It was a chance encounter with Kyle Lafferty at Heathrow which gave an insight into the seemingly irresistible force swirling around Northern Ireland.
The striker, now with Norwich City following spells with Sion and Palermo, embodies the inner steel engineered by three successive victories in Euro 2016 qualifying under the astute guidance of Michael O’Neill.
Lafferty, en route to Budapest with his team-mates last month, declared he could not wait to “get right at” Hungary. This kind of bravado is hardly groundbreaking, but it was a new slant after the often diffident approach of previous Northern Ireland sides on their travels. The forward was as good as his word, leading the line superbly before scoring a winner.
Northern Ireland’s 2-0 victory in Greece on Tuesday took many by surprise. But the performance for long spells in Athens echoed that in their opening fixture: calm, disciplined and mature in possession.
While the Greece coach, Claudio Ranieri, stood virtually helpless – barely even tinkering – as his side flopped in the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, O’Neill stuck to his gameplan. It was remarkable to see how Northern Ireland took the sting out of their hosts. After last weekend’s home win over the Faroe Islands, O’Neill had said his players would relish the white-hot atmosphere in Athens.
And so it proved. Irrespective of how poor Greece were on the night, these are watershed times for Northern Ireland, where a generation of fans have failed to witness their country feature in a major tournament. Veterans of Billy Bingham’s sides who reached the 1982 and 1986 World Cups are speaking of parallels between then and now.
Of course, this reawakening could be premature. But with O’Neill’s men topping the group, there is a feeling that Northern Ireland’s time has arrived. Significantly, there is intense, collective focus. The central defensive pair Gareth McAuley and Aaron Hughes, plus the holding midfielder Chris Baird, are making the most of their Indian summers. They, along with the 37-year-old goalkeeper Roy Carroll, know these qualifiers probably represent their last tilt with the national side. Carroll has been a rock in this campaign so far.
The team’s success has probably startled the low-key O’Neill a little, too. Consider that in the last World Cup qualifiers Northern Ireland finished fifth in their group, only a point above Luxembourg, and this is quite some turnaround. The nadir, a 3-2 defeat in the Grand Duchy just over a year ago, had seven of the current regulars on board, yet many of this squad were also responsible for beating Russia in Belfast and drawing in Portugal in the same campaign.
A summer trip to face Uruguay and Chile helped Northern Ireland build the consistency they have craved, and complacency against minnows has been eradicated. Two of their toughest tests have already been accounted for but Romania in Bucharest on 14 November will be another challenge.
The previously wayward Lafferty, an absolute handful for opponents, is helping to fill the gap left by the retired David Healy. Others in the ranks speak of a cosy environment and are grateful for their international exposure. The wing-back Shane Ferguson, on the margins at Newcastle United, excelled in Athens. Then there is the emerging right-back Conor McLaughlin. It is some contrast between Fleetwood Town and the home city of the Acropolis, but the 23-year-old shone. O’Neill need not have worried about frailty in the absence of the injured Jonny Evans.
Preparations for the last two games were affected by O’Neill’s assistant Billy McKinlay accepting the manager’s post at Watford – only to last eight days. The Scot may return to the international fold at some point as this campaign evolves.
O’Neill, who signed a two-year contract extension last November, eschews long-ball tedium and insists on simple possession and crisp passing. It has taken time, but the philosophy is paying dividends. Pragmatism has been O’Neill’s credo since he succeeded Nigel Worthington in February 2012, and how well it is serving Northern Ireland now. To go to Athens and quieten a volatile Greek support suggests the Irish are heading not for a play-off place but winning the group itself.
Managing loftier expectations is the new O’Neill brief. A French fancy for Northern Ireland? Believe it.
