Good evening and welcome to the Aviva Stadium for tonight’s international friendly between Ireland and Latvia.

It’s the beginning of a new era… well, it will be when things kick off in about 50 minutes. Stay put in the meantime.

Martin O’Neill delayed naming his team until a few minutes ago. Here it is:

Ireland: Westwood, Coleman, O’Shea, Wilson, Ward, McGeady, Whelan, McCarthy, McClean, Hoolahan, Keane.

What do you make of that?

So O’Neill makes a few changes from what we might have considered “the usual” under Trapattoni.

For starters, it looks like a 4-5-1 formation with Wes Hoolahan playing in behind captain Robbie Keane.

Keiren Westwood, whom O’Neill knows well from his Sunderland days, replaces David Forde in goal. There’s a bit of a shortage at centre-half so Marc Wilson is drafted in to partner John O’Shea with Seamus Coleman and Stephen Ward — back in the squad for the first time in nearly a year — at full back.

The midfield is pretty much as you would expect with two more O’Neill old boys, McGeady and McClean, on the wings and Glenn Whelan and James McCarthy in the middle.

Here’s how Latvia will line up.

Latvia: Andris Vanins, Vladislavs Gabovs, Nauris Bulvitis, Kaspars Gorkss, Vitalijs Maksimenko, Renars Rode, Juris Laizans, Ritvars Rugins, Artis Lazdins, Valerijs Sabala, Maris Verpakovskis.

A great bunch of lads.

Taken a few minutes ago, the Ireland team warm up with O’Neill and Keane watching on.

Ben Blake / TheScore.ie

Niall Quinn, Steve Staunton and Ray Houghton are on TV duty for Sky? I wonder what — or who — they’re talking about…

Twenty minutes to kick-off and then you’ll be spared from my rambling.

The Irish team will be wearing white ribbons on their jackets tonight for the national anthem. Here’s what it’s all about:

White Ribbon is Ireland’s only national, male-led primary prevention campaign to end men’s violence against women. It is promoted in Ireland by the Men’s Development Network, a non-profit organisation. White Ribbon Day, on Monday, November 25^th, focuses on men ending violence towards women.

I’m not going to lie to you. I’m not exactly on first name terms with most of the Latvia team. I do, however, know their manager — former Southampton legend Marian Pahars.

Here he is after a few frames with Ken Doherty earlier in the week.

Nadia Forde has just “treated us” to the national anthem.

Roy was caught on the big screen:

KICK OFF: We’re up and running.

It doesn’t take long for James McClean to get on the ball and run at his opposite number. Gabovs could be in for a long night. Free in to Ireland from a dangerous position on the left…

2 mins – McGeady clips an inviting ball which the Latvians only clear as far as James McCarthy on the edge of the box. He connects well on the volley but it comes back off John O’Shea on the edge of the six-yard box. It was goalbound otherwise.

6 mins — Latvia try to put together an attack inside the Irish half but Verpakovskis overhits his pass to Sabala. Nothing to see here, folks.

7 mins — An outswinging Latvian corner bounces through the Irish box and skips through to Lazdins 20 yards out. He takes it on his chest past McGeady and fires a shot a foot or two above Westwood’s bar.

9 mins – Lovely work by Seamus Coleman down the right side. He links with Wes Hoolahan before dinking a ball in behind the Latvian defence where Glenn Whelan is running on from midfield. I don’t know whether Whelan was trying to cross or shoot but he ended up blasting the ball pretty aimlessly across the middle. Waste.

11 mins — A moment of madness from Latvian keeper Vanins as he’s penalised for handling the ball outside his box. The long ball over the top from Wilson was chased down Keane (who else?) and Vanins was in such a rush to beat the Ireland skipper to the ball, he stepped outside his box.

Free to Ireland on the left…

12 mins — CHANCE! And it’s the kind of chance you’d back Robbie Keane to score all day and all night. McGeady takes the free short to Hoolahan at the near post where it’s clipped through the legs of a defender to Keane on the edge of the six-yard box. It’s not the easiest chance and he has to hit it on the turn but it’s straight at Vanins.

14 mins — Half of half a shout (so a quarter of a shout really) from the crowd for an Ireland penalty. Keane’s leg is caught by Bulvitis as the ball drops and he goes to ground.

