Givens praises team ethic of young Irish side

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 manager Don Givens finally has a platform on which to build for the future.

Although the Republic ended their Uefa Championship qualifying campaign with a 1-0 defeat to a strong, experienced Switzerland team at Shelbourne's Tolka Park, there were many encouraging signs.

The team showed more than just heart and endeavour; there were moments of quality that suggest that come the start of the next qualifying rounds in 11 months time, there will be more to offer.

After a 3-0 victory over Cyprus to open their Group Four account, Ireland struggled, with confidence draining away with each poor result. But signs of recovery were in evidence on Tuesday night, despite the Republic falling to a 13th-minute goal from David Degen that extended their winless run to nine matches.

The team played more as a unit, creating the better chances, and there was a greater degree of communication between players.

"We need that because it's something young players don't do enough of, but it's a learning curve for them," said Givens. "Although you are never happy to lose, I'm as happy as I can be with a defeat because there's something to build on now for the future.

"When you have two games back to back, the squad knits together. You are in for two days and then you play, but then the squad remains together and they continue to knit.

"You could see it in training, there was more of a bond. You could see the camaraderie develop in the hotel, and they are now more of a group."

Givens would have loved to have at least gained the point his team's display deserved, but Joey O'Brien, John Fitzgerald, Stephen Ward, Jay Tabb, Aiden McGeady and Willo Flood all spurned chances.

"It's a pity, with that performance, we didn't finish with something because it merited it, but we didn't get it so now we move on, with the Madeira Tournament in February."

One of Givens's promising charges, the Bolton midfielder O'Brien, has particular grounds for satisfaction. A year ago O'Brien was still looking to establish himself in the Bolton reserves, with one fleeting Carling Cup appearance to his credit at first-team level.

The heady world of the Premiership, European and international football was at that stage still nothing more than a dream.

Then the 19-year-old Dubliner made what he now considers a crucial loan move to Sheffield Wednesday in December, with O'Brien spending just less than three months with a Wednesday side who went on to earn promotion to the Championship.

O'Brien made his Premiership debut for Bolton in the final game of last term, featuring for the last eight minutes of a 3-2 win over Everton at the Reebok Stadium after replacing El-Hadji Diouf.

That served as a prelude to what has been a stunning start to this season as O'Brien has established himself as a regular squad member, making his first start in the second leg of Bolton's Uefa Cup first-round tie with Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Bulgaria.

O'Brien has also gained seven Republic of Ireland Under-21 caps, all in the space of the last eight months. He is now one of the first names on the team sheet.

"A year ago I was just playing reserve-team football in front of 25 people," said O'Brien. "I can't believe what has happened to me so far this season. I thought I would get a chance with a bit of hard work, although deep down you think it just might not come. Obviously, the gaffer [Sam Allardyce] knew of me from reserve matches, but going on loan to Sheffield Wednesday was great for me. When that chance did finally come, I was absolutely delighted."