Northern Ireland v Lithuania (12/11/2021)

WORDS: WILLIAM CAMPBELL

INSPIRATION STRIKES AT THE STRANGEST TIMES AND IN THE STRANGEST PLACES.

IT’S TIME TO S

For Wordsworth it was on Westminster Bridge early in the morning, for Seamus Heaney it was his hard-working farmer father, for Robert Keats it was autumn – ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ - or perhaps a Grecian urn. Paul McCartney found his when writing a song for John Lennon’s son Julian, who was known as Jude, and Tchaikovsky wanted the sound of battle, cannons and all , to be incorporated into his music and composed the striking 1812 Overture. Leonardo Da Vinci was captivated by the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa. All great artists require the inspiration to create their memorable works. That spark of inspiration is what lifts the ordinary to become the wonderful , the mundane to become the extraordinary. In sport inspiration can be found in our mentors, our coaches, our predecessors or our families and from the inner strength which drives athletes on to greatness. Much decorated GB rower Steve Redgrave notoriously trained on Christmas Day believing that as his main rivals would be sitting it out as a day off that this gave him the miniscule advantage which, in a sport which can see victory in thousands of seconds, might just be the difference in the podium place or the colour of medal . So where can our boys in green find their inspiration as they march out to face Lithuania this evening? They should respond to the support of the Green and White Army, always vocal in their encouragement and always present even when matches are played ‘behind closed doors’, or there is the history and tradition of our illustrious association. And what about the exploits of the past of players such as Peter Docherty, Danny Blanchflower, Harry Gregg, Pat Jennings, George Best , Gerry Armstrong, Norman Whiteside, David Healy and all the others too numerous to mention?

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NIR V LTU