After winning 2-0 on Friday, Colin O'Brien will be pleased to have secured another clean sheet with his squad as they build up preparations for the forthcoming UEFA U17 Championships qualifiers which take place in Bulgaria in October.
In breezy conditions the game was a scrappy affair with a lot of stoppages but O'Brien felt that the encounter could prove useful in the long run.
"It was a difficult game. Conditions wise there was a breeze but it was still hot in terms of the temperature," said O'Brien.
"Our players did remarkably well to keep their heads with a lot of situations. A lot of the play broke up today with a great deal of stoppages and no real flow in the game but that could happen in qualifying too so can learn from that.
"They had to keep their concentration well. It was pretty frustrating in regards to establishing a rhythm.
"We defended well higher up the pitch particularly. We had two very good chances in the second half but my overall view is that it's been ideal preparation for the qualifiers in Bulgaria. The players have experienced a lot here that they could have to deal with in Bulgaria."
Republic of Ireland: Sean Bohan (Harry Halwax 40), Kevin O'Reilly (Max Murphy 40), Nathan Collins, Oisin McEntee, Kameron Ledwidge, Andrew Spain (Callum Thompson 56), Sean Brennan, Luca Connell (Barry Coffey 56), Sean Mahon (Jason Knight 40), Ciaran Brennan, Troy Parrott.
Results U17 International Friendly
Friday, September 1 FYR Macedonia 0-2 Republic of Ireland, Skopje
Sunday, September 3 FYR Macedonia 0-0 Republic of Ireland, Skopje |