Northern Ireland v Norway Official Match Programme

The Green and White Army in Stade de Lyon last summer where they witnessed the famous 2-0 win over Ukraine.

At the Euros against Ukraine his self-assurance was such that when the manager yelled at him to take the ball to the corner flag he disobeyed and waltzed round a defender to set up the crucial second goal. Now Josh has stepped up a grade by moving to Charlton and has already notched his first hat-trick for the club (what about one of those for Norn Iron, Josh?). Of course, it is not just the fans who enable a player to grow and mature. The third and most crucial factor in the mix is the manager. Michael’s confidence in Josh has convinced the crowd in the stands that here is someone worth taking to their hearts. The player, the manager and the fans work together to turn a club player into an international. So there is no need to be embarrassed if you spend ages with a magnifying glass trying to spot yourself in the stands in Nice, Lyon or Paris. You played your part too. By the way, you will find me on page 128 in the crowd at the ‘Welcome Home’ party in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. What a show that was! Roll on the next one…

Our cheering and singing and celebrating won a lot of friends. We even charmed the Mayor of Paris who awarded a special medal to the fans of Northern Ireland along with our southern friends. As I searched for familiar faces in the crowd, I couldn’t help wondering what role we fans play in turning a club player into an established international. I have a theory about this. It is well known that it usually takes 10 games for a club player to settle into a national team. Over those games we fans grow fond of a particular player. We get behind him, show enjoyment and anticipation when he is on the ball and give him plenty of encouragement. The most outstanding example of this in the last couple of years is the emergence of Bangor’s very own Josh Magennis. The sheer enthusiasm of Josh for the international game has impressed us fans and we have responded with a great affection for him. It is surely significant that he has grown in stature game after game. It all began when Michael O’Neill handed him the responsibility of leading the attack in the crucial game against Greece when we qualified for the Euros. Josh scored the second goal and his celebration afterwards was a sight to behold as he lifted his coach off the ground in a massive bear hug.

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