Northern Ireland v Azerbaijan Offical Match Programme

Just as David Healy struck against an England side

brimming with the top players of their generation,

when Terry hammered the ball home from a Danny

Hegan corner it was against an all-star England

led by the iconic Colin Bell of Manchester City and

with stars such as Emlyn Hughes, Rodney Marsh,

Mike Summerbee and Malcolm MacDonald playing

under Sir Alf Ramsey.

It would be wrong though to understate this victory.

The Northern Ireland team was also full of First

Division stars with Pat Jennings and Pat Rice and

Sammy Nelson and the powerful Alan Hunter in the

middle of the defence beside the boss himself.

It was Terry (he was their player manager at the

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as being my team (any reason not to go down the

usual route of Leeds United in the early ‘70s - isn’t

it funny how you can gauge the age of someone by

the team they support?) but what cemented Terry’s

place as a hero came some 13 years later.

By that stage I was working for the IFA and I vividly

recall Terry calling into the team hotel to collect

a ticket prior to the 0-0 draw at Wembley against

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I greeted him by saying: ‘You’re the last Northern

Ireland player to score a winner against England’.

Terry, without hesitation, replied: ‘Please God I’m

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doubt.

I’m not sure that Terry remembered that particular

conversation when he was in Belfast last month,

but I did and I was thrilled to see him again on 8

October.

Never meet your heroes? Pah!

Savour and celebrate them – they deserve it…

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