Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WE DAV LIFT-OFF
Captain happy with flying start but insists it must not be grounded by Belarusians
STEVEN DAVIS knows Northern Ireland can’t afford to take their foot off the pedal if they hope to continue their fast start in Euro 2020 qualifying. The Rangers midfielder was on target in Tuesday night’s 2-0 win over Estonia at Windsor Park to help get Michael O’neill’s men up and running in Group C.
But Davis, who took his international tally to 12 from the penalty spot, knows they have to back it up with another three points against Belarus tomorrow.
With Germany and the Netherlands – who beat Belarus 4-0 in Rotterdam – lying in wait, there is no room for error against the pool’s lower seeds. Maximum points are essential before Northern Ireland travel to face Estonia and the Belarusians in Tallinn and Borisov respectively in June. “We need another three points,” said Davis. “We have to build on our performance against Estonia and win the Belarus game as well because it would put us in a good position in the group.”
While Germany and the Dutch are unsurprisingly firm favourites to take the top two spots and qualify for next year’s finals, Davis knows the fixture schedule has been kind.
Four games against the two lower seeds before Germany travel to Windsor in September have gifted the squad an opportunity to be in the mix for the second half of the campaign.
The group then concludes with a trip to Rotterdam in October and a crucial doubleheader against the Netherlands at home and the Germans away in November.
Being in the conversation when September comes around is the No.1 target as O’neill bids to upset the odds and take Northern Ireland to back-to-back European Championships.
“Everyone expects Holland and Germany to qualify but you never know what could happen,” said Davis. “All we can do is take care of each game as it comes along and Sunday is an important one for us now.
“If we manage to start with six points from six, that would give us a real incentive for the games in June which tend to be difficult for us, especially away from home.”
While Northern Ireland were not as fluid as they would have liked against Estonia, Davis says the result was all that mattered as O’neill’s men recorded their first competitive win in 18 months.
Since beating the Czech Republic in Belfast in 2017, they had gone eight games in World Cup qualifying, World Cup play-offs and Nations League games without registering a win.
“Overall it was a professional performance,” said Davis. “It was nice to keep a clean sheet and also get a couple of goals.
“We didn’t test their keeper as much as we would have lived but overall the most important thing was the result.”
With Sheffield United’s Oliver Norwood unavailable for personal reasons, Davis has found himself playing at the base of O’neill’s three-man defence in recent games.
The 34-year-old, who won his 108th cap against Estonia, said: “It’s a slightly different role and I felt I had to be patient and stay away from the ball at times. I wanted to drop a little deeper and get on it but I know what is needed from that role and I have to let Jonny Evans and Craig Cathcart build it up a little bit.” z SHAYNE LAVERY’S goal yesterday gave Northern Ireland U21s a 1-0 friendly win over Bulgaria in Spain.