Northern Ireland v Luxembuourg (05/09/2024)

at night for several days in a row putting together stat packs for BBC NI for all the local league and international games. Once the season’s up and running, though, it’s a lot easier.” Marshall has been working with the Irish FA for 20 years, on both its website and collating information for the media team. He also provides weekly reports for Michael O’Neill and the coaches. Marshall reveals: “I send a spreadsheet over with details of every Northern Ireland player who has played over the weekend, including U21s and U18s. I’ve also started doing it for Tanya Oxtoby on the women players. It’s all about centralising everything so they can look at it straight away, even down to injuries.” His deep dive extends to the Irish FA’s JD Academy whose head Andy Waterworth receives stats on players who have progressed through to professional clubs. “The percentage of young players in the Premier League has increased which shows the academy is working and we’re reaping the benefits,” he says. From rookie players to established names, Marshall has them all covered. “When a player reaches 50 caps I do a special, so in this programme we’re doing a feature on George Saville reaching that milestone.” And what would Marshall cite as his favourite stat? “It’s so difficult to pick but I am proud of one. When BBC Five Live commentator Alistair Bruce-Ball was over for the Nations League game against Cyprus in 2022 I told him if Conor Bradley scored he would be only the second Liverpool player to score for Northern Ireland after Billy Lacey in 1914. He mentioned it on the radio and gave me credit for a brilliant stat.” Bradley may not have scored that night, but he has gone on to be Northern Ireland’s new Liverpool hero and is doubtless keeping an eye on his own personal stats. Marshall has devoted many decades to his passion for statistics. I tell him what he has done makes him Northern Ireland’s official football archivist. “I’ve been called worse,” says the self-deprecating statman. “I’m more like a dog with a bone. I could spend one hour checking an insignificant fact. I like to be meticulous.” Meticulous Marshall Gillespie, we salute you. And that’s a fact.

Marshall named his son Calum after, yes, you’ve guessed it, George Best’s son, a moniker that may well have inspired him to follow in his father’s footy-steps. “Calum did a degree in Sport Performance Analysis, then a Masters in Music Production. He’ll probably end up playing records at half-time,” enthuses his proud dad. Enniskillen man Marshall and his English wife brought their children up in Paula’s homeland and the family live there to this day. But the Irish Sea is no obstacle for father and son’s obsession with the Northern Ireland team. He explains: “Calum has been going to Northern Ireland games since he was eight and we went to the Euros together. He just loves football, but he’s probably not into stats as much as me. “I live and breathe stats. I think about them all the time. Things come into my head and I’ll try something different for each programme so I don’t make it too monotonous.” No chance of that for the many fans who can’t get enough of his never-ending ticker tape of tot-ups. Over the years, though, the internet has taken over from his original reams of handwritten results. “I’ve got files of paper for each Irish League season from 1985 to 2002 - all handwritten,” Marshall reveals. “From then I started putting it all on computer and it’s a lot easier now.” Getting to grips with spreadsheets is as far as Marshall goes when it comes to tech wizardry, however his recently acquired skills were just the ticket for a particularly mindboggling online archive. “A couple of years ago I put together a spreadsheet of all Northern Ireland goalscorers since 1882 right down to what team they played for, who assisted the goal, opponents, result and venue. For example, I can see straight away that the last Stoke City player to score for Northern Ireland was Sammy McIlroy.” Many other stats have been given the Gillespie spreadsheet treatment. “Now at the touch of a button, if anyone asks me a question I can put my hand to it. But it’s the hours it took me to input all the info that nobody sees. Your stats are only as good as the info you put into that.” The start of the Irish League season, coupled with a flurry of international games, makes this a particularly busy time for Marshall. “Setting everything up afresh takes hours and hours. I was up from 6.30 in the morning to 11.30

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