I must improve to cement international place, admits Whyte
FORMER Crusaders star Gavin Whyte has admitted he has a hunger for international football after being given a small taste of the action in cameo roles against Israel last month and in the Nations League defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday night.
However, the 22-year old is currently enduring a rollercoaster of emotions playing for Northern Ireland.
After being elated at scoring with his first touch against Israel in the 3-0 friendly win at Windsor Park, Whyte was left deflated as, after coming on as a second-half substitute against Bosnia, he missed a glorious chance to equalise by hitting the post from close range with the goal gaping, and then in the closing minutes he saw a deflected shot hit the upright again.
Oxford United’s attacking midfielder accepts that at international level he simply must put away those opportunities, but conceded, especially with the first effort, he didn’t have time to think.
“Stuarty (Dallas) floated it in and I made a good run, headed the ball and it came off the defender as he attempted to clear it,” said Whyte, who has only been a professional footballer for three months since his move from Seaview to the Kassam Stadium in July.
“As soon as it landed, it came out to me really quickly, and I should be doing better, but it’s about creating those chances.
“I can’t really remember too much about it because it came at me really quickly.
“I didn’t really get my footing right and at this level I should be taking those chances.”
A goal at that stage would have drawn Northern Ireland level after Edin Dzeko’s first-half opener.
But Bosnia, knowing they’d dodged a bullet, regrouped, and Dzeko, after a brilliant assist from Juventus ace Miralem Pjanic, curled home their second goal.
Whyte, with his relentless energy and determination to impress, never gave up and he thought he’d scored a consolation goal in injury time.
“Yeah, I hit the post again,” sighed Whyte. “I was getting into good areas, but you really need to be taking those chances at this level.
“I want to play at this level so I know I need to improve.
“I’m learning in every training session and I know I still need to get better to play at this level.
“But I felt I was positive and that’s what Michael told me to be when going on.
“He said, ‘Play like the player you are, run at players’, and I think I did that.”
It’s been an incredible transformation for Whyte as just 12 months ago he was playing in a Crusaders side being defeated 3-2 by Glenavon in the Danske Bank Premiership at Seaview.
Now, a year on, he found himself coming up against Dzeko (above), Pjanic and Haris Duljevic.
“It’s been a mad year and a mad few months, but I’ve loved every minute of it,” said Whyte. “I just want more of this so I have to go back to Oxford and try to keep playing well for them.
“Michael (O’Neill) is picking the squad on how you’re playing every week and he watches every player, so I’ve got to keep that in mind and improve all the time.
“He’s been watching me for years and, even when I was in the Irish League, he has been keeping an eye on me.
“I think he has a bit of faith in me now and knows what I’m all about.
“He wants to see me keep improving, so that’s what I want to do.”
FROM the moment Michael O’Neill answered Kyle Lafferty’s midnight call on the eve of Northern Ireland’s first full training session at their Austrian base in Bad Tatzmannsdorf, it set off a catalogue of unfortunate incidents that gave the manager an almighty headache which only intensified throughout the trips to Vienna and Sarajevo.
With Rangers hitman Lafferty withdrawing his services due to the fact he apparently wanted to rest his Achilles, Niall McGinn (hip injury) and Jamie Ward (lack of fitness) soon followed, leaving O’Neill, who was already without Sheffield United striker Conor Washington for personal reasons, light on the attacking front.
Rookie Kyle Vassell, new to the Championship and without a goal this season with Rotherham, was drafted in, but O’Neill was down another striker with Liam Boyce injuring his knee in training which ruled him out of the Austria game.
Having to field questions and queries on Lafferty’s international future, and then firing a broadside response to Karl Robinson after the Oxford United manager had been critical about Gavin Whyte’s call-up, was a distraction O’Neill looked immensely peeved about at his pre-match media conference.
The clash with Austria, O’Neill hoped, would bring Northern Ireland back into contention in the Nations League after their gut-wrenching opening defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina at Windsor Park last month.
But it was yet more frustration, with Northern Ireland sloppy in possession at times, wasteful with opportunities that came their way, including from the dependable Steven Davis, unable to stop Marko Arnautovic beating their offside trap to score the winning goal and then, after Will Grigg was unfortunate to see his glancing header hit the post, the Wigan Athletic striker, who looked particularly dangerous, pulled his hamstring, ruling him out of the game in Sarajevo.
Northern Ireland could quite easily have secured a draw at the Ernst Happel Stadium, they certainly created enough chances, but the difference is having a player of Arnautovic’s class, with his strength and speed, to finish with aplomb.
Three days later in the Bosnian capital, at a tight and compact little stadium, former Manchester City star Edin Dzeko, returning to a venue where he started his career, gave his own masterclass in finishing with two goals, and possibly should have had a hat-trick as he appeared to be onside when he blasted home a volley, but the officials came to Northern Ireland’s rescue by ruling it out.
That, though, was pretty much the only piece of luck Northern Ireland enjoyed throughout the entire trip.
O’Neill’s men may have offered a much improved performance from Vienna, however it counted for little as yet again they were unable to find the net — their sixth away game in succession without scoring.
Northern Ireland struck the post three times, with George Saville and Whyte missing glorious opportunities, and poor young left-back Jamal Lewis slipping at a crucial time on the edge of the box allowed Bosnia to go on and score the opener through Dzeko — who certainly doesn’t miss from close range.
It was disappointing for Norwich City youngster Lewis, but he was simply caught out as he thought Jonny Evans may clear the ball in front of him and then he tried to make a quick change to his direction and slipped.
The pitch had also been watered by sprinklers prior to kick-off, making it a slick surface, and at times it wasn’t easy for both sets of players to keep their footing, but having trained on the pitch the previous night, the Northern Ireland boys were more than happy