By Gary Ferry
Shane Duffy is ready for the proudest day of his life.
When the final whistle goes at the Aviva Stadium next Tuesday night, Duffy will be on his knees. Whether it is in ecstasy or agony remains to be seen, but the Brighton defender, who was only 10 years old when the Republic of Ireland last played in a World Cup, is hoping that he is planning for a trip to Russia next summer.
Duffy’s reputation has soared in the past 12 months, from the agony of his red card against France in the Euros, to his towering performance against Wales in the winner take all qualifier in Cardiff. Such was his display, jokes were made that when Hurricane Ophelia recently threatened Ireland, keyboard comedians on social media insisted that Shane Duffy would simply head it away.
Those kind of jokes aside, there is no doubt that Duffy has made a name for himself, doing his talking on the pitch.
“I think we have got to take everything that we got from the last Wales game,” he said. “Overall, I think it’s been quite a good campaign. We have got to take confidence from the games throughout the whole campaign, the last one especially. The squad have been together for the majority of the two years. We always have breaks after the games so we have got to come back and people are in different form, but we still went out there and beat Wales in their own back garden and I think, taking the confidence from that, we can go out here now and beat anyone.”
Ireland have arguably played their best football away from home in this World Cup qualifying campaign and following that 1-0 win in Cardiff, courtesy of a goal from best friend James McClean, Duffy is of the belief that Ireland can go anywhere and when, especially when the pressure is on.
“It’s just something we’re suited to and I think we’re well capable of getting a 1-0 win on Saturday,” he explained. “Away from home, we tend to soak up the pressure counterattack with the pace we’ve got. Set-pieces are also one of our strong points, so we’ll aim to try nick a goal from them.
“We have got to try and take advantage. It would be great if we could go out there and try to score a couple of goals. The way we play, we know we can defend well as a team and if we can go out there and set the tempo and take a goal for the second leg. If we score first we can be hard to beat.”
Duffy has played 8 of the 10 qualifiers in this campaign and has formed a rigid partnership with Ciaran Clarke. It is a partnership that Martin O’Neill has placed his faith in, with both almost certain to start in Copenhagen on Saturday.
“We complement each other quite well on the pitch,” Duffy agreed. “We know each other and we know what we are doing. It’s been great. The competition is quite strong here so we know we have to perform so we want to help each other. For me, he’s been great and hopefully the more we play together the stronger we can become.”
Challenge
Duffy is not just making a name for himself with the Republic, but also with club side Brighton, who have conceded just two goals in their last six games. Coming up against some of the world’s best strikers on a weekly basis, he insists he is more than ready for Danish and Tottenham star Christian Eriksen this time around.
“He will be Denmark’s key player but we’ve dealt with bigger and better players in the campaign already,” he said. “While I’m glad we got Denmark, rather than Italy, when it down to the final two in the draw for the play-off, I’m part of a team here that wouldn’t fear facing any squad or player.
“Eriksen is just another one to tick off and do our job. Our away record gives us confidence heading to Copenhagen because we let teams have a lot more of the ball and are quite comfortable defending.”
Still a child when Ireland last reached the World stage, Duffy has slowly and surely climbed the ladder to earning his place as a regular starter for the Republic. Barely featuring in the qualifying for the European Championship in France, Duffy got his chance against Italy and from there he has not looked back.
“I had nothing to do with us qualifying for the Euros so I just celebrated on the pitch as a fan when we won the play-off,” he recalled.
“I hardly even knew anyone in the squad and didn’t really feel part of getting us there. This time is 100 per cent different.
“I was discussing with James McClean there that I’ve made a contribution in this campaign. If the final whistle goes in Dublin next Tuesday, and we’re through to the World Cup, then it will be the proudest moment of my career.”
“This is quite surreal to think that getting to the World Cup is in my hands. I remember watching the 2002 tournament at home, feeling the heartbreak of losing to Spain on penalties, and wanting to get on that stage. Here’s my chance.”
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