Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
A MUMDERFUL NIGHT FOR GAV
she didn’t get to watch the match,” said Whyte. “When I send her the highlights, she’ll be over the moon.
“My dad and brother were at the game and it was just a dream to get on the pitch. To score? You couldn’t have written it.
“I can’t even get my head around it. It’s an amazing feeling and a moment I’ll never forget.”
Whyte, who joined Oxford from Crusaders in July, was part of O’neill’s Central American tour in the summer but didn’t feature due to a niggly injury.
But now he has his first cap, he wants more with next month’s UEFA Nations League double-header against Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the horizon.
“I want to play more games and it gives me a taste for more caps,” he said. “I want to be part of the squad and not just get a late call-up.
“I want to be a player Michael wants to call up every trip. Obviously I need to go back to Oxford and impress every week, so that’s what I’ll try to do.”
O’neill was satisfied to register a win after enduring the frustration of just one win in Northern Ireland’s previous eight outings.
“The result was important,” he said. “You talk about getting back to winning ways and we certainly did that.
“It’s a confidence thing and it’s also good to keep a clean sheet. I thought we actually played better against Bosnia on Saturday but that’s just how football goes.”
O’neill (inset) also praised long-serving skipper Steven Davis, who opened the scoring on 13 minutes, and Stuart Dallas who added the second with a cushioned volley just before the break.
“They’ve not been playing at their clubs so for them to come and play as they did is brilliant,” he said.
“I also thought Jamal Lewis again was excellent.
“There were lots of performances to be delighted with.”