Ireland draw with New Zealand on night of long goodbye for Stephen Kenny

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“THE PURPOSE OF life”, wrote Julian Barnes in Sense of an Ending, “is to reconcile us to its eventual loss by wearing us down, by proving, however long it takes, that life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

And this has been what the Stephen Kenny era has felt like: one long, wheezing parable on why life never turns out how you’d like it.

Kenny spoke romantically of flowing football and thumping hearts but it all slowly went awry, and a hungry Irish public desperate to swallow his dream were slowly lost to results which just could not be digested. Tonight, on the final night, Ireland even came clad in solemnity, wearing a new black kit against the New Zealand team that play in all white.

Kenny’s last contribution was another 1-1 draw, in which Ireland took a first-half lead by Adam Idah but lost to another long-range goal on the hour mark. Before the game, Kenny also committed to the history books one of the most melancholy phrases in Irish football history, written in his match programme notes.

“Ambition can take you to the darkest of places.”

Some day he may speak of those dark places. It does feel cruel that he was denied resolution on his future before kick-off here: it felt as if everyone has agreed to move on and just forgotten to tell him. CEO Jonathan Hill’s programme notes paid handsome tribute to Kenny’s entire staff before moving into a kind of eulogy for Kenny himself, acknowledging the “journey has not always been an easy one for him.”

Most Irish managers have been chased out of the job in sour rancour, but Kenny’s valedictory atmosphere was very different, as fans said goodbye in polite and ever-so-rueful sympathy.

Whoever comes next can at least be grateful to Kenny for leaving him Mikey Johnston. The Scottish youth international turned down a call-up under Martin O’Neill but committed under Kenny, and is a profile of player whom Ireland have sorely lacked: a winger. He ultimately came along too late to save Kenny, whose lack of wide options led him to make do for too long with a back three, and away from his favoured 4-3-3. In the long and empty days to come, Kenny may regret not being able to job entirely on his own terms. But then again, that’s the nature of international football: it demands improvisers over ideologues.

Johnston illuminated the early moments of this drab epilogue, raising the crowd by constantly skating in off the left wing and past a series of New Zealand defenders, and was dubiously denied a penalty at one point when he appeared to be shoved over in the box.

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Ireland’s goal came courtesy of another Kenny recruit, though it owed more to effort than brilliance. Mark Sykes tenaciously chased down Sligo Rovers defender Nando Pijnaker and robbed him of the ball, setting Adam Idah clear one-on-one, who cooly rolled the ball into the corner of the net.

Ireland deserved that goal but they quickly lost their control, and Caoimhín Kelleher  brilliantly tipped away a long-range from New Zealand winger Sarpeet Singh.

Kelleher was replaced at half-time by Mark Travers, who couldn’t repeat the trick on the hour mark. Ireland were played through much too easily in midfield but then had a chance to clear their lines, only for Duffy to only half-cue his clearance. Matt Garbett duly hovered onto the rebound, steadied himself and, in the absence of any challenge, slammed the ball into the bottom corner from outside the box. Under Kenny, Ireland have conceded long-range goals at a rate to defy some of football’s finest minds. Garbett’s was one for the road.

The 65th minute brought one roar for the introduction of Evan Ferguson but a greater one to mark the send-off for James McClean, who made way for Ryan Manning. The ground rose in appreciation and McClean was embraced by each of his team-mates as he slowly made his way off the pitch for the 103rd but final time.

Soon the offside flag saved Ireland further pain. Ferguson headed a New Zealand corner clear but it was then volleyed brilliantly back at goal, with Travers reacting by pushing the ball back out in front of him, where it was met by Pijnkaer. Travers reacted well to stop Pijnkaer’s follow-up but then saw the ball cannon off Duffy and into the net, before the linesman recognised that Pijnaker was offside in the first place.

Andrew Moran was introduced for the final 15 minutes – becoming the 21st player to make his debut under Stephen Kenny – but Ireland almost instantly conceded, sliced open with Travers saving one-on-one from a former Sligo striker, Max Mata.

Ireland spent most of the second half doing nothing aside from making subs and saying goodbyes, until Ferguson was finally fed a good pass in the box five minutes from time. His curling effort was heading for the far corner until Max Crocombe pushed it out: Sykes’ follow-up to an empty net was so horribly miscued it looped behind him.

Adam Idah embraces Mark Sykes.

Minutes later Kenny had run out of his technical area to rage at the match officials after the referee was minded not to give Ferguson a penalty when it looked like he was pushed over by Michael Boxall.

Ryan Manning made a crucial intervention to prevent yet another Irish defeat in stoppage time, diving to the back post to divert the ball away from Stamenic, who was ready to tap it in.

Moments later, a long lingering shot of Kenny was displayed on the big screen, but was met with zero reaction. No cheers, no jeers, nothing at all. That screen displayed a thank you message to McClean at full-time; Kenny’s will come in an emailed statement.

Stephen Kenny sold a vision which ultimately perished upon contact with a harsh world. But for a while he had convinced we were on the road to somewhere, however far away from somewhere we may be.

Now the lights have come on and we realise we are nowhere.

The FAI must find a direction from here.

Republic of Ireland: Caoimhin Kelleher (Mark Travers, HT); Matt Doherty (Alan Browne, 73′), Shane Duffy (captain), Andrew Omobamidele, James McClean; Jason Knight (Josh Cullen, 53′), Jayson Molumby, Jamie McGrath; Mark Sykes, Adam Idah (Adam Idah, 65′), Mikey Johnston (Andrew Moran, 77′)

New Zealand: Max Crocombe; Tim Payne, Nando Pijnaker, Michael Boxall, Libby Cacace; Marko Stamenic, Joe Bell, Matt Garbett (Clayton Lewis, 81′); Callum McCowatt (Elijah Just, 77′), Chris Wood (Max Mata, 60′), Sarpreet Singh

Referee: Urs Schnyder (SUI)

Attendance: 26,517