Northern Ireland vs Switzerland (21/03/2025)

INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE MATCH NORTHERN IRELAND V SWITZERLAND NATIONAL FOOTBALL STADIUM AT WINDSOR PARK OFFICIAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME | 21/03/2025 | PRICE £5

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TEAMS

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

MICHAEL O’NEILL PATRICK NELSON

NORTHERN IRELAND SQUAD

PADDY McNAIR DID YOU KNOW? THE OPPONENTS CIARON BROWN

INTERNATIONAL RECORD

IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

PRESIDENT: CONRAD KIRKWOOD CHIEF EXECUTIVE: PATRICK NELSON ADVERTISING: IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION PICTURES: PRESS EYE

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION BY IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION NATIONAL FOOTBALL STADIUM, DONEGALL AVE, BELFAST BT12 5LW

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS: DANNY LYNCH EDITOR: NIGEL TILSON

DESIGN: MADCOLOUR.COM PRINT: MADCOLOUR.COM

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE VIEWS IN THIS PROGRAMME DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF THE IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION.

IRISHFA.COM

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NORTHERN IRELAND GREEN & WHITE

SWITZERLAND WHITE

MANAGER M. O’NEILL

HEAD COACH M. YAKIN

P. CHARLES (SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY) C. HAZARD (PLYMOUTH ARGYLE) L. SOUTHWOOD (BOLTON WANDERERS) C. BROWN (OXFORD UNITED) T. DEVLIN (PORTSMOUTH) A. DONNELLY (DUNDEE) T. HUME (SUNDERLAND) R. McCONVILLE (NORWICH CITY) P. McNAIR (SAN DIEGO (USA) B. SPENCER (HUDDERSFIELD TOWN) K. BALMER (MOTHERWELL) S. CHARLES (SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY)* J. DEVENNY (CRYSTAL PALACE) E. GALBRAITH (LEYTON ORIENT) B. LYONS (KILMARNOCK) I. PRICE (WEST BROMWICH ALBION) G. SAVILLE (MILLWALL) P. SMYTH (QUEENS PARK RANGERS) L. BONIS (ADO DEN HAAG (NED) J. DONLEY (LEYTON ORIENT)** R. HALE (ROSS COUNTY) C. MARSHALL (HUDDERSFIELD TOWN)*** D. TAYLOR (WIGAN ATHLETIC)**** J. THOMPSON (STOKE CITY) R. McCAUSLAND (RANGERS)

G. KOBEL (BORUSSIA DORTMUND (GER) Y. MVOGO (LORIENT (FRA) P. LORETZ (LUZERN) A. AMENDA (EINTRACHT FRANKFURT (GER) L. BLONDEL (BOCA JUNIORS (ARG) E. CÖMERT (REAL VALLADOLID (ESP)* S. GARTENMANN (FERENCVÁROS (HUN) A. HAJDARI (LUGANO) M. MUHEIM (HAMBURGER SV (GER) R. RODRIGUEZ (REAL BETIS (ESP) I. SCHMIDT (LEEDS UNITED) C. ZESIGER (AUGSBURG (GER)** M. AEBISCHER (BOLOGNA (ITA) R. FREULER (BOLOGNA (ITA) F. RIEDER (VFB STUTTGART (GER)*** V. SIERRO (TOULOUSE (FRA) D. SOW (SEVILLA (ESP)

R. VARGAS (SEVILLA (ESP) D. ZAKARIA (MONACO (FRA) B. EMBOLO (MONACO (FRA) J. MONTEIRO (YOUNG BOYS)

D. NDOYE (BOLOGNA (ITA) A. SANCHES (LAUSANNE) A. ZEQIRI (STANDARD LIEGE (BEL)****

*ON LOAN FROM SOUTHAMPTON **ON LOAN FROM TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR ***ON LOAN FROM WEST HAM UNITED ****ON LOAN FROM NOTTINGHAM FOREST

* ON LOAN FROM VALENCIA (ESP) ** ON LOAN FROM VFL WOLFSBURG (GER)

*** ON LOAN FROM RENNES (FRA) **** ON LOAN FROM GENK (BEL)

MATCH DAY OFFICIALS REFEREE: MOHAMMED AL-HAKIM (SWE)

ASSISTANT REFEREE 1: MEHMET CULUM (SWE) ASSISTANT REFEREE 2: FREDRIK KLYVER (SWE) 4TH OFFICIAL: VICTOR WOLF (SWE)

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PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

The Swiss are more readily associated with chocolate, cheese, mountains and clocks but the Switzerland senior men’s football team have also been making their mark in recent times.

The Swiss are currently 20th in the FIFA Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking. In contrast Northern Ireland are in 71st place. And, of course, Switzerland is hosting UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, where the country’s senior women’s team will be looking to make an impact, too. I welcome you (our fans) and the players, officials and supporters of Switzerland to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast for this international friendly. The Rossocrociati (Red Crosses) have a good pedigree. They narrowly lost out 5-3 in a penalty shootout with England in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals. In their last competitive fixture – in the UEFA Nations League – they narrowly lost 3-2 to European champions Spain, so they are a force to be reckoned with. Their head coach, Murat Yakin, has been in the role since 2021 and has an interesting blend of youth and experience at his disposal. Our own squad has an emphasis on youth and tonight is an excellent opportunity for our players to test themselves against top level opposition. It has been a busy start to 2025 for the Irish FA off the field. I am sure that you all share my excitement with the announcement of the intention to develop the National Football Centre at Galgorm. As a nation we are one of the few countries that does not have its own dedicated training centre, and the development is long overdue. I look forward to the centre becoming part of the DNA of Northern Ireland football and nurturing both today’s best players and young talent for the future. The Swiss have a proverb “Was Hänschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmermehr”. This translates to “What little Hans doesn’t learn, big Hans never will”.

