The official attendance was given as 9,000 at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast last night. The average age was probably around 12. There is a joy in watching children watch sport and the Northern Ireland Goal was greeted with cheers and dancing despite the fact it came after five for the Republic of Ireland and before the sixth.
The crowd was late filtering in partly because of the early kick off and an accident on the M2 but it was still big enough when the teams came out on the pitch and the national anthems struck up. As was the case in Dublin both were greeted with respect, something we could hope for but hardly expect in a Senior Men’s international but who’s in the wrong there?
There was the hope of a play off for the home side if they could secure a win and with the sides level through the first 20 minutes it was still possible but the Republic are playing at a higher level at this point of their cycle and two quick fire goals, followed by two more just after the break meant that dream was over. Hungary were winning 4-0 at home anyway so even the chance of a play off by matching or beating them with a draw was long gone.
The crowd was integrated, Irish FA and GAWA flags flying in close proximity to tricolours in the stands and everyone there to get dressed up, have a bit of fun with their pals and watch sport that could inspire them to be part of the next generation of players.
Participation rates are still soaring after Northern Ireland’s Euro 22 qualification. Electric Ireland’s Shooting Stars programme is part of a 100 percent increase in player numbers and they were full of smiles when parading around the pitch at half time.
For the republic this was the last game of Eileen Gleeson’s interim reign as boss. Six Wins, 20 goals scored and two conceded. A crowd of 36,000 in Dublin and 9,000 in Belfast, Live TV coverage of every game and proper reporting from the mainstream media. This is the kind of dream state more likely in Wonka than Windsor Park but those are the facts.
No republic of Ireland team has ever won six games in a row before. Whether Gleeson takes on the role full time and steps away from the equally if not more important role of being Head of Women’s and Girls Football and directly impacting hundreds of thousands of players will be known soon enough.
Northern ireland are in a different place but two wins, two draws and two defeats to the noisy neighbours is a base for Tanya Oxtoby to build from. Having worked previously with Emma Hayes she will have enough, backed by the Irish FA to build a team that will enter next year’s Euro 25 Qualifiers with hope.
We do not know enough about Northern Ireland football in the South. It is a different environment to what we have locked in our minds as the old days. Of course there are still elements but let’s leave the final word on the night to the Green and White Army fans who presented a cheque on the pitch for £200,000 to the Cancer Fund for Children last night.
Loving sport and doing good can trump the aggression of looking on the result as being the only thing that matters.
