Northern Ireland v Greece (02/06/2022)

It looked a perfectly good goal to many of us, but it was ruled offside. If that goal had stood, we would have been all set for a backs-to-the- wall struggle to hang on to our lead. But we had already proved against the host nation that we could do just that . 1999-2000: If only Iain Dowie had partnered David Healy up front… Iain Dowie played his last game for Northern Ireland in September 1999, while David Healy made his debut for Northern Ireland in February 2000. The two would have made the perfect striking partnership. Dowie was the tough, uncompromising target man and Healy the deadly predator. What a combination they would have been and what a nightmare for defenders! One can only dream. 2016: The Welsh Dragon. Northern Ireland travelled to Cardiff in 1980 and were crowned British champions after a fine performance and a winning goal by the late Noel Brotherston. Since then we have never beaten Wales. We really fancied our chances in October 2005 after beating England a month earlier. But again the men from the valleys came out on top. It was particularly painful to be knocked out of Euro 2016 by the Welsh because we dominated the first half and were equal to them in the second. If only we had snatched a lead early on, we could have kept them at bay. 2017: That penalty! The pain of the penalty kick which sent Switzerland to the World Cup Finals instead of Northern Ireland is too fresh in the memory of all readers of this programme to be described again. It is sufficient to say loudly that we wuz robbed! Our National Stadium is a theatre of dreams. Some dreams are blissful , some are nightmares and some are full of longing. When I look back over the years the dreams that make me say ‘if only’ are some of the very best .

In around seven decades of supporting Northern Ireland this old timer has on many occasions found himself saying ‘if only’. Here are a few of the regrets I think of whenever I hear Sinatra’s song. 1958: If only Billy Simpson had not been injured on the training ground… Northern Ireland arrived in Sweden for the World Cup finals with only 16 or 17 players. At centre forward we had Billy Simpson. The Rangers striker was a goal machine. He ended his Ibrox career with a tally of 163 goals in 239 games. But Billy got injured while training in Sweden and never featured in any of our five games (we ended up using four centre forwards: Derek Dougan, Fay Coyle, Tommy Casey and Jackie Scott) . What a difference the bustling Rangers player would have made, especially later in the tournament when too many players were carrying injuries. 1964-1977: If only George Best had played more games… In a career spanning 14 years Bestie played 37 times for Northern Ireland. It might have been more, but the genius was not always available. Apart from his amazing skills, speed and courage, he brought the fear factor with him wherever he went . Opposition coaches dreaded what he might do to their defences. Indeed in 1969 the mighty USSR assigned two defenders to keep guard over our superstar. We should not complain. It was a wonderful period in which to be a Northern Ireland fan. We knew that the other team was afraid of us when we had the lad from Cregagh in our line-up. But football is always full of surprises. In 1972 when Georgie went missing, we beat England at Wembley without him. 1982: If only Martin O’Neill’s ‘goal’ against France had not been disallowed… At Espana ’82 we were just 90 minutes away from the World Cup semi-final . Early in the game our inspirational captain, Martin O’Neill , dashed forward and swept a perfect ‘daisy- cutter’ past French goalkeeper Jean-Luc Etton.

IRISHFA.COM

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