For our part the recently launched Youth Football Framework will allow us to have a firm foundation for the young players of the future – they will learn. The JD Academy will support them – they will learn further. The National Football Centre will allow us to consolidate the culture and good habits – they will have learnt even further. Domestically I am pleased that Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has pushed the Northern Ireland Football Fund. This too is overdue. Initial promised funding of £36.2m is a relatively small sum in the scheme of things today but I am cautiously optimistic for the future with Minister Lyons committed to seeking more funding wherever he can. The inclusion of Northern Ireland as part of the UK bid for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2035 is another hugely positive step and came on the same day as the launch of our new women’s and girls’ football strategy, Together We Thrive. These are exciting times for the women’s game and we will continue to grow it further. Many of you will be travelling to Sweden in a few days’ time and I thank you in advance for your support. The Nationalarenan, known as Strawberry Arena since 2024 for sponsorship reasons, is an impressive stadium in Stockholm and I look forward to catching up with a few of you on the trip. I should also like to congratulate the members of City of Armagh Northern Ireland Supporters’ Club on the club’s recent 30th anniversary and thank them for inviting me to help them celebrate the occasion. Enjoy the game tonight and safe travels if you are joining us in the Swedish capital. CONRAD KIRKWOOD PRESIDENT IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

IRISHFA.COM

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It was great to finish 2024 by getting promoted to League B for the next edition of the UEFA Nations League.

We put in some really good team performances as we topped League C Group 3 and there were some excellent individual performances along the way, too. Now, however, it’s time to focus on what could potentially be another exciting year. A year ago we played Romania and Scotland in friendlies and I believe the results we achieved in those games kick-started a period of progress for what is still a very youthful squad. I am hoping tonight’s game against Switzerland in Belfast and Tuesday’s match away to Sweden in Stockholm will have a similar impact on performances and results going forward. Much has been made of some of the players who have been left out of the squad for these two international challenge matches. However, I prefer to focus on the players who are in my panel this time around. These games will provide several players, who are either uncapped or have very few caps under their belts, to make their mark as they get another taste of the international stage. Naturally, it is a blow to be without the likes of Conor Bradley, Daniel Ballard, Alistair McCann, Eoin Toal and Dion Charles, who are all injured, but I believe others in the squad have the capability to put in strong performances. The two friendlies this month, coupled with the two international challenge matches in June, will help us to prepare for the World Cup qualifying campaign in September. Our opponents in those qualifiers (either Italy or Germany, Slovakia and Luxembourg) will provide much stiffer tests than we encountered in League C of the Nations League.

And that’s why we must take on games like tonight’s friendly and the match in Stockholm. We need to give our players the opportunity to test themselves against strong opposition. Switzerland are a pot one team and playing against them will hopefully prepare us for either Italy or Germany. Sweden are a very strong pot two team with strikers in Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres that most countries in Europe would be keen to have. Slovakia don’t have as much firepower, however they are not too far below them in the rankings. Our squad has a lot of players who are with clubs in the Championship or League One so these upcoming games will enable them to test themselves against several players who play their football in the top leagues in Europe. The Swiss may be without the likes of Granit Xhaka and Manuel Akanji for this game but I am expecting them to field a strong team. Several Switzerland players operate in La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga, so our players know they will be in for a tough game. Having said that I believe they will relish the challenge, especially when playing in front of a packed stadium in Belfast. The atmosphere in the stadium during recent matches has been excellent and I am confident the players will rise to the occasion and deliver another positive performance against the Swiss.

Enjoy the game! MICHAEL O’NEILL NORTHERN IRELAND MANAGER

IRISHFA.COM

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GOOD EVENING Time flies, doesn’t it? It only seems like yesterday that we were clearing away the Christmas wrapping paper and finishing the turkey sandwiches.

Now most of us are waking up to light mornings, the evenings are starting to stretch out, and it’s already time for the first senior men’s international window of the year. Tonight we welcome our supporters back to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park for an international challenge match against Switzerland. Our opponents this evening are regulars at major tournament finals, as are Sweden who we travel to play on Tuesday night in Stockholm. Our June window will be as equally challenging in that we will have an away match against an as yet unnamed top nation (this will depend on the outcome of the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals which take place in this window) and then play Iceland at home. These are exactly the types of opposition Michael wants to face to prepare for our short and sharp FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification campaign which will take place in the autumn. If we are to make it to be part of the world’s greatest show in the USA, Canada and Mexico next summer, these are the sort of countries we need to be able to match and beat, so let’s see how we fare. For the first time in a number of years we have genuine grounds for optimism in relation to our senior men’s national team. The youth and exuberance of our squad last year was a sight to behold as we surged to win our UEFA Nations League group and we hope this will continue into this year and, of course, in 2026. Whilst winning and losing is part of football and Kipling tells us that we should meet the twin imposters of triumph and disaster in the same

way, it is undoubted that we all have a spring in our step the day and indeed week and month after a good win. The grass seems greener, the sky a better shade of blue, and our smiles find their way to our face more readily. Sport, and football in particular, makes all of our lives better and tonight gives us the chance to set out our intentions for the year. Switzerland have visited Belfast twice in the last decade and although we haven’t won either of these matches (let’s not mention the 2017 penalty kick shall we?!) they have been even and well fought games. On a related note I would like to congratulate our Under-21 men’s manager Tommy Wright on his contract extension. Tommy joined us in August 2023 and is a vital part of the pipeline of talent management which stretches from Andy Waterworth to Gareth McAuley to Tommy and on to Michael as the senior men’s manager. Many of the players that have been nurtured in Tommy’s squads have made it through to the senior ranks and will be available for selection this evening. International players don’t just arrive on the doorstep fully formed. Their training and preparation can take several years and Tommy’s work is vital to this process. Let’s all enjoy the match tonight.

