Euro 2004 Match Reports

Northern Ireland 0 Spain 0 - June 11, Belfast

Joel Rookwood witnesses a welcome stalemate in Belfast

With British domestic football depressingly grinding to a halt over the past few weeks, most football fans have it seems settled for a period of hibernation until the various leagues resume in mid August, with avid followers of the beautiful game in this land seeking instead to fill their days with some other meaningful past time. But for those of us struggling to come to terms with football's sudden inaccessibility, international competition was thankfully at hand to ensure that quitting cold turkey was not a necessity.

With the Welsh riding high after four consecutive wins, the Republic of Ireland occupying the respectable position of runners up in group 10, and both England and Scotland buoyed on by recent favourable results against respective group leaders Turkey and Germany, the decision of this impartial Brit to cross the Irish sea in the direction of Belfast in search of success on an international level might by some to be considered unwise. For surely with Sammy McElroy's side without not so much as a goal to cheer in over eighteen months, the prospect of a visitation from the mighty Spain would not fill the average punter with any degree of hope. But I was unperturbed, and dare I say optimistic even as I left sunny Liverpool for the Northern Irish capital.

Our group existed of two brothers, both Liverpool fans from East Belfast, a Liverpool-based Real Madrid supporter from Northern Spain, and of course me, a self-confessed football addict from the fine city that clings to the Mersey. The four of us arrived in Belfast the day before the game, and spent our first day becoming accustomed to the surroundings, before enjoying a surprisingly well-organised game against some locals on the outskirts of the capital, and a brief visit for no particular reason to the country's most popular tourist attraction, Giant's Causeway.

The next morning I left, flanked by my two Irish hosts and the highly entertaining Spaniard for the Irish Football Association's HQ to collect the ridiculously overpriced tickets we had ordered over the phone. We exchanged a crisp ten-pound note each for our tickets, which looked more like 1950 FA Cup final tickets than 2004 European Championship Qualifier stubs. It was just as well that all 15,000 seats inside Windsor Park were not completely sold out, for had their been a black market, touts would surely have had little problems replicating these easily forgeable tickets.

We ended up staying in the offices of the FA for some considerable time, firstly as the Spaniard's services were required by the staff in identifying the Spanish squad from pictures the secretarial staff had had taken prior to a training session on the pitch the previous day. The excited ladies had no idea who the players they had met were, even when they were told, but still managed to giggle like schoolgirls as our learned friend identified the superstars.

As I looked around the office, I couldn't help but notice the vast array of merchandise available, with the friendly staff informing us that it was all free, forming part of the anti-bigotry campaign Irish football's governing body are currently involved in. Northern Ireland has been plagued by sectarian feuds and 'religious' disputes for decades, and such problems have certainly crept into the national game. Neil Lennon, arguably the most talented Irish footballer of his generation, was subjected to abuse on account of his Catholic relations as a Celtic player, that he no longer represents the national team, which is followed largely by Protestants. For a country currently so devoid of footballing talent, it is a travesty that one of their finest exports does not feel welcome to serve as a representative of his countrymen as they pit their wits against better equipped national teams. Such instances are unfortunately far too frequent it seems.

Yet credit should go to the IFA for seeking to address the problem, which they are clearly intent on doing. A walk around the governing body's offices on the afternoon of the game revealed a host of anti-sectarian merchandise. Posters, flags, leaflets and foam hands were all freely available, as the country's football epicentre seeks to rid itself of the problem, and distance itself from the unfortunate behaviour of some of their fans.

We were not shy at helping ourselves, and some regrettable photos have since revealed each of us sporting a ridiculous array of products as we left the building. Though in truth I must admit to having had my eye on a slightly less accessible piece of memorabilia. For in the adjacent room was a small museum, with several international caps on show. I managed to resist the urge to lighten the display of one of its caps, despite the temptation to return home with an international cap under my belt, or my precisely under my jumper. It would have made an interesting addition to my collection of conversation pieces that currently litter my Liverpool home, but alas, it was not to be.

