Northern Ireland v Slovakia

DID YOU KNOW?

Words Marshall Gillespie

Tonight’s Play-Off Final will be our fifth full international meeting with Slovakia and our third against them at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park. Our first encounter with them, in April 1998, ended in a 1-0 home success thanks to a second half winner from Steve Lomas. The next two contests came in World Cup qualifiers and both ended in defeat, going down 2-1 in Bratislava followed by a 2-0 reverse in Belfast. The last international encounter between the sides was just prior to Euro 2016 in Trnava. The game ended goalless.

On 25 March 1998 then Northern Ireland manager Lawrie McMenemy, in his first match in charge, gave 18-year-old Newcastle United defender Aaron Hughes his full international debut in a friendly against Slovakia in Belfast which ended in a 1-0 victory for the home side. Fast forward 18 years to 4 June 2016 and ironically Slovakia were again the opposition as a now 36-year-old Hughes won his 100th Northern Ireland cap in a scoreless draw in Trnava!

There are 12 players in the squad for this evening’s game who were in Michael O’Neill’s panel for both legs of the World Cup play-off matches versus Switzerland back in November 2017. They are: Michael McGovern, Jonny Evans, Stuart Dallas, Shane Ferguson, Conor McLaughlin, Steven Davis, Corry Evans, Paddy McNair, George Saville, Kyle Lafferty, Josh Magennis and Conor Washington.

Craig Cathcart has won 36 of his 54 caps while at Watford. When Cathcart made his 32nd appearance for Northern Ireland as a Hornets player in the 6-1 defeat in Germany last November he overtook the record of 31 which was jointly held by England’s John Barnes and Kenny Jackett of Wales. It should also be noted that Northern Ireland legend Gerry Armstrong won 21 of his 63 caps while at Vicarage Road and John McClelland made 20 of his 53 appearances in Watford colours.

When Shane Ferguson won his 25th international cap as a Millwall player in Northern Ireland’s 5-1 home defeat to Norway at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park earlier this autumn, he became the south London club’s most capped international. The 29-year-old overtook the record which was previously held by Republic of Ireland goalkeeper David Forde who made 24 appearances for his country while at the Den between 2011 and 2016. Ferguson extended that Millwall record to 26 when he played in the 1-0 defeat in Norway last month.

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