Dowie strikes for equality

This time the disturbances here were down to just one man, a 30- year-old former aerospace technician from Hatfield. With a late header, from what was Northern Ireland's first real chance of a ragged Dublin affair, Iain Dowie succeeded in applying a brake to the Republic's seemingly effortless pursuit of a place at the European Championship finals next summer.

It was the first goal Alan Kelly has conceded in six international appearances and it will earn a bitter notoriety if it proves to deny Jack Charlton his dream of bowing out with his adopted country on the footballing fields of his home country.

However, despite this setback, the Republic are still nicely placed to earn one of the two qualifying spots.

With ambition seriously curtailed - and who could blame Northern Ireland after their four-goal capitulation in Belfast last November - there looked to be no way back for Bryan Hamilton's underdogs once Niall Quinn had ended 46 minutes of utter frustration with a simple thrust of his right boot from close in.

Although the Republic were never assured in any aspect of their play they felt able to contain the solitary attacking menace that Dowie offered. Then in the 73rd minute Paul McGrath made a square pass that found Denis Irwin slow to respond and opened the way for the burgeoning skills of Keith Gillespie, the makeweight in the record Andy Cole transfer, to flourish.

The beautifully balanced, alert Newcastle winger had Phil Babb blocking his way but won enough room for the cross which the brawny Crystal Palace striker twisted to divert towards goal. Kelly got two hands to it but could not deny what was the first goal the North had scored in Dublin against their Irish rivals.

"We took a stupid chance with a ball across our back four and got punished for it," Charlton complained. "We had the game won at that stage and I never dreamed we were going to drop a point. Then all of a sudden it's gone. I hate March - I would cancel it if I could."

That was Charlton's grim reference to a strong wind and a firm surface that had the ball swirling all over the place. To that he could have added the Dutch referee whose fussiness was another factor in preventing the game from attaining any flow or momentum. Another was the resolute opposition determined not to be overrun a second time.

The North had coped well with Quinn's aerial prowess and David Kelly's eagerness to mark his first competitive international after 17 caps with something significant. His sight of goal in the 35th minute ended the wait for the first shot aimed at Alan Fettis' territory but even that was mis-hit and easy to counter.

There had been so many free-kicks it was inevitable that when the resistance was pierced it would stem from yet another infringement. Irwin curled the ball across and for the first time the defenders were lax in their policing of Quinn and the big man, who has been dismayed by his inactivity this season with Manchester City, pounced to score.

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