Wes Hoolahan pleased with Republic of Ireland's start to World Cup qualifying

Republic of Ireland midfielder Wes Hoolahan has claimed that he has accepted that their World Cup qualifying campaign will feature many ups and downs.

The Boys in Green have registered seven points from their opening three games - including a 2-2 draw away in Serbia - but while Hoolahan is delighted with their recent results, he acknowledges that their group - which also includes Wales, Austria and Georgia - is a "difficult" one.

The 34-year-old is quoted by eirsport.ie as saying: "It's a great start. There are going to be disappointments in the group at some stage - you see Wales drawing with Georgia. It's going to be a difficult group, but at the moment it's good.

"The experience we had in France and getting out of the group stage and doing so well, we are looking forward to hopefully getting out of this group, which is a tough group, and qualifying for the World Cup."

Hoolahan featured on Sunday as Republic of Ireland registered a 3-1 win in Moldova.