PATRICK NELSON CHIEF EXECUTIVE IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

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NORTHERN IRELAND GREEN & WHITE

CIARON BROWN

PIERCE CHARLES

CONOR HAZARD

LUKE SOUTHWOOD

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

GOALKEEPER SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY

GOALKEEPER PLYMOUTH ARGYLE

GOALKEEPER BOLTON WANDERERS

DEFENDER OXFORD UNITED

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

27

23

0

19

4

0

27

8

0

27

1

0

TERRY DEVLIN

POS: CLUB: DEFENDER DUNDEE AARON DONNELLY

TRAI HUME

KOFI BALMER

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

DEFENDER PORTSMOUTH

DEFENDER MOTHERWELL

DEFENDER SUNDERLAND

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

21

0

0

21

1

0

22

19

0

24

0

0

SHEA CHARLES

PATRICK McNAIR

BRODIE SPENCER

POS: CLUB: DEFENDER NORWICH CITY RUAIRI McCONVILLE

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

MIDFIELDER SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY

DEFENDER SAN DIEGO (USA)

DEFENDER HUDDERSFIELD TOWN

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

21

23

0

29

73

7

20

13

0

19

2

0

ON LOAN FROM SOUTHAMPTON

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JUSTIN DEVENNY

ETHAN GALBRAITH

BRAD LYONS

ISAAC PRICE

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

MIDFIELDER CRYSTAL PALACE

MIDFIELDER LEYTON ORIENT

MIDFIELDER KILMARNOCK

MIDFIELDER WEST BROMWICH ALBION

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

21

1

0

23

4

0

27

3

0

21

18

2

GEORGE SAVILLE

PAUL SMYTH

POS: CLUB: MIDFIELDER STOKE CITY JORDAN THOMPSON

POS: CLUB: MIDFIELDER RANGERS ROSS McCAUSLAND

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

MIDFIELDER MILLWALL

MIDFIELDER QUEENS PARK RANGERS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

31

56

0

27

16

2

27

38

0

21

5

0

LEE BONIS

RONAN HALE

JAMIE DONLEY

CALLUM MARSHALL

DALE TAYLOR

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

FORWARD ADO DEN HAAG (NED)

FORWARD ROSS COUNTY

FORWARD LEYTON ORIENT

FORWARD HUDDERSFIELD TOWN

FORWARD WIGAN ATHLETIC

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

25

1

0

26

0

0

20

0

0

20

8

0

21

8

0

ON LOAN FROM TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

ON LOAN FROM WEST HAM UTD

ON LOAN FROM NOTTINGHAM FOREST

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PADD WORDS: NIGEL TILSON

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DDY PADDY McNAIR AIMING TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE

HEIGHT: 183CM WEIGHT: 72KG

POSITION: DEFENDER DATE OF BIRTH: 27-04-1995 PLACE OF BIRTH: BALLYCLARE

SQUAD NO: 17 \ NI APP: 73 CLUBS: MANCHESTER UNITED, SUNDERLAND, MIDDLESBROUGH, SAN DIEGO FC, WEST BROMWICH ALBION (LOAN)

Paddy McNair is loving his new surroundings in the United States of America, but he’s also happy to be home and playing for his country once again.

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PADDY McNAIR AIMING TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE

While he is enjoying life in the Golden State, he expects to make regular visits home to play for his country. “I would never have gone to the States if it was going to jeopardise playing for Northern Ireland,” he insisted. And he doesn’t remember much about the flight which brought him from Los Angeles to Dublin direct on his first trip home to play international football. “I pretty much slept the whole way,” he joked. He is raring to go on the international stage once again, after missing the UEFA Nations League C3 run-in due to injury, and is looking forward to this month’s double header. McNair, who turns 30 next month, is one of the elder statesmen in the squad chosen for the games against the Swiss and the Swedes. And he is the only player from the Euro 2016 squad to be part of Michael O’Neill’s panel in this international window, although Josh Magennis is on the standby list. The defender said: “Being an elder statesman in the group is not something I have really thought about. I have always tried to do the right things and lead by example rather than be vocal. “I just be myself. I am happy to help any of the younger players if they are seeking advice.” McNair says winning UNL League C Group 3 back in the autumn has given the squad a real boost. He pointed out: “It was a really good campaign and just what this group of players needed. When the changes in the squad initially happened it was tough, but that’s normal. “However, things clicked for us in the Nations League. I believe the squad is getting better with each trip.” The experienced defender believes the games against Switzerland and Sweden will be tough tests. But he added: “There are not too many friendlies these days so these games will provide players with an opportunity to show Michael what they can do.” The defender also insisted he will play for his country as long as he can. Long trips from West Coast to East Coast and long flights across the vast Atlantic Ocean will definitely not prevent him from doing so!

