REASONS to be optimistic? For the long term, perhaps, but what developed here may not have too much resonance in the context of next Saturday's showdown in Sofia.

In truth, the real story of this friendly encounter was the performances of the six players who earned their first cap in the quaint surroundings of Craven Cottage.

They enjoyed varying degrees of success against an equally experimental Nigerian side. However, as far as Bulgaria is concerned, the debutants who could possibly have forced themselves into the picture for that crunch qualifier probably didn't do enough.

Certainly, Kevin Foley will rue his part in the Africans' opening goal, while Liam Lawrence will wonder why his end of season swagger at Stoke deserted him here.

On the flip side, Sean St Ledger and Leon Best will reflect positively, but the reality is that the respective returns of John O'Shea and Caleb Folan should consign them to the back benches next week -- barring a dramatic change of modus operandi from Giovanni Trapattoni.

If Folan fails to shake off his knee problem -- a decision will be made on Monday -- then a window of opportunity could open for Best, but you have to take the Irish management on their word when they say the Hull man will be present when the squad meet up again.

Overall, Trapattoni can be content that this was a worthwhile exercise, with the senior stars getting a run-out, yet protected from fatigue or injury by the use of substitutions. Of the genuine 'A' listers, only Richard Dunne lasted the duration with the rest rotated effectively in an entertaining game.

lively

Considering the Nigerians started with recognised attackers dotted around the park, including in one of the full-back berths, it's no surprise that what followed was a lively joust by friendly standards.

"I am happy enough with our performance, particularly in the first half," said Trapattoni. "It was not like a friendly game. We had to make some substitutions in the second half to avoid injuries, because the most important thing is next week."

Heat will be a factor in Bulgaria, but the sun which baked the players during the warm-up here, politely went down just before kick-off, and while there was a holiday feel about some of the early exchanges, with both sides getting to know each other, it soon burst into life.

In fairness, the newcomers to the Irish team got themselves involved early. Indeed, within three minutes, Best almost made a dream start when released by Robbie Keane, but Nigerian 'keeper Austin Ejide got close enough to the Coventry man to take the ball and force a foul.

At the other end, a bit of inexperience from Eddie Nolan presented the Africans with an opening they were unable to capitalise upon, with the Irish back four -- featuring three of the new boys -- generally looking comfortable for the first half hour.

And then they learned an important lesson.

Foley, who seemed assured until that point, made the fatal mistake of switching off as John Utaka sent in a cross from the right, and the hesitation allowed Michael Enemaro to muscle in and flick the ball past the helpless Shay Given. Not a good moment for the Wolves' right back on his big night.

Falling behind was perhaps a little harsh on the Irish as, aside from a speculative attempt from the halfway line from Kalu Uche, which Given saved smartly, Shaibu Amodu's charges had failed to threaten until that point.

Prior to the goal, there were signs that the partnership of Best and Keane had a shelf-life with some clever flicks from the skipper anticipated by the youngster, who gradually adjusted to his surroundings after displaying visible signs of rawness at the outset.

A fine block from Sam Sodje had prevented Best from equalising just before Enemaro's strike, while afterwards it required a smart stop from Ejide to push away a header from the 22-year-old in a situation arising from a free-kick borne out of his endeavours.

Lawrence, who swung in that delivery, had struggled otherwise, but the central midfield duo of Liam Miller and Keith Andrews had taken a more significant part in proceedings.

Ireland's equaliser, in the 38th minute, stemmed from quick interchange between that pair, with Andrews eventually slipping through to Keane who rounded Ejide and converted with consummate ease.

The Tallaght man has now scored seven times under Trapattoni; that's over 50pc of the goals in the new regime.

His importance cannot be overstated, so it was therefore no surprise that half time marked the end of his contribution, along with that of Given and Damien Duff.

Into the fray came Shane Long, Aiden McGeady and Keiren Westwood, the Coventry 'keeper whose promotion up the pecking order for this fixture angered Dean Kiely so much that he walked out.

It was an error at the opposite end which got the second half off to a lively start with Ejide miscontrolling an erratic backpass from Femi Olubayo, presenting it to Long under pressure from the onrushing Best. However, while the Tipperary man's execution of a chip was clever, Ejide redeemed himself by racing back to claw the ball to safety.

Andrews threatened shortly after before being replaced by Glenn Whelan and with the Nigerians making a few changes of their own, it became scattered.

The fact that Westwood had little to do is a compliment to the Irish, though, with the subtlety of Keane badly missed as the Nigerians left spaces to exploit. Alas, the influx of substitutions affected the rhythm of Trap's Irish although Long was a bustling presence and McGeady provided a lively reminder of his abilities with a few darting cameos.

Paul McShane and Stephen Hunt were introduced in place of Foley and Lawrence, respectively, as the game ticked towards its conclusion; evidence, that attentions were maybe beginning to turn towards the freshening of legs for those set to be deployed in the Bulgarian heat.

Their opponents were sprightly on the counter attack as the pace of the game remained reasonably vibrant throughout the final quarter hour. Yet their forays forward were well marshalled by an Irish backline, with the communication between St Ledger and Dunne encouraging. The personality of the former was praised by Trapattoni.

As full-time approached, a few Nigerian supporters turned their attentions towards their coach with a banner stating that 'Amodu Must Go' unfurled in the dying minutes before the security men waded in to break up the protest.

It brought back memories of the dying days of the Staunton era, when unrest in the Irish fanbase reached breaking point. A lot has changed in the interim.

Ireland -- Given 6 (Westwood 45, 6), Foley 6 (McShane 72, 5), St

Ledger 7, Dunne 7, Nolan 6; Lawrence 5 [Hunt 81, 5], Miller 7, Andrews 7 (Whelan 58, 6), Duff 6; (McGeady 45, 6), Best 7, Keane 8 (Long 45, 6)

Nigeria -- Ejide, Olubayo, Sodje (Nwaneri Obinna 77), Adeleye, Mohammed; Utaka, Uche, Olofinjana,Aluko (Nsofor Obinna 60); Akpala (Odemwingie 60), Enemaro

Ref -- William Collum [England]

- Daniel McDonnell