Northern Ireland v Azerbaijan Offical Match Programme

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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 XMQI [LS XIQTXIH QI MRXS ƥMVXEXMSR [MXL ,YPP 'MX] 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 )RKPERH XLEX GSRƤVQIH SYV UYEPMƤGEXMSR XS XLI 1I\MGS ;SVPH 'YT 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 RSX XLI PEWX ŭ ,IVS TSWMXMSR [EW GSRƤVQIH [MXLSYX 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… ;SVHW ;MPPMEQ 'EQTFIPP

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