Last summer the 29-year-old penned a three-year contract with MLS side San Diego FC before being immediately loaned out to EFL Championship side West Bromwich Albion at the start of this season. His stay at the Hawthorns was marred by a hamstring injury which kept him out for eight weeks. However, since switching to his parent club in the US in January, he has made a full recovery and is now a key member of a brand new team competing in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. “My new surroundings are brilliant and I am really enjoying it,” he said. San Diego FC, who were only established in 2023 after securing an MLS franchise as an expansion team, played their first MLS game on 24 February. They registered a fine 2-0 win away against LA Galaxy in their debut match and McNair was in the back four on the historic occasion. And he was calling the shots in the defence once again when San Diego followed it up with a home goalless draw against St Louis. Since then they have enjoyed a 3-1 away win against Real Salt Lake and a home 1-1 draw against Columbus. “We have had a good start. It’s a tough league with a lot of really good players,” said McNair. The defender, who has scored seven goals in 73 senior appearances for his country, and weighed in with six assists, admitted his new team-mates sometimes find it hard to understand his accent, but he has settled in well in the dressing room, the city and the state of California. San Diego are playing their home games at Snapdragon Stadium, a 35,000-seat venue owned by San Diego State University. The team’s first home MLS game against St Louis attracted 34,506 fans, the largest crowd for a sporting event in Snapdragon’s history. McNair is impressed by the already massive fan base. There’s a strong and vibrant Mexican following for the club as San Diego is close to the border. In fact it’s just 17 miles from downtown to the Mexican state of Baja California.

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DID YOU KNOW? When Michael O’Neill gave Crystal Palace midfielder Justin Devenny his debut, as a last minute substitute in the 2-2 UEFA Nations League draw with Luxembourg back

WORDS: MARSHALL GILLESPIE

Of the 763 players to have been capped by Ireland/ Northern Ireland, 553 have been born within the six counties of Northern Ireland, 64 have been born in England, 12 in Scotland and just one in Wales. The remaining 109 players have been born outside the United Kingdom: Rep of Ireland 92 Canada 3 Germany 2 New Zealand 2 South Africa 2 USA 2 Zambia 2 Japan 1 Jersey 1 Lithuania 1 Norway 1

in November, he became the 763rd player to win a full international cap for Ireland/Northern Ireland since 1882.

Tonight’s encounter with Switzerland will be Northern Ireland’s 130th friendly international since 1882. To date there have been 35 wins, 36 draws and 58 defeats. Of the 58 friendlies that Northern Ireland have played at home, 54 have been played at the National Stadium/Windsor Park where there have been 19 wins, 15 draws and 20 defeats.

If Ronan Hale makes his debut during this

If Isaac Price manages to score against Switzerland tonight he will, at 21 years and 176 days, become the second youngest player to reach seven goals at senior level for Northern Ireland. The youngest is Norman Whiteside who was just 19 years and 359 days when he recorded his seventh goal in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win in Belfast on 1 May 1985.

international double header he will become only the third player from Ross County to win a full international cap for Northern Ireland. The other two were Coalisland born Sean Webb, who made four appearances while with the Dingwall outfit between 2006 and 2007, and Liam Boyce, who was capped six times between 2015 and 2017 while a County player.

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If Paddy McNair plays against either Switzerland or Sweden he will become only the fifth player to win a full international cap for Northern Ireland while attached to a club in the USA. Former Everton midfielder Dave Clements became the first when he made his final two appearances for his country when he was with New York Cosmos back in 1976. Glentoran legend Billy Caskey was at Tulsa Roughnecks when he played the last of seven matches for Northern Ireland in a 4-0 defeat to France in 1982. Midfielder Dave McCreery was also at Tulsa, winning 12 of his 55 caps while turning out for the NASL side. And Larne-born Johnny Steele made all three of his appearances for his country between 2013 and 2014 while playing for New York Red Bulls.

The game this evening will be the ninth meeting at full international level between Northern Ireland and Switzerland and our fifth against them in Belfast. The first ever meeting between the nations came in a Word Cup qualifier in October 1964 when a second half Jonny Crossan penalty gave Northern Ireland a 1-0 win in front of 28,598 spectators. Our only other success against the Swiss was in a friendly in April 1998 when Darren Patterson scored the only goal of the game in what was then manager Lawrie McMenemy’s second game in charge. Northern Ireland’s full record against Switzerland is: P W D L F A 8 2 3 3 3 5

When Josh Magennis scored in the 5-0 Nations League demolition of Bulgaria last October it was his fifth full international goal as a substitute. At 34 years and 62 days he also became the second oldest substitute to score for Northern Ireland, the oldest being Steven Davis, who was aged 37 years and 83 days when he found the net in a 3-1 victory over Luxembourg in March 2022.

The youngest ever substitute to score a goal for Northern Ireland was Kyle Lafferty who was just 18 years and 334 days when he found the net in a 2-1 friendly win over Finland in Helsinki in August 2006. He is also the only player to score twice for Northern Ireland after coming off the bench when he hit a brace against San Marino

If ADO Den Haag striker Lee Bonis scores this evening he will become only the second player to find the net in a full international for Northern Ireland while playing their football in the Netherlands. The other was James Quinn who was on the books of Willem II when he scored in a 1-1 draw against Serbia and Montenegro in Belfast in March 2004.

in a World Cup qualifier in Belfast in October 2016.

