NI Womens v Latvia

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

MANAGER’S VIEW

Welcome to all of you as we look forward to another great night of football at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast. Naturally, I offer a warm welcome to the players and officials of Latvia. I hope they enjoy their trip to Northern Ireland. The visitors were on the wrong end of an 8-1 scoreline against a very strong Austrian side on Friday night in their opening European Qualifying Group D match. They will no doubt be keen to make amends and it should make for a very competitive encounter. Our own game in Larne saw a crowd of over 1500 people cheering on Kenny Shiels and his team. It made for a great atmosphere which, judging from the applause from the players at the end of the game, was greatly appreciated by the team. Inver Park was hosting its first senior international match. It proved to be a great venue, especially for Julie Nelson who, in her home town, closed in on a caps tally which will equal that of legendary goalkeeper Pat Jennings (119) . And reaching that milestone will further add to her status as a legend of the women’s game in Northern Ireland. The 4-0 win against Luxembourg Women in Larne was a great start to our FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 qualifying campaign, with the goals shared between four players. It was particularly pleasing that striker Emily Wilson scored her first senior international goal . You could tell by her reaction after scoring, and in post match media interviews, that it was a huge thrill for her to score for her country. Hopefully it’s the first of many for her at senior international level . Tonight’s game at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park is the first for circa nine years at the home of Northern Ireland football and the team will be looking forward to entertaining the crowd. I hope you all enjoy the game. CONRAD KIRKWOOD PRESIDENT IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIAT ION

We are delighted to welcome Latvia to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park for this FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 qualifier. We come into the game in great spirits following our 4-0 victory over Luxembourg Women in Larne on Friday night. In contrast Latvia had a tough European Qualifying Group D opener, losing heavily against Austria. That defeat will no doubt have dented their confidence, however I am certain they will want to bounce back from it as quickly as possible, so we will have to be on our guard tonight. Unlike Luxembourg, who are new to the scene of full qualifying campaigns for major tournaments, the Latvians have taken part in both UEFA Women’s Euro and Women’s World Cup qualifiers in the past. I have no doubt it will be another tough game and we must approach this challenge with the correct mindset. We are in a great place with our team right now and an eighth successive win is a fantastic target for us to aim for in Belfast tonight. Our preparation, as always, has revolved around our game model and the conditioning that it contains. We have been inundated with support from across Northern Ireland and are hopeful that we can deliver another victory. We have done our best to prepare a performance that our country will be proud of. I was pleased with many aspects of our play against Luxembourg at Inver Park. We dominated possession and created more than 30 chances. You could argue that given those statistics we should have scored more. And that’s probably correct, but to score four without reply at international level is no mean feat. I was particularly pleased to see Rachel Furness on the scoresheet once again after her return from a long-term injury. She always gives it her all and the fact she is now on 32 goals for her country shows how important she is to us. At the other end of the spectrum it was wonderful to see Emily Wilson record her first senior international goal. Emily has the potential to be a top, top striker for both club and country. Like any good striker she instinctively knows where the ball is going to land inside that area and she more often than not pounces to hit the back of the net. Her goal on Friday night reflected those predatory instincts as she controlled the rebound from Furney’s free-kick and clipped the ball home. Finally, I would love to see the day when our senior women’s team fill this stadium because I truly believe the players deserve it. It may not be a full house tonight, however I am pleased the Green and White Army has turned up in greater numbers. Thank you so much for your support. It really means a lot to myself, the backroom staff and especially the players. And hopefully we will be able to give you all - as well those watching the match at home online - something to cheer about. KENNY SHIELS NORTHERN IRELAND WOMEN MANAGER

NORTHERN IRELAND STROLL PAST LUXEMBOURG IN LARNE Northern Ireland eased past Luxembourg in their opening FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 qualifier on Friday night . Kenny Shiels’ side comfortably won the match at Inver Park in Larne by four goals to nil . Marissa Callaghan, Rachel Furness, Emily Wilson – it was her first senior international goal – and Lauren Wade were on target for Northern Ireland.