Northern Ireland v Luxembuourg (05/09/2024)

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

And so another campaign begins. Welcome to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast for this opening game in League C Group 3 in the UEFA Nations League.

Northern Ireland have quite a pedigree as the plucky underdogs and the preparation work for the team out of possession and in defence is likely to be crucial for this Nations League campaign as a whole. Tonight’s opponents Luxembourg finished third in their Euro 2024 qualifying group behind France and Belgium so they are no slouches. Of course, the international retirements of Davis, Dallas and Evans present a further opportunity for the next generation to stake their claim and to make history. Michael O’Neill has used 27 players over the past four games. Fourteen were aged under 24 and nine were under 21. This campaign will certainly allow for the further development of the young squad. No sooner will tonight’s game be over until we travel to Bulgaria. Our last game there was in Sofia and this time we go to Plovdiv, which will provide a different experience for supporters. The temperature in Bulgaria will be much warmer than here and is likely to be an issue for fans and players alike. I had the opportunity to catch up with some of our travelling support in Mallorca prior to the friendly against Spain. I thank them for their support and my thanks goes in advance to those of you who will travel to Bulgaria’s second largest city this weekend to cheer our team on. CONRAD KIRKWOOD PRESIDENT IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

At one point it would have been unimaginable to begin a game or a campaign without Steven Davis, Jonny Evans and Stuart Dallas. Time is cruel but especially so for the life of an international footballer. Few of 2016’s Kings of Lyon remain in the squad, but oh what special memories the latest trio of retirees have given us. Memories for our up and coming players were made in the summer. The Men’s Under-19 Euro final tournament provided a great opportunity for Irish FA staff and volunteers to demonstrate their professionalism as well as showcasing Northern Ireland. It was Michael Owen who opined “the better the opposition put in front of you, the better your team plays”. Gareth McAuley’s U19 squad had the chance to play the best teams in Europe at their age level. Our players will have learned so much from that experience and will improve their own game as a result. Italy and Spain were both so strong and it was little surprise that Spain’s Under-19s emulated the success of their senior squad. This year’s Euros in Germany once again showed that international games are all tough; 72% of the matches were drawn or decided by a solitary goal. And Slovenia, Georgia and Romania showed that it is possible to concede plenty of possession and still win. Our own loss in a friendly to the eventual European champions in Palma in June was a valuable learning experience for our young players in particular – and it also showed how strong the top teams can be.

IRISHFA.COM

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