WATCH: 'He told me he can't buy a goal' - Martin O'Neill on Shane Long's goal drought

Long suffered a night to forget, missing three or four gilt-edged chances including an open goal, while the Nottingham Forest striker bagged his second and third international goals in the 2-0 victory.

The Southampton frontman has failed to score for his club this season and the last international goal to his name came against Moldova 12 months ago.

"Shane is centre forward and they thrive on goals. He has to score. He just remarked to me going into the tunnel after the game that he can't buy a goal at the moment and that might sum it up at the minute," he said

"He had some great chances. Chances you would think that normally he would have taken. They didn't go in.

"I think your confidence is affected by it.

"We created some really good chance for him, three that maybe on another day he would have scored and that would have been nice for him.

"It is what is at the moment."

Asked if Daryl Murphy was ahead of him in the pecking order, he said: "Who knows? Murph did really well tonight.

"The second goal that he scored was particularly brilliant.

"Normally after 60 minutes he is calling for a stretcher but he may have been surpised after 71 minutes to be on but we needed him on the field at the time and I suppose the possibilty of scoring a hat trick which may havew entered his head but not mine."