LISTEN: Stephen Hunt Reviews Ireland Vs Serbia

Ireland suffered a 3-2 defeat against Serbia in Belgrade last night but there were still many positives to take away from the game.

Stephen Kenny’s men pressed the Serbians relentlessly early on and an excellent first half goal from Alan Browne rewarded the boys in green for their outstanding efforts. The first half performance was as positive as any Irish away display in memory and the team were sure to have been as pleased as the supporters come the half time whistle.

Unfortunately, a goalkeeping error from the inexperienced Mark Travers, the early withdrawals of Aaron Connoly and Jayson Molumby and some questionable refereeing cost Ireland in the second half with the home side eventually running out as 3-2 winners. The class of Dusan Tadic and Aleksander Mitrovic for Dragan Stoijcovic’s side eventually punished Ireland to open up their World Cup qualification campaign with three important points.

This morning Ronan Calvert caught up with ex Ireland international winger Stephen Hunt to dissect the performance. Hunt was very impressed with the performance and believes Ireland can build from here. Among the topics discussed were Kenny’s decision to play with a three at the back, the performances of the two wing backs, Josh Cullen’s display at the heart of midfield and the importance of Seamus Coleman.