The nation first tasted the glory of a major international success in Stuttgart during the Finals of the Euro '88 championship when Ray Houghton's looping header went in against England in the opening match of the group for Ireland.
Having beaten England goalkeeper Peter Shilton after six minutes the Republic of Ireland went on to win the game and trigger scenes of delight and celebration that have now became trademark of Irish support.
The hero of the Neckarstadion went on to complete a similar feat again in Giants Stadium six years later in the United States scoring in the eleventh minute for Ireland against Italy securing another memorable victory in the opening match of a major tournament, the 1994 World Cup.
Indeed that whole Jack Charlton era was triggered by Gary MacKay's away goal for Scotland against Bulgaria in the Euro 1988 qualifying match, which saw the Republic of Ireland qualify for a major tournament for the first time.
The Republic of Ireland had been relying on the unlikely victory of Scotland over Bulgaria to qualify and the importance of the game was highlighted by the fact that RTE broadcast that game live.
Clear memories of those early days in 1988 are probably factually sketchy but undoubtedly there was expectation not least when the first game of the Finals was against England at the former Neckarstadion in Stuttgart. The expectation for a result was real despite the absence of Liam Brady from the side through injury. But followers of football were to come to learn of a new era in the game when the unexpected started to happen under Jack Charlton and it seemed to start with that late equalising goal from Scotland in Bulgaria that ensured Ireland qualified for Euro 88 given that the rules were changed so that the second place teams in the group qualified automatically.
Jack Charlton took over the squad when morale was low and although there was the basis of a good side it looked beyond the team to qualify for a major finals. Things started badly when Ireland lost at home to Wales in a friendly followed by a 1-1 draw with Uruguay before heading off to Iceland for an end of season competition. Wins over the hosts and Czechoslovakia gave Ireland their first ever win in an international competition. Despite this many of the more established players were upset at Jack Charlton's direct tactics, which put an emphasis on closing down the opposition and 'to put them under pressure'.
So Charlton went into the European Championship qualifiers with little expectation and without David O'Leary who had gone on holidays instead of going to Iceland.
However, the mood of most of the players changed after Ireland's first qualifying game in Brussels when they held the group favourites Belgium to a 2-2 draw. Ireland continued their run of good results with a win and a draw against Scotland before losing to Bulgaria in Sofia.
Despite the setback though Ireland continued to improve and achieved a famous victory when they beat Luxembourg and secured a 2-0 win over the group leaders Bulgaria in their final game. Despite the win over Bulgaria it looked as though Ireland would once again miss out on qualification as it needed a defeat for the Bulgarians at home in their final game for Ireland to qualify for the finals in Germany. It looked beyond Scotland to get a result in Sofia but a late goal by Gary MacKay sent Ireland on their way.
For Ray Houghton the busy midfielder from Oxford United history started a script on June 12th 1988 in Stuttgart, which would see him involved in most of Ireland's key games under Jack Charlton from then on. Having enjoyed a successful career as a midfielder at Fulham, West Ham, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Oxford United and Crystal Palace, it was for his part in the all-conquering Liverpool team of the 1980's that he earned the greatest recognition.
Born in Glasgow, Ray Houghton spent his early years in London and played with West Ham United youths, qualifying for Ireland by virtue of his Donegal born father. In 1982 he joined Fulham and it was his time with 'The Cottagers' that proved the success and after three years he moved to First Division Oxford United for £150,000. Ray's progress at both club and international level had been noted by English football's top teams and, shortly after the start of the 1987-88 season, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish handed Oxford United GBP£675,000 to sign the 25-year-old midfielder. Title success with Liverpool quickly followed.
He made his international debut, along with club-mate John Aldridge in Jack Charlton's first game in charge and kept his place in the line-up for each of the next seven games. He played a key role in Ireland's qualifying campaign for the 1988 European Championships, missing just one match en route to the finals. Ray Houghton appeared in all eight qualifying matches for the 1990 World Cup and was also ever-present at the finals in Italy. He was by nature an attack minded player but under Jack Charlton he was appreciated as much for his tenacity and stamina than for his accurate centres or dribbling skills.
Houghton remained a critical player for Ireland throughout the early 1990's.
He missed just one of the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup and of course at the finals scored against Italy with that famous lob in Ginats Stadium. Ray played in all four of the Republic's matches at the USA '94.
Despite niggling injuries, he won 11 more caps before bringing the curtain down on his international career with a substitution appearance in the World Cup play-off match against Belgium in 1997. Although Ireland lost the match 2-1 Ray Houghton signed off his days in green by scoring Ireland's goal.
After Liverpool Ray Houghton went on to enjoy a successful three-season spell at Aston Villa with whom was he was a League Cup winner in 1994, before winding down his career with spells at Crystal Palace and Reading.
Following his retirement from playing, Houghton was a football agent before becoming assistant manager at Crystal Palace. On leaving Palace, Houghton's media career went from strength to strength, and he now presents shows on Talk Sport and provides football commentary for various TV stations, including RTE Sport in Ireland and SKY Sports in the UK.
He is also a columnist with 'The Irish Daily Star' newspaper.
OSM
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