'Not a classic' - Kenny picking positives from slender Malta victory

Stephen Kenny was left searching for positives from another below-par performance as Ireland edged past Malta in their final outing of the year.

Callum Robinson's 55th-minute goal proved the difference between the two sides in the lacklustre international friendly, and the winning goal came courtesy of a Malta mistake rather than a creative move from Kenny’s side.

Over one hundred places separate the two sides in the current FIFA rankings - Malta are 168th in the world - although there was little evidence of the gulf throughout the game at the National Stadium in Ta’Qali.

Ireland really struggled to break through the stubborn home defence in a dour opening 45 minutes, and when they did manage to sneak ahead, following a calamitous under-hit backpass from captain Matthew Guillaumier, Kenny’s charges failed to push on to record a convincing victory.

There were glimpses of quality from the substitutes who came on for the final stages, most notably the energetic and pacey Callum O’Dowda smashing a fine effort off the post, but otherwise little to write home about in what has been a tough week for the national side, following Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to Norway.

The manager said afterwards that the game was one that his side were expected to win, while admitting that it was far from a classic.

However, Kenny was also keen to pick the positives from the game following a challenging few months for his side, following defeats to Scotland in Glasgow as well as the recent Norway game.

"The expectation is that you should be beating Malta whether you play them at home or away," said Kenny, speaking to RTÉ Sport after the game. "But every game away from home in international football is not easy. Malta have won five of their last eight at home,