Did Keane leave his leg hanging up there, waiting for a touch from the defender? Maybe.

Regular liveblog reader David Elkin sends us this:

I am having a very real sporting crisis tonight. A crisis in the sense that I just can’t decide whether to watch the Ireland game or the Portugal vs Sweden match.

When the Ireland game is on TV, I have the fear that Ronaldo or Ibra are doing something magical on the other channel. But when I flick it is 0-0 and I begin to worry that O’Neill and Keane could be making fascinating facial expressions back at the Aviva. Crisis.

Alternatively, I could watch the horrendous Lindsey Lohan re-make The Parent Trap which is also on, and save me all the bother of having to choose.

Given the same choice, we’d probably be watching the Parent Trap.

And while we’re on the subject of stuff that isn’t this match, Greece have just gone 1-0 up against Romania. As all you UEFA coefficient nerds know, that’s good news for Ireland’s hopes of being a second seed in the Euro 2016 draw.

Seamus Coleman has oodles — oodles! — of time and space down the right to pick out a cross but he seems to slip as he’s hitting it and it doesn’t go anywhere near a green jersey.

GOAL! Ireland 1-0 Latvia (Keane, 22′) The O’Neill years start with a very familiar feeling as Robbie Keane scores his 62nd international goal, drawing level with Ronaldo and Drogba in the all-time scorers list.

It’s very simple. McGeady’s corner is flicked on by McClean at the near post and Robbie gets a toe on it.

O’Neill and Keane celebrate — Marty with a somewhat reserved stride and clap, Roy with a jubilant punch of the air.

23 mins — CHANCE FOR ROBBIE! The skipper was a couple of inches away from leaving those two chancers Ronaldo and Drogba in his rear-view mirror. Keane latches onto a loose Latvian pass in midfield and takes it on to the edge of the box before trying to bend it around Vanins and into the corner. The keeper just gets a hand on it though.

CHANGE FOR THE LATVIANS: Fertovs comes on for Rugins. I presume that’s a straight swap on the right wing. Who knows?

Anyone for the t-shirts?

INPHO/Morgan Treacy

… or the flags?

INPHO/Morgan Treacy

34 mins — Nice burst of pace from Hoolahan who spreads it wide to McGeady. The cross is turned behind for a corner.

35 mins – CHANCE! Stephen Ward sends over a cross from the left, John O’Shea stretches just far enough to get a touch and send it towards goal, but Keane gambles half a second too early and the ball is just behind him.

37 mins – MORE CHANCES! The first in particular is a good one as James McClean comes in off the left and skates past Bulvitis like he isn’t there. The goal opens up in front of him but he rushes his shot and drags it wide of the right post.

A few seconds later, James McCarthy steps on to a breaking ball in midfield and takes his chance but can’t hit the target.

44 mins — Nothing much to tell you about in the last few minutes. McClean tries another very ambitious shot from about 25 yards out; it ends up about 25 yards wide.*

*Slight exaggeration.

HALF TIME: Ireland 1-0 Latvia

That’s the first 45 minutes of O’Neill’s reign done without too much difficulty. Plenty of Irish possession but most of it has come in the middle third. Set pieces and crosses are causing the Latvians most trouble. Robbie must be wondering how he hasn’t got #63 or #64 yet.

Back in a few. Chat amongst yourselves…

Change for Latvia on at the break. Visnakovs is on for Verpakovskis — or number 11 on for number 9, if that makes more sense.

SECOND HALF: We’re back, baby.

50 mins — McGeady, Coleman and Keane all link well on the edge of the Latvian box but the visitors have eight men (I counted) lined up in a row on the 18-yard line so it’s pretty tough to make anything work.

51 mins — McClean (again) beats his man down the left and sends over a cross. Vanins stays on his line so Gorkss, the Latvian skipper, has to get up to clear.

Paul Huston: I can’t help but feel every time they pan the camera to the bench that Roy Keane still looks fit enough to come on and be the best player on the pitch.

I’d say he’s possibly thinking the same thing too, Paul.

55 mins — Keane’s header falls to McGeady on the edge of the box. It’s an effort just to twist his body so that he can connect and the shot ends up a yard or two too high.

