NORTHERN IRELAND AIM TO STAY COOL IN ICELAND AND REMAIN ON COURSE FOR FINALS...
NORTHERN Ireland Under-21s manager Ian Baraclough has called on his players to win in Iceland tonight and make sure a shot at history awaits in next week’s Windsor Park clash with Slovakia.
Baraclough has done a brilliant job with the Northern Ireland youngsters, so much so that with two games left of their 2019 Euro qualifiers they still have a chance to make the play-offs for next year’s finals.
He also guided the team to the nation’s finest victory ever in Under-21 football when they beat Spain 2-1 in Albacete last month.
That stunning success means Northern Ireland (14 points) are third in their group knowing that wins over Iceland (11) and Slovakia (15) on Tuesday will see them finish as runners-up to the highly-rated Spanish.
The top four second-placed countries from the nine groups enter the play-offs for the tournament which Northern Ireland have never qualified for.
Asked if he thought there would be a chance of qualification at this stage, Baraclough said: “It’s what you plan for and work towards, but possibly not looking at the group and past history.
“We wanted to accumulate as many points as possible and put a few wins on the board and we have done that.
“We have a core group of players who have got better each time and they have improved as a squad with their football knowledge, the way they go and express themselves and the way they play.
“For us as a staff to watch that and see that happening over the course of a campaign gives you a sense of pride.
“To reach the play-offs we are relying on results in other groups. I haven’t studied other groups.
“All I know is that if we win these two games we come second.
“If we don’t beat Iceland I think that will be the end of it because I fancy Slovakia to beat Estonia.
“We don’t want that to happen, we want to take it into the final game at Windsor Park and hopefully the Northern Irish public will come out that night to see the next crop coming through and find out what the noise is about them.
“The lads have got to step up and make sure that happens. We don’t want to finish this great campaign on a negative.”
The game against Iceland will be played on an artificial surface. Baraclough says that should not worry his players who delivered in style against Spain.
“Earlier this week we watched some clips of the Spain game and showed positives and certain negatives and things we can improve on,” he said.
“We can still improve a hell of a lot on that performance. I don’t think we are going to get many better results though.
“Not many teams will go to Spain whether it is 21s, seniors, under-age teams and win because they are such a strong football nation.
“That result will live long in the memory of every one of us involved with it.
“It doesn’t stop there and the players understand that which is great for me knowing they admit to that.
“They don’t see that as the ceiling for them.
“They want to take it higher, be more consistent and push on Step up: Liam Donnelly will lead Northern Ireland Under-21s into battle against Iceland tonight
towards Michael O’Neill’s senior side.
“They have seen the likes of Bailey (Peacock-Farrell), Jamal (Lewis), Paul (Smyth) and Gavin (Whyte) do it and that is inspiring.”
The 12-team finals tournament
will be staged in June 2019, with Spain, France and hosts Italy assured of their places.
Cameron Dummigan and Jordan Thompson are back in Baraclough’s panel for the last two qualifiers.