Northern Ireland v Israel

MEMORIES OF THE DAY FOOTBALL CAME HOME TO NORTHERN IRELAND It’s funny how these things occur. Not long ago we were having a debate in the office about our favourite Northern Ireland matches – and it was quite a discussion.

Nor was it the best goal, but every winning goal is priceless, and the match also marked the introduction to the Belfast crowd of a long and gangly blonde- haired centre forward fromBury who led the illustrious Yugoslavs a merry dance: Derek Spence. This all came back to me early last month. There I was, minding my own business, just ambling (as you do) along the promenade in Newcastle, enjoying the sea air, watching the seagulls dive into the sea and wondering if I should get another ice cream and when the rain comes where I could find shelter, when I notice a familiar face in the crowd coming towards me. Dapper and immaculate, just as I remembered him (albeit as the manager), then he spotted me, and we were drawn inexorably towards each other. It was the aforementioned Bryan Hamilton ( pictured ), back in Northern Ireland for a family wedding. I had to say to him that his name had arisen in conversation not long before. “Nice to be remembered,” he said.  Like it or not, international football has a tendency to define us. We are proud of our wee country and our wee team. We love all the players, follow their clubs and worry when they get injured or suffer loss of form. We watch with interest on transfer deadline day to see if any of our heroes will be moving on to other clubs (bigger or better or maybe not). We cannot imagine how painful not being able to play at home would be, so we should enjoy and savour every match - win, lose or draw. And definitely keep your eyes open when contemplating your favourite ice cream flavour as you never knowwhich of your heroes (current or past) might be strolling by! Words William Campbell

I was regaling (I think that’s just a posh word for boring) my audience with tales of Billy Bingham and the exploits of our team in 1982 and 1986. I particularly focused on how, way back in 1975, I had sneaked out of school early (probably not strictly true as I had asked permission) and gone with my brother to watch the return of Northern Ireland and international football to Belfast. The match against Yugoslavia came after a four-year hiatus because of the Troubles and ‘home’ matches were played in Hull, Coventry, Sheffield, Liverpool, Glasgow and London during that time. Connection with the fans was largely lost and the poorly attended and mostly irrelevant matches trundled on, and if the circumstances had not been halted the participation of the Northern Ireland team in international football could have ended. However, IFA chiefs Harry Cavan and Billy Drennan were not prepared to let this happen and after representations to government and police, seeking support and reassurances, in April 1975 they persuaded (it probably helped that Cavan was the FIFA Vice-President at the time) the Yugoslavs to come to Belfast. Its significance as one of the most important matches I have attended cannot be underestimated. The match kicked off at 5pm to ensure fans were home at a decent hour as the Troubles continued to rage, but without 1975 we would not have enjoyed the golden era of Billy Bingham, could not have been thrilled by the goals of David Healy and certainly would have been watching the 2016 Euro finals on the television. It was not the best match against Yugoslavia but it was won (with a scrappy Bryan Hamilton goal) and the atmosphere of euphoria and relief carried the team forward to many more successes.

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