Newborn son gives me something else to play for
DANIEL Ballard had an air of contentment and spoke with a sense of fulfilment as he sat in the Hampden Park press conference — anyone who has ever become a dad will know the emotions he was experiencing.
The 24-year-old Sunderland centre-back did not make the trip to Romania last week because his partner was having their little baby boy, Colby, but he is back with the Northern
Ireland squad now and ready to face Scotland in tonight’s friendly.
He’s a genuine soul is Ballard and has been a fantastic addition for the country since making his international debut in 2020.
Forget the football for a second… how’s the bundle of joy and mum doing?
“My partner is good and the little one is well,” said the happy defender. “It was a nice day and it’s part of a new journey and all’s good. At my club there’s not too many older players whereas here with Northern Ireland I’ve been around players with families and it’s a nice feeling. It gives you something else to play for now.”
Ballard is looking forward to travelling home after the Hampden friendly to spend time with his newborn son but appreciates he has a job to do against Scotland first as the team attempt to build on a promising
1-1 draw in Romania.
“I’ve been back the last few days and we’ve gone over the Romania game quite a bit and the team made it really difficult for them,” said Ballard.
“It was a good performance and we want to do that again against Scotland.
“I’m sure it will be a good occasion and hopefully a good atmosphere and it will be a chance for the team to go out against a home nation, who are going to the Euro Finals, and put in a strong performance. We