He leaned back against the coffee-coloured walls of the players' tunnel, closed his eyes and bared his teeth in a huge grin. An old warrior on a great night. Nicest guy you could meet too.

"Ooh," he says when he's ready and got his eyes twinkling. "I think I got a hat trick tonight. If you look at it on TV you'll see I even got a touch for their goal. It's my head that it's gone in off. It's a nice hat-trick. Strange one."

The team are streaming past him, already heading for the exits and the bus and the airport. There's justification for putting a hitch in time though and savouring this moment for a little while.

After all it's a long time since we've all milled around Tony Cascarino like this begging him to empty his memory so that we can paint the pictures from a big success. Cas is usually bench fodder.

Replaces Niall Quinn. Is replaced by Niall Quinn. He got 90 minutes yesterday. Two goals. Gave us the life-support machine for another six weeks.

"The last time I played from the start was Macedonia and I had a problem with the hamstring and I didn't train for 10 days and Mick took me off that day because I was struggling. He had a few words with me and maybe I shouldn't have started that game but you know when it's important, sometimes, you declare yourself fit when you aren't.

That game and subsequent contretemps with the manager took place last spring. Cascarino went back to France and life with FC Nancy and put in a summer designed to prolong the good times.

"I've kept going, trained hard this summer. Perhaps I'm getting the rewards for it again. We look after ourselves in France."

His first goal from a textbook set piece had been a pleasant surprise. As the game seemed to move away from Ireland after the break however the odds on Cascarino repeating the trick appeared to lengthen. Cascarino had felt the going getting tough but had motored on. One glance at the Irish bench told him that there was no substitute striker to replace him.

"The first 20 minutes of the second half I don't think any of us got a touch. They ran through us and showed what they could do. When it went to one-one I had two headers. The goalkeeper didn't see much of the first one, it just hit his legs; and the second one I thought I'd scored when it hit the post. Lucky I kept going and I got the reward with the goal. That was the hardest of the three chances I'd say.

"They were walking around us for a time there. It shows what these teams are capable of. They can suddenly come to life. Give them their due it was a great strike . . . I think though we've learned a few things and we got our just rewards in the last two games for our fighting spirit."

He hasn't been with us for more than a decade now without picking up a lesson or two about perseverence. For all the plugging and turning up on nights when bigger stars stayed at home Cascarino got his due. He recognised the value of the currency.

"I haven't scored more important goals. I was so pleased because of the two headers that I missed, the last one went straight in the corner. Not too much wrong with that."

He wipes the waxy sweat from his forehead. Shakes his head one last time.

"At the end, in footballing terms I was completely gone. I turned 35 there last week so that was my excuse. I was like a boxer in the 15th round hanging on. Kept going though."

The bus is starting up. Cas exits smiling.

David Connolly has a couple of words to spare after a long, tough night.

"It was tough out there. Very physical. We've lost a few leads during this campaign but we've come out there tonight and got the three points. That's the job Mick wanted. It was difficult."

Roy Keane reflected briefly on his own booking on a night which saw the Irish side pick up another five yellow cards.

"It was a tough game out there and we had to get stuck in. I though the booking was harsh but then I always think they are harsh. Maybe in the long run it will be for the best. I'll miss the Romania game and I'll be back for the playoffs. That's what we'll have to concentrate on."

He disappears head down. Out in the darkness a gruff voice lets out a roar. Mick Byrne.

"Six points on the road. Ya little beauties. Pack your sandwiches Con Houlihan."