57 mins — McClean is still wrecking Gabovs’ head out on the left and this time, the Latvian chops him down and takes the yellow card.

58 mins – SITTER! Ah, James McClean really should have scored here. Coleman cuts back inside his man and takes a shot which hits Hoolhan, probably on the arm, before dropping to his feet. Instead of going for goal, he pulls the ball back to McClean 10 yards out and straight in front of goal.

He puts it over.

60 mins – A rare moment of involvement for Keiren Westwood as he comes out to the edge of the box to hack the ball clear.

60 mins — Another chance created by McClean down on the left. Keane can’t get a touch on his cross but Renars Rode decides to play it like the coolest man in a pretty nippy D4 and chest it back to his keeper from six yards out.

Rode knew what he was doing alright but whether his keeper did… well, that’s a different story.

Another Latvian sub: Danills Turkovs (20) on for Valerijs Sabala (10)

63 mins — McGeady throws a little stepover to go past Laizans who really, truth be told, looks like he isn’t arsed in the slightest. Vanins gets his body behind the shot but chooses to punch rather than hold it.

MON sends Andy Reid, Jon Walters and Shane Long out to warm up.

GOAL! Ireland 2-0 Latvia (McGeady, 68′) Laizans — remember, the lad who I said didn’t look arsed five minutes ago — misplaces a pass straight to Aiden McGeady. He takes a couple of touches and then wallops one past the diving Vanins into the bottom corner.

Job done, I’d say.

Update from Greece: Greece now lead Romania 3-1. Looks a like a good night all round.

72 mins – McGeady, who has switched back out onto the right wing again now, plays in Hoolahan but Vanins is able to stop his shot at the near post.

TRIPLE SUB: Andy Reid, Jon Walters and Shane Long on for McGeady, Keane and Hoolahan.

JOS takes the captain’s armband for the final 18 minutes.

75 mins — The ball comes to Andy Reid with cries of ‘SHOOOOOOOOOOOOT’ from the crowd ringing in his ears. He obliges and Vanins has to get down to push it behind for a corner.

Tonight’s attendance is given as 37,100… which is probably about 37,000 more than would have been here if this wasn’t O’Neill and Keane’s first game.

Roy’s delighted anyway…

INPHO/Ryan Byrne

GOAL! Ireland 3-0 Latvia (Long, 80′) Latvia look knackered and Ireland take their chance for goal number three. Coleman races in behind his man and Walters gets the pass through dead on. By the time his perfect cross lands on Shane Long’s foot at the back post, it’s only a tap in from a yard or two out.

Another triple sub: Paul Green, Anthony Stokes and Kevin Doyle on for Whelan, McClean and McCarthy.

Oliver Walker: Not going overboard or anything but this is what an Irish team could be with a bit of excitement and belief within..What an impact,if it is a change of management that’s behind this performance. Excited to be an Ireland supporter again after the awful negativity from Trap

86 mins – Stokes has a go from a free but it’s a couple of yards off the mark.

Ireland have had 19 attempts on goal tonight; Latvia, just the two.

87 mins – Stokes forces Vanins to dive at full stretch to tip his shot over the bar.

Great flag by the YBIG fans group:

INPHO/Ryan Byrne

MAN OF THE MATCH goes to James McClean. No arguments here — he was a lively threat throughout and got that crucial flick for Keane’s goal.

Three minutes of added time… and then we’re off to party.

Ah here Renars Rode, you’re going on our list of enemies. He absolutely wallops Shane Long and gets a yellow card for his troubles. Bit unnecessary when you’re 3-0 down in stoppage time — although if my team was 3-0 down in stoppage time, I’d probably do the same thing.

FULL TIME: Ireland 3-0 Latvia

So that’s it from the Aviva Stadium. Good night? I think it was.

Let’s not get too carried away — this Latvian side were pretty poor but it was a positive and encouraging performance by Ireland in Martin O’Neill’s first game in charge.

The third goal was the pick of the bunch: a quick attack with good movement, a pinpoint cross and a straightforward finish.

We’re off to see what Marty, Roy and the rest of the lads made of that. We’ll have lots of reaction and analysis for you later this evening.

Thanks for reading and for commenting.