At an earlier press conference, the manager said that he had already decided on his starting eleven for the game but, since he hadn’t yet informed the players, was not prepared to release it to the media. Indeed, he pointed out that in his long career in management, it has always been his habit not to give away his team selections in advance.

O’Neill wouldn’t even confirm that Robbie Keane, who was sitting beside him at the top table, would be on from the start against Georgia, although it would count as a major surprise if Ireland’s skipper and leading goal-scorer was left on the bench for the first competitive game of the manager’s reign.

Asked about his mood on the eve of the milestone match, O’Neill said: “I could compare it with the big club games I’ve experienced as player and manager – exactly the same feelings, the same nervous excitement. I’m really looking forward to it.”

On the subject of the calibre of the opposition Ireland will face, O’Neill said: “Of course, we’ve watched them closely. They have some very talented footballers and strong, big players in defence. They played exceptionally well against France here (in a scoreless draw qualifying for the last World Cup) and they have three or four very, very good players who can cause us a lot of problems. But it’s up to us to counteract that and cause them problems.”

Robbie Keane, as he often does, sounded a rallying cry in advance of the big kick off to Ireland’s bid to reach France in 2016.

“This is what we’ve been looking forward to,” he said. “Everything else goes out the window now. This is the game every player wants to be involved in. In qualifying, the quicker you get points on the board, the better it is for confidence. We’re raring to go.”

All 23 players in the Irish squad were fit to train under lights in the stadium tonight and expect to be available for selection for the game which kicks off here tomorrow at 5pm Irish time.