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Andy Greeves invites former Northern Ireland internationals to choose their best 11. The line-up can include players past and present and not necessarily former team-mates. Here Sammy Nelson chooses his squad… SAMMY NELSON’S BEST XI

GK – PAT JENNINGS Pat was a supreme goalkeeper. He was also one of the most unaffected footballers I ever met. By that I mean he never spoke about his career achievements or the fantastic saves he made. He was so modest and a proper gentleman. LB – MAL DONAGHY Mal had pace and he was good on the ball. He was very good in the air, too. I believe he played at centre back for a period of his career. He was a great worker and an unassuming character… he just got on with his job. CB – ALLAN HUNTER There are other players from my time in the national team I could have included at centre back, like Terry Neill and Chris Nicholl, who were fantastic. But Allan Hunter and Liam O’Kane arrived on the scene internationally around the same time and I thought they were a fantastic pairing. CB – LIAM O’KANE Hunter and O’Kane dovetailed really well in central defence. The big shame for Liam was his injuries. I believe he retired at the age of 28. No forward line we came up against ever liked playing against Allan and Liam. RB – PAT RICE I have to go for my good friend Pat Rice at right back. He was so intense in his preparation for matches. He put so much into every training session. In matches his determination to win every ball was incredible. LM – GEORGE BEST George obviously has to be in my team. I’m going to play him on the left wing, so I can play with two out and-out frontmen. What can you say about George? He was truly amazing. His ability on the ball is as good as we’ve seen in the history of the game. What I don’t think is said enough about George is what a brilliant team player he was.

CM – MARTIN O’NEILL Martin had a great awareness on the pitch – a real intelligence. He thought deeply about the game and how you would approach certain situations, opposition etc. He also had a real enthusiasm for the game and gave his all for the full 90 minutes. CM – SAMMY McILROY Sammy was a very gifted player and midfielder with a real attacking instinct. He obviously spent a period of his career as an attacker before moving back into midfield. He had very good control and pace. He was always in the mix for scoring goals or creating them. RM – GERRY ARMSTRONG Gerry was such a powerful player. His ability to go past full-backs and get crosses in – or to meet crosses coming from the left – really was something. He was a player always likely to have an involvement in a goal, whether that was creating it or scoring it. FW – DEREK DOUGAN Derek Dougan did extremely well for us. He was top notch. He had a great club career with Wolves especially and a brilliant international career, too. FW – CHARLIE GEORGE Charlie was exceptional. He was very aware that he was talented and he was never fazed coming up against any opponent in the First Division even if they were more experienced than him. He was a crowd pleaser, particularly at Highbury. The Arsenal fans loved him… they still do! SUBSTITUTES BOB WILSON – A fearless goalkeeper. Incredible. JIMMY NICHOLSON – Jimmy was a really good central midfielder for Northern Ireland. FRANK McLINTOCK – An immense defender and captain. WILLIE IRVINE – Willie was a natural goalscorer. RAY KENNEDY – A key member of Arsenal’s double winning team of 1971.

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‘Out in the wily windy moors, we’d roll and fall in green, you had a temper like my jealousy, too hot, too greedy’.

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We followed it up with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Denmark at Windsor Park. It was the game in which our goals were scored by two subs, including a sub who came on for the first sub. The goals were netted by Derek Spence, who had come on as a substitute for Sammy Morgan and injured himself when scoring, and his replacement Trevor Anderson, who duly scored the winner. Then there was a successful visit to Sofia where, thanks to goals from Gerry Armstrong and Billy Caskey, we ran out victors by two goals to nil against Bulgaria. It meant 1978 ended very optimistically for those of us who rolled and fell in green (apologies Ms Bush). Of course optimism for the football fan is often a temporary and tenuous thing and our bubble was well and truly burst in ’79 (although that’s an altogether different story which sowed the seeds for the Billy Bingham-inspired success of the 1980s). So if you are fortunate enough to hear the Kate Bush classic, or maybe unlike me you have already downloaded it to your playlists, perhaps you can reflect on how footballing fortunes can rise and fall. Regardless of the alien land of the past, we can relive the thrills and wallow in the rose-tinted nostalgia. But football, whether at club or international level, is a right here, right now currency. The cliché that you are only as good as your last match is true. The highs of 1978 are worth not a jot to the class of 2025. Today’s matches and squad is the currency we are trading in and the future starts tonight. The past is gone, the future lies tantalisingly beckoning ahead. Let’s grab it with both hands and make new stories, new memories, new heroes.

I don’t have Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights on my Spotify playlist (yet) but in a recent 24-hour period I heard the song three times on the radio. Her flowing ethereal voice cascading its magic over the listener, we are out on the moors with Kate (and Cathy), the winds howling in the menace and the foreboding of the moors. Cathy is so cold – let her in. What a song. It was inspired by Emily Bronte’s classic novel of the same name (what a book by the way). Miss Bush’s song is being played, I suppose, because it was 47 years ago when it topped the charts. Yes, forty seven. As the saying goes, the past is another planet (according to LP Hartley), and for those of us of a certain age 1978 certainly fits that bill… no mobile phones, no wi-fi, no internet (how did people survive?). The only McDonald’s on the island of Ireland was in Dublin, trousers were wide, collars were large, Starsky and Hutch and Kojak caught the bad guys on a Saturday night, James Callaghan was the struggling Labour Prime Minister about to face the winter of discontent. In addition £100 then would be worth over £700 today, Linfield won the Irish League and Irish Cup double (I suppose there are some things that don’t change that much!) and the Northern Ireland manager was our hero of the 1958 World Cup, Danny Blanchflower, who loved to beguile the media - they were the ‘press’ in those days - with his oblique utterances. In the British Championships in May that year we would draw at Hampden Park with Scotland (1-1), with a goal from our captain Martin O’Neill, but fall 1-0 to both England and Wales. In European Championship qualifiers starting in the autumn, having been drawn against the Republic, Northern Ireland were preparing to travel to Dublin in September for the historic first game since partition (it ended as a turgid 0-0).

