It wasn’t perfect, but Northern Ireland Women importantly kickstarted their quest to return to the European Championships Finals on the front foot.
Despite a disappointing goalless draw with Malta on Friday night at Windsor Park when Simone Magill’s hotly disputed disallowed finish was a major talking point, the subsequent 3-1 victory in Bosnia and Herzegovina means Tanya Oxtoby’s side sit with four points from six ahead of staring into a challenging double-header with Portugal during the next break, stretching from the end of May and into June.
It was history made when Kenny Shiels guided the team into the Euro 2022 Finals in England – their first appearance in a major tournament ever – and the determination to repeat the feat has rang true ever since.
The road hasn’t been plain sailing in almost two years since. Shiels left his role as manager in January 2023, it took the best part of nine months for the Irish FA to appoint his permanent successor and, in spite of bigger crowds that reflect greater interest in women’s football as a whole, question marks have been raised about how beneficial it actually is for the women to play at Windsor.
Results would appear to back those doubts posed by punters. A decisive draw, 1-1 at home to Montenegro, spared Northern Ireland from the ignominy of Nations League relegation having clinched victory in the opening away leg – that was a success for Oxtoby, by the way – but the 0-0 stalemate with Malta was painted in a different light given they were heavy favourites.
The Republic of Ireland also hit them for six during the first of those recent Windsor dates, and given that the curtain-closing Irish Cup showpiece is the only fixture in the domestic women’s calendar that is contested at the National Stadium, perhaps there is an element of inexperience and adaptation when Seaview’s compact artificial surface clearly suited their style.
Regardless, you can’t get into the mindset of using these things as an excuse, and NI have a decent talent pool that should be able to pick up results.
The Irish League plays its part in bolstering quality, too, and prolific forward Keri Halliday’s sumptuous supply into Lauren Wade for the first goal in Bosnia stands testament to that.
The Linfield teenager slotted in Wade, who produced a sublime outside-of-the-boot finish past goalkeeper Envera Hasanbegovic to open the scoring, before former Blues midfielder Megan Bell also struck in fabulous fashion having picked out the top left corner after the hosts hit home a swift equaliser.
Magill, whose close-range leveller against Montenegro was her first at home since before the devastating ACL injury in Northern Ireland’s Euro 2022 opener against Norway, has hit form again and sealed the deal with the third in Zenica that rubber-stamped an impressive enough triumph.
Given teenage trio Maja Jelcic, Marija Milinkovic (both Inter) and Gloria Sliskovic (Juventus) are all playing top-level football in Italy, that Northern Ireland can hold more than a candle to that should inspire confidence of a second Euros feature.
If they can crack the code and make their home a fortress again – the Portuguese, who NI stunned on their own turf back in January 2017 for one of their all-time great results, would be a special scalp on June 4 – then there’s every confidence they could go and book their plane tickets to Switzerland in the summer of 2025.
A four-game unbeaten run is a springboard from which momentum can be built. Oxtoby knows the target, the ambition; following through with it is her remit, and should Windsor become a cauldron for visiting sides, that will do her and the squad no end of favours.
Featured image from Northern Ireland Media.
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