Northern Ireland v Hungary (29/03/2022)

DID YOU KNOW?

WORDS: MARSHALL GILLESPIE

Michael O’Neill gave Dungannon- born Liam Donnelly his first senior cap as a substitute in a friendly international with Chile on 5 June 2014. However, the Motherwell player did not make a second appearance for the senior side until the 5 September 2019 friendly victory over Luxembourg - a gap of five years and 92 days!

This evening’s encounter with Hungary will be Northern Ireland’s 58th home friendly fixture in their history. Of the previous 57 matches, 19 of them have ended in victory, seven of which have come in the last nine matches, 15 in draws and 23 in defeat .

Of the original 25 players named in Ian Baraclough’s squad for tonight’s friendly encounter with Hungary, no fewer than seven of them have made at least one appearance in the Irish League. They are:

Gavin Whyte (Crusaders) 162 appearances, 50 goals) Stuart Dallas (Crusaders) 93 apps, 27 goals) Shayne Lavery (Linfield) 77 apps, 47 goals)

Trai Hume (Linfield) 31 apps, 3 goals; (Ballymena United) 37 apps, 6 goals Niall McGinn (Dungannon Swifts) 4 apps, 4 goals Liam Donnelly (Dungannon Swifts) 7 apps, 0 goals Caolan Boyd-Munce (Glentoran) 1 app, 0 goals)

In the last World Cup qualifying campaign Ian Baraclough used a total of 28 players in Northern Ireland’s eight group games. Only three of those players played every single minute of the qualifying series. They were goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell , who kept four clean sheets as well , Craig Cathcart and skipper Steven Davis.

If Paddy Lane makes his senior debut during this international window he will become the first player from Fleetwood Town to play for Northern Ireland since Conor McLaughlin in June 2017 when he won his 26th cap in the World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan in Baku.

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NIR V HUN

All information was correct prior to the friendly against Luxembourg on Friday