IT'S BACK TO THE DRAWING BORED

Work to do ahead of World Cup qualifers as Green shoots wither on the vine in a snooze against minnows

- BY PAUL O'HEHIR

THIS tedious game will be quickly forgotten about, and deservedly so, but it also served a useful purpose too.

It was a sharp reminder that for all the lofty chat of World Cup qualification, Ireland have a long, long way to go before they can compete in that company.

Birthday boy Heimir Hallgrimsson (right) said in the build up that it wouldn't be a shock if Ireland failed to get a result here, as Luxembourg are not quite the minnows of old.

But they were still on a bad run, with just one win in their last 11 - although that was against Sweden - and they sit 91st in the FIFA world rankings.

Ireland were no better than them here and while nobody will read too much into a drab, end-of-season friendly, it's a sobering realisation of our own levels too. Jack Taylor nearly won it in the dying stages but the fierce drive from the Ipswich Town man crashed off Tiago Pereira’s crossbar and back into play.

Midfielder Taylor, who was a 57th minute sub, was Ireland’s most dynamic player on a night when the entire attack failed to make any impact in a toothless display.

Still, Hallgrimsson - on his 58th birthday - will point to the four-game unbeaten run that his team has stitched together going into the start of the World Cup campaign. On a night when Max O'Leary and John Joe Patrick Finn made their debuts, the draw kept momentum on track, but should also keep World Cup expectations in check.