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WORDS: IAN PARKER

THE COACH: SWITZERLAND Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin is likely to be a popular visitor to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park on the back of a gesture three and a half years ago. Back in November 2021 Northern Ireland’s goalless draw with Italy was enough to see Yakin’s side qualify directly for the 2022 World Cup while the Italians went into the play-offs. To say thank you for Northern Ireland’s help, Yakin sent 9.3 kg of Swiss chocolate - to represent the 93 minutes Northern Ireland played without conceding against the European champions - to Irish FA headquarters. There was even a video of Yakin getting the package ready, with ‘Sweet Caroline’ playing in the background as he signed the thank-you note. The chocolate was in turn sent to a charity by the Irish FA. At the time Yakin (50) was just a few months into his reign as Switzerland boss, having been appointed in August 2021 to replace Vladimir Petkovic, who had just left for Bordeaux to end a seven-year spell in charge. Once in Qatar Yakin guided Switzerland to the last 16 although their campaign came to an abrupt end as they were beaten 6-1 by Portugal, finding themselves on the wrong end of a hat trick from Goncalo Ramos, who had started the game in place of Cristiano Ronaldo. The result would have hurt the central defender in Yakin, whose playing career included spells with Stuttgart and Fenerbahce, while he was capped 49 times by Switzerland. He spent the longest period with his hometown club of Basel, the city where he was born to Turkish parents. He won three league titles

with Basel, adding to two that came with Grasshoppers earlier in his career, and he was named the Super League player of the year in 2002. During the 2002-03 season Basel reached the Champions League group phase after a qualifying win over Celtic which Yakin called the “match of my life”. After moving into management, Yakin’s first major success came when he led Thun to promotion to the top flight in the 2009-10 season, and then a fifth-placed Super League finish the following campaign. Following a season with Luzern he returned to Basel as boss in 2012, guiding a side that included Yann Sommer, Fabian Schar and a young Mohamed Salah to the semi-finals of the Europa League, beating Tottenham along the way. The following season Yakin’s men beat Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea home and away during their Champions League campaign. Domestically there were back-to-back league titles in 2012-13 and 2013-14 as Yakin helped continue the run of success he had been part of Schauffhausen (twice), Grasshoppers and Sion before the national federation came calling. Yakin’s younger brother Hakan, who scored 20 goals in 87 appearances for Switzerland, succeeded him as coach of Schauffhausen when Murat became Switzerland boss in 2021. as a player less than a decade earlier. His career took him to Spartak Moscow,

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THE SQUAD: SWITZERLAND WORDS: IAN PARKER

GREGOR KOBEL GOALKEEPER

YVON MVOGO GOALKEEPER LORIENT (FRA)

PASCAL LORETZ GOALKEEPER LUZERN AGE 21 CAPS 0 GOALS 0 The uncapped Loretz is seen as one of the brightest young goalkeeping prospects around, having established himself as Luzern’s number one at the age of 20.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND (GER) AGE 27 CAPS 10 GOALS 0 Although a product of Grasshoppers’ academy in Zurich, Kobel has spent his entire career in Germany. Played for Hoffenheim, Augsburg and Stuttgart before signing for Borussia Dortmund in 2021.

AGE 30 CAPS 10 GOALS 0 The Cameroon-born Mvogo came through the ranks with Young Boys in Bern before joining RB Leipzig in Germany. He then went on loan to PSV Eindhoven and subsequently joined Lorient.

AURÈLE AMENDA DEFENDER EINTRACHT FRANKFURT (GER) AGE 21 CAPS 1 GOALS 2 Grew up in the Young Boys system and made his debut aged 18, going on to play in the Europa Conference League. Signed for Eintracht Frankfurt in 2024.

LUCAS BLONDEL DEFENDER BOCA JUNIORS (ARG)

ERAY CÖMERT DEFENDER REAL VALLADOLID (ESP)

AGE 28 CAPS 0 GOALS 0 A new name in the Swiss squad, Blondel was born in Buenos Aires to a Swiss father and has spent his entire career to date in Argentina, playing for Atletico Rafaela and Tigre before joining Boca Juniors in 2023.

AGE 27 CAPS 17 GOALS 0 A two-time Swiss champion with Basel, Cömert moved to Spain with Valencia in 2022 before loan spells with Nantes and now Valladolid. Helped Switzerland to the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2020. *ON LOAN FROM VALENCIA

STEFAN GARTENMANN DEFENDER FERENCVÁROSI (HUN)

ALBIAN HAJDARI DEFENDER LUGANO

MIRO MUHEIM DEFENDER HAMBURGER SV (GER) AGE 26 CAPS 1 GOALS 0 On the books of Chelsea as a youngster, Muheim returned to Switzerland on loan with Zürich before joining St Gallen. Joined Hamburg in 2021, initially on loan before a permanent move followed in 2022.

AGE 28 CAPS 0 GOALS 0 Gartenmann is another new face in a Switzerland defensive unit missing Manuel Akanji through injury. He played at youth level for Denmark but never received a senior cap. Spent last season on loan at Aberdeen before signing for Ferencváros.

AGE 21 CAPS 0 GOALS 0 Hajdari was snapped up by Juventus while still a youth player, although he later spent time on loan with Basel’s Under-21s. He was then loaned to Lugano in 2022 and found a more permanent home.

RICARDO RODRIGUEZ DEFENDER REAL BETIS (ESP)

ISAAC SCHMIDT DEFENDER LEEDS UNITED

CÉDRIC ZESIGER DEFENDER AUGSBURG (GER)

AGE 32 CAPS 125 GOALS 9 By far the most experienced player in a squad missing so many familiar names through injury, Rodriguez has been a fixture in the Swiss side

AGE 25 CAPS 0 GOALS 0 Schmidt joined Leeds from St Gallen last summer. All seven of his Championship appearances for Leeds have come off the bench, with his only starts in the FA Cup.

