick's so it was nice that I had the confidence to take it and nice to score," Fahey said. "It is always nice to get a run and do well. They were dogged enough and I think once we scored once they crumbled enough. I have been playing on the left since I moved to Birmingham so it's not unfamiliar. I probably feel more comfortable there now."

Defender Darren O'Dea, who came on as a late substitute, was pleased at the way Ireland went about their business. "It was a good way to start the tournament," he said. "We have a qualifier next month [against FYR Macedonia] so that will give us the confidence going in to that."