FOUR days can be a long time in football. Long enough to re-establish reputations… and give some hope for the future. The 5-1 defeat to Slovakia will live long in the memory – it was indeed Wales’ biggest home loss for 98 years – but the sign of how a young side builds for the future is how they bounce back from adversity. The scoreline last night suggests Wales were easily able to make amends, but let’s make no bones about it, Cyprus are no world-beaters. Their 5-2 drubbing of the Republic of Ireland says more about the Irishmen’s current disarray than the talent at the disposal of the Cypriots. Teams like Cyprus come into their own at home, and seldom travel well. Just take into account their 6-1 thrashing at the hands of – you guessed it, Slovakia – earlier in the qualifying campaign. But Wales desperately needed to beat what was in front of them. | 
