JOHN O’Shea has welcomed the acute disappointment Celtic striker Adam Idah felt after being left out of Republic of Ireland’s UEFA Nations League first leg tie in Bulgaria before coming off the bench to score in the return match in Dublin.
The 24-year-old’s tidy finish from Mark Sykes’s brilliant cross preserved Ireland’s League B status with the striker putting his index finger to his lips in celebration.
Whether this was directed at the Irish management team or some critics is unclear – but O’Shea was delighted with how Idah reacted to being an unused sub in Plovdiv three nights earlier.
“Good, that’s what we need,” said O’Shea.
“We need that healthy competition. The best way to answer is when he came on the pitch and scored.
“We need competition, we are talking about beating tier one nations and qualifying for tournaments, we are going to need our strikers scoring goals and it’s important we have that reaction. Brilliant to see.”
Idah spoke to manager Heimir Hallgrimsson expressing his disappointment at being left out of the first leg.
Hallgrimsson opted for Troy Parrott and Finn Azaz as his striker partnership in the first leg before making room for West Ham’s out-of-favour Evan Ferguson in the second leg in Dublin.
Idah, who has scored 14 times for Celtic this season, came on in the 65th minute on Sunday night for Mikey Johnston and found the net in the 84th minute to give the Republic a 2-1 win on the night and a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Troy Parrott played at high level across the two games against Bulgaria (Niall Carson/PA)
He mightn’t have scored across the two games against Bulgaria, but Parrott was a revelation.
The 23-year-old striker had a difficult couple of seasons in England before trying his luck in Dutch football where he’s bagged 17 goals for AZ Alkmaar in all competitions this season.
“When you think of the loans he’s had, he thought he had to try something a bit different,” O’Shea said.
“That’s the bravery and the confidence he has in himself, to back himself. Listen, every player will have a different pathway at a different stage, and that’s the path Troy is on.”
The assistant manager added: “I know Troy a long time. His awareness has improved in terms of bringing other players into play, especially.
“I’m aware of his quality in terms of finishing, his touch – his touch for [Finn Azaz’s] goal the other night was incredible.
“It’s getting that consistency in his play, bringing other players into play and being a threat himself.”
With the 2026 World Cup qualifiers kicking off in the autumn, Hallgrimsson and O’Shea are hoping their three main strikers – Ferguson, Parrott and Idah – are firing on all cylinders.
Ireland face Portugal, Hungary and Armenia home and away between September and November of this year in a bid to reach the World Cup finals being hosted by America, Canada and Mexico.
Meanwhile, Hallgrimsson has only been in charge of the Irish team for eight games but he’s already record four wins – two against Bulgaria and two against Finland – and is beginning to put a bit of shape on the squad.
Asked what the 57-year-old Icelandic has done well since taking the reins last September, O’Shea said: “He’s got us winning football matches.
“His organisation, his principles, all those things you expect from a manager who has had the experience he’s had, qualifying for major finals.
“Those ideas and the simplicity for certain games, whether it be as we’ve mentioned two lefties, two righties [against the Bulgarians in the first leg], understanding what things would work, what things we need to shake up the squad with maybe different players, different characters. It’s getting that balance right.”
Ireland play host to Senegal and travel to Luxembourg for two June friendlies before turning their attention to their opening World Cup qualifier against Hungary in Dublin on September 6.