When flicking through the IFA magazine before we departed the scene, I was somewhat surprised to find that I was featured in it. There was a picture and article about my visit, along with the other Liverpool FC coaching staff with whom I work, to Omagh Town FC to promote relations between the cities and in remembrance of the victims of the Omagh bombing five years ago. It's probably just as well that I chose not to leave the IFA building sporting the treasured international cap therefore, as had the theft been uncovered, they already had my picture on file!

As we headed for the stadium, which seemed more Bucharest than Britain, the locals were predicting a roaring atmosphere. The Spanish won 5-0 on their last visit and apparently the Northern Irish get behind their team when they are not expected to fare well, yet in contests against less high profile countries the support of the faithful adopts a more critical nature. And few would have expected any kind of favourable outcome against the Spanish. Indeed the crowd appeared so devoid of hope that in the early stages merely maintaining possession in Spanish territory was greeted with a wave of excitement. Winning a corner therefore was met with a huge cheer, louder than some crowds celebrate a goal.

With the likes of Lennon no longer a part of the Irish set-up and former hero Iain Dowie restricted to appearances on adverts as part of the IFA's 'Support the Beautiful Game' campaign (I kid you not), Northern Ireland boss Sammy McIlroy has been forced to head bravely for a brighter future and blood some 'promising' young players. To render the occupation tougher still for the former Manchester United man, regular faces Hughes, Gillespie, and Magilton were also missing. So in a squad that impressively contained only a handful of players born outside of the country (Republic of Ireland, take note), you wondered how damaging sending players who ply their trade at Crewe, Bristol City and even Irish league side Glentoran into battle against the likes of Raul, Valeron and Morientes would prove to be. On paper it seemed unfair, cruel even. If this had been a playground encounter, Puyol, Casillas and Helguera would in all likelihood have changed sides to even the teams up.

But this was no prepubescent contest, and the Irish, after riding a few stormy waves in the early stages, appeared determined to fight valiantly until the death, regardless of the fact they were certainly not punching their own weight. The home side did indeed have their chances, though the agile Casillas in particular thwarted efforts from Doherty and Healy consistently and impressively.

The visitors threatened on numerous occasions, but despite working several balls into the penalty area, they seemed incapable of piercing the resolute Irish rearguard. And as the game wore on Spain began to look increasingly desperate in their search for a goal. Having been beaten at home to group leaders Greece at the weekend, they could ill-afford an embarrassing stalemate with the Irish minnows. But the team ranked 113th in the world more than held their own against the side who for now at least lie in joint second position in the FIFA world rankings.

Indeed for long periods the Irish appeared as likely to open the scoring as their Spanish counterparts, and whilst grabbing that elusive goal would have surely served as an extraction of the Michael, it did at times appear to be a real possibility. For the longer the game continued goalless, the more possible a serious upset became. And ultimately the unbelievable occurred, for with Referee Larsen's final breath came the whistle that signalled the end of the game. Northern Ireland had actually drawn with Spain.

Spanish reaction to the result will inevitably be critical, but it seems like one or two players still had their mind on domestic matters, with the Championship and European places still up for grabs in La Liga. For the Spanish seemed to be plagued by the same problems the English have, with a harsh, negative press and fierce club loyalties hindering the unification on a national scale. They may have some of the best players in the world, but on this showing they will in typical fashion struggle to realise their potential. But that is to take nothing away from the performance of the Irish, who were simply magnificent.

And to be one of the eleven or so thousand who saw them claim a famous draw, if one can label a goalless stalemate such a thing, proved a moment I'll never forget. In reaction to the result I refuse to employ the term 'the luck of the Irish', and not simply because it's an overused and frankly absurd concept, but because the Belfast giants owe nothing to fortune following this performance. Determination and plain hard graft got them through this encounter unscathed, and although some may be tempted to think this result will have no bearing on the national game, McIlroy's young side will have learned a huge amount from this match, and having shown they are capable to compete with the world's best they will now hopefully have the confidence to progress. Even if they won their remaining group games the European Championships in Portugal next summer are still a mathematical impossibility, and with the World Cup probably also beyond a side with such limited resources, the Irish will no doubt be thinking towards the 2008 European Championships as a realistic target. If they do manage to get there, I for one will be joining them.

Wales v Northern Ireland - World Cup Qualifier

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