NI v Denmark(20/11/2023)

DID YOU KNOW?

WORDS : MARSHALL GILLESPIE

Tonight will be the 18th occasion that Northern

Ireland have played a game on a Monday. On the previous 17 they have won four, drawn four and lost nine. Six of those 16 matches have been played at the revamped National Stadium where two wins have been recorded: against Slovenia in March 2016 (1-0) and Czech Republic in September 2017 (2-0).

Of the 754 players to have represented Ireland/Northern Ireland in the past 141 years only one has ever made their full international debut on their birthday. That player in question was Newcastle United full back Alf McMichael who turned 22 on the day they lost 8-2 to Scotland at Windsor Park on 1 October 1949.

When Eoin Toal and Brad Lyons made their international debuts against Slovenia last month they became the 753rd and 754th players to represent Ireland/Northern Ireland since 1882. It also meant that Michael O’Neill had given debuts to no fewer than 36 players over his two spells as manager of the national team.

In Northern Ireland’s previous 12 meetings

against Denmark they have won just twice, with both wins coming at Windsor Park. The first was in October 1978 when goals from substitutes Derek Spence and Trevor Anderson gave them a 2-1 ECQ victory in front of 20,184 spectators. The second came during the qualifying campaign for Euro 2008 when David Healy’s deft chip gave them another memorable 2-1 success. Their full record is: P W D L F A 12 2 5 5 9 15

When Eoin Toal won his first senior international cap against Slovenia he became the first player from the city of Armagh to represent Northern Ireland since Alfie Snape on 25 October 1919 - some 103 years and 357 days previously. In fact he is only the third player in total from the city to play for Northern Ireland, the other one being James Williamson who played for his country three times between 1890 and 1893.

18

NIR V DEN

ALL STATISTICS CORRECT PRIOR TO FRIDAY’S MATCH WITH FINLAND