AGE 26 CAPS 4 GOALS 0 A three-time Swiss Super League champion with Young Boys, Zesiger moved to Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga in 2023. Joined Augsburg on loan in January. *ON LOAN FROM VFL WOLFSBURG

since making his debut against Wales in 2011.

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MICHEL AEBISCHER MIDFIELDER BOLOGNA (ITA) AGE 28 CAPS 29 GOALS 1 A three-time Swiss champion with Young Boys, the defensive midfielder moved to Bologna in 2022, initially on loan and then permanently. Scored against Hungary at Euro 2024.

REMO FREULER MIDFIELDER BOLOGNA (ITA) AGE 32 CAPS 78 GOALS 11 Freuler signed for Nottingham Forest in 2022, although he stayed only one season before returning to Italy with Bologna. Part of the national team since 2017.

FABIAN RIEDER MIDFIELDER VFB STUTTGART (GER)

AGE 23 CAPS 16 GOALS 0 A two-time Swiss champion with Young Boys, Rieder signed for Rennes in 2023 before moving on loan to Stuttgart. Appeared at the 2022 World Cup where he made his debut in a 1-0 win over Cameroon. *ON LOAN FROM RENNES (FRA)

VINCENT SIERRO MIDFIELDER TOULOUSE (FRA) AGE 29 CAPS 10 GOALS 0 Another product of the Young Boys system, Sierro left Swiss football for Toulouse in 2023 and soon lifted the Coupe de France. He was in the Swiss squad at Euro 2024.

DJIBRIL SOW MIDFIELDER SEVILLA (ESP)

RUBEN VARGAS MIDFIELDER SEVILLA (ESP) AGE 26 CAPS 50 GOALS 8 Vargas has been Sow’s team-mate in Seville since January. He was the man to score a decisive penalty in the shoot-out that saw Switzerland beat France to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2020. At Euro 2024 he got a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over Italy.

AGE 28 CAPS 41 GOALS 0 Sow was part of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Europa League winning side during the 2021-22 season before leaving to join Sevilla in 2023. Made his Switzerland debut in 2018 and has been a regular fixture since.

DENIS ZAKARIA MIDFIELDER MONACO (FRA)

BREEL EMBOLO FORWARD MONACO (FRA)

JOËL MONTEIRO FORWARD YOUNG BOYS AGE 25 CAPS 4 GOALS 1

AGE 28 CAPS 57 GOALS 3 Zakaria had a choice of playing for Switzerland, South Sudan or Congo as a youngster but went with the country of his birth and made his senior debut in 2016. His club career has included spells at Chelsea (loan) and Juventus. Signed for Monaco in August 2023.

ALVYN SANCHES FORWARD LAUSANNE AGE 22 CAPS 0 GOALS 0 Sanches has spent his entire career in the Lausanne system, breaking into the first team in the 2020-21 season. A return of 11 goals and five assists this term AGE 28 CAPS 73 GOALS 15 The Cameroon-born Embolo moved as a youngster first to France and then Switzerland, where he came through the ranks at Basel before spells with Schalke, Borussia Mönchengladbach and, since 2022, Monaco. Part of the senior national team since 2015.

Monteiro was born in Sion to a Cape Verdean family and has Swiss and Portuguese nationality. His brother Elton is a youth international for Portugal. Joël received his first Switzerland call-up last September.

DAN NDOYE FORWARD BOLOGNA (ITA)

ANDI ZEQIRI FORWARD STANDARD LIEGE (BEL) AGE 25 CAPS 15 GOALS 1 Zeqiri came through Lausanne’s system. In 2020 he signed for Brighton and Hove Albion where he made 13 appearances. Also had loan spells at Augsburg and Basel before joining Genk in 2023. Now at Standard Liege on loan. *ON LOAN FROM GENK

AGE 24 CAPS 18 GOALS 1 Ndoye was part of the Euro 2024 squad and scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Germany which sent Switzerland into the knock-out stages. Played for Lausanne and Basel, and had a spell with Nice, before joining Bologna in 2023.

has reportedly put him on the radar of clubs in England and Scotland.

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WORDS: IAN PARKER

FACT FILE: SWITZERLAND

• At the 2022 World Cup they finished second in Group G before being beaten 6-1 by Portugal in the round of 16. • They made the quarter-finals at Euro 2024 thanks to a fine victory over defending champions Italy in the quarter-finals. • Northern Ireland have not had happy memories of playing Switzerland recently. • Few members of the Green and White Army need reminding of the 2018 World Cup qualifying play-off, ultimately decided by a controversial penalty awarded at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park and scored by Ricardo Rodriguez in the first leg before the return fixture ended goalless in Basel. • The next World Cup qualifying campaign brought the two nations back together in 2021. The first game in Belfast ended 0-0 after Bailey Peacock-Farrell saved Haris Seferovic’s penalty. • Ian Baraclough’s men then headed for Geneva where there was more refereeing controversy. Jamal Lewis was harshly sent off in the first half before goals from Steven Zuber and Christian Fassnacht inflicted a damaging defeat on Northern Ireland. • The two nations met for the first time back in October 1964 after being drawn together in qualifying for the World Cup that England would host two years later. • Northern Ireland won the first meeting at home 1-0 thanks to Johnny Crossan’s penalty. But a George Best goal in Lausanne was not enough to avoid defeat as Northern Ireland went down 2-1 to a Switzerland side who would finish top of the group. • They did not meet again until 1998 when Darren Patterson’s first international goal secured a 1-0 friendly win that made it two wins from two for new Northern Ireland boss Lawrie McMenemy. • Another friendly in 2004 ended 0-0, making it six games unbeaten for Northern Ireland under Lawrie Sanchez. Chris Brunt made his debut in the match.

