Smallbone making strides before new Premier League campaign

Smallbone’s first competitive start lasted 53 minutes as defeat to Greece effectively culled their Euro finals prospects after two qualifiers.

Stephen Kenny has since been moved on and into his place arrived a familiar face in John O’Shea. They’d worked together with Ireland’s U21s and at Stoke City, where the midfielder spent last season on loan.

His comeback to Southampton was a successful one, helping his parent club to negotiate an immediate Premier League return via the playoffs.

The form he showed by setting up the winner at Wembley continued into Ireland camp where he claimed the man-of-the-match in the first win of the three-game O’Shea caretaker era.

“We’ve played better and lost but maybe this win is a mentality shift,” he pondered about Troy Parrott’s stoppage-time winner ending a two-year wait for victory over an opponent of note, in the form of Euros-bound Magyars.

“I think it was important that we got a win against a good nation.

“We’ve always had an internal belief but I think externally we needed to prove to ourselves and a lot of people that we can beat the bigger nations and get ourselves back up to where we belong. This is a small step in the right direction.”

Although missing regulars Evan Ferguson, Nathan Collins and Chiedozie Ogbene for this double-header — which concludes next Tuesday in Aveiro against Portugal — the 24-year-old sees the benefits in the context of what’s ahead in the Autumn for Ireland.

There’s promotion to League A and a World Cup playoff place available from their Nations League campaign against England, Greece and Finland — starting with the Auld Enemy at home on September 7.

“I think we’ve got such a young squad and people playing all around Europe now,” stressed Smallbone.

“We’re coming together at a good time and to get a win against Hungary, ending their 14-match unbeaten run, is a very big positive.”