Wednesday 27 March 2019 12:28, UK
Shane Duffy has hailed his Republic of Ireland team-mates for their "Irish fighting spirit" after a 1-0 win against Georgia in their European Qualifier.
The game was disrupted after fans threw tennis balls on the pitch in protest at the FAI's decision to create a new role for chief executive John Delaney.
However seconds later, Conor Hourihane scored a stunning free-kick goal to send Republic of Ireland top of Group D, making it two wins in a row for new manager Mick McCarthy.
Duffy said: "He [McCarthy] was just delighted. He wanted the Irish fighting spirit back and I think that's what we showed.
"The players have got a new lift here and you could see that in some of the performances, which were superb.
"We can only do what's in front of us. We've taken care of our first two games. No one really remembers the performances once you've got the win.
"It's a good start and now we can build on it. All of us are looking forward to coming back again. It's a fresh start for everyone. Exciting times, hopefully."
The Brighton defender admitted the tennis ball protest from Republic of Ireland fans was not a surprise.
"It was a bit weird. I think we all sort of expected it to happen. We all read about it," he said.
"We were hoping it wasn't going to happen, but we're professionals, we dealt with it and the best response was to put the ball in the net, which is what we did. That got the crowd going again."