INTERNATIONAL • Switzerland have qualified for the FIFA World Cup final tournament nine times and reached the quarter-finals on three occasions – 1934,1938 and 1954, the latter of those coming as Switzerland hosted the tournament for the first and only time to date. • In 1954 the hosts were knocked out in a dramatic 7-5 defeat to Austria, still the record for the highest scoring game at a World Cup finals. • After almost three decades without an appearance at a major finals, Switzerland were revitalised in the early 1990s with the arrival of Roy Hodgson as coach. The Englishman took them to the knockout phase of the 1994 World Cup and at one point had them as high as third in the world rankings before leaving for Inter Milan. • At the 2006 World Cup Switzerland did not concede a single goal but were knocked out by Ukraine in a penalty shoot-out in the last 16. • Switzerland co-hosted Euro 2008 with Austria but neither nation advanced out of the group stages, with Switzerland finishing last in a group containing Czech Republic, Turkey and Portugal. Coach Kobi Kuhn was subsequently replaced by former Bayern Munich boss Ottmar Hitzfeld. • In the inaugural season of the UEFA Nations League Switzerland finished top of their group to reach the finals but lost to Portugal in the semi-finals before losing the third place play-off to England on penalties. • At Euro 2020 they made it through a group that also included Italy, Wales and Turkey before beating world champions France in a penalty shoot-out to advance in the knock-out stage for the first time since 1938. Their run was ended by Spain on penalties in the quarter-finals.

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DOMESTIC

• The Swiss Super League was expanded from 10 teams to 12 in time for the 2023-24 season, with a new format borrowing from that used in Scotland, with an initial league phase before clubs are split into two groups of six to play either for the title or to avoid relegation. • Grasshopper, based in Zurich, are the most successful club in Switzerland’s top flight with 27 titles, seven more than Basel who had been catching up rapidly with a run of 12 titles between 2001 and 2017, though they have not won one since. • Former Northern Ireland striker Kyle Lafferty spent the 2012-13 season with Super League side Sion, playing alongside ex-Rangers midfielder and World Cup winner Gennaro Gattuso. Lafferty ended the season with eight goals in 28 appearances across all competitions. • Former Switzerland striker Marco Streller holds the record for the most Super League titles, with eight, and Super League goals. He netted 119 - all in the colours of Basel.

SWITZERLAND’S BREEL EMBOLO WITH NORTHERN IRELAND’S CIARON BROWN DURING A FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 QUALIFIER

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TACTICS Throughout UEFA Euro 2024 Switzerland set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. However, in the Nati’s UEFA Nations League matches at home to Serbia and away to Spain last November, Yakin’s side started with a back four in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Irrespective of their starting formation, Switzerland’s set-up under Yakin tends to be quite flexible. A notable tactical feature of their showing at Euro 2024 was Michel Aebischer’s fluid positioning. The Athletic’s Liam Thrame commented during the 2-0 win over Italy on 29 June 2024 that Aebischer’s position was “half wing-back, half No 8” and it was noticeable “how deep he is pinning Italy’s midfield”. In that same game Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler intelligently sat in front of Switzerland’s central defenders to prevent Italy pressurising the Rossocrociati’s back line in the first phase of their press. Left-sided centre back Ricardo Rodriguez often stepped into the space left by Aebischer on the left and joined in Switzerland’s attacks. And much of the Nati’s forward play went down that side during Euro 2024. In their opening four matches at the tournament 45% of their attacks were built down the left flank and 21% came through the centre. STRENGTHS Switzerland’s tactical fluidity makes them an unpredictable and therefore dangerous opponent. As mentioned in the case of Aebischer at Euro 2024, Yakin’s full-backs/wing-backs often come into central areas, where they create overloads. This is useful to Switzerland, both in terms of denying their opponents space in the middle and also giving them a numerical advantage going forward, especially in counter-attacking situations. Former Arsenal star Xhaka, who plays for Bayer Leverkusen these days, Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji, Brest midfielder Edimilson Fernandes and Napoli forward Noah Okafor are not involved this evening, for various reasons, however the Swiss squad is still packed with players who operate in Europe’s top leagues. And in Freuler, who plays for Bologna in Italy’s Serie A, they have a shrewd midfield operator.

SCOUTING REPORT

Andy Greeves takes a closer look at Switzerland ahead of this evening’s international challenge match in Belfast. LOWDOWN Since their last visit to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park for a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier in September 2021, Switzerland have competed at two major tournaments. The ‘Rossocrociati’ (Red Crosses) reached the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup, where they were defeated 6-1 by Portugal. An impressive showing at UEFA Euro 2024 saw them finish second to hosts Germany in Group A, with a win and two draws. They defeated Italy 2-0 in the round of 16 before a quarter-final penalty shootout defeat to England. The Nati (National Team) have appeared at the last six major tournaments since the disappointment of missing out on a place at UEFA Euro 2012. Switzerland will compete in FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifying Group B along with Sweden, Slovenia and Kosovo. Murat Yakin’s side host Kosovo on 5 September in their first European qualifying fixture. Before then the Nati have four friendly fixtures, starting in Belfast this evening before taking on Luxembourg in St Gallen on Tuesday, while they are due to face Mexico in Rice-Eccles and the United States in Nashville in June.

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