Northern Ireland’s senior women’s team enjoyed some positive results during a year in which young players were given their chance to shine.
Their first game of the year was a tough encounter, however.
They lost 2-0 to a strong Poland team as their second UEFA Women’s Nations League campaign got under way back in February.
The Poles, top seeds in League B Group 1, proved to be tough opponents at the Gdansk Stadium. They dominated for long periods, creating plenty of chances.
Two goals in quick succession in the first half proved to be decisive. They were scored by midfielders Ewelina Kamczyk and Adriana Achcinska.
Northern Ireland were captained by full-back Rebecca McKenna as she earned her 50th cap. And teenage striker Kascie Weir made her senior international debut during the game.
Tanya Oxtoby’s team bounced back a few days later to put three points on the B1 board.
They produced a grandstand finish to defeat Bosnia and Herzegovina at Inver Park in Larne.
They were trailing the Bosnians in the closing stages before captain Simone Magill popped up with a quickfire double to secure a 3-2 victory.
Brenna McPartlan netted her first senior international goal to give Northern Ireland the lead in the first half.
However, the Bosnians grabbed two goals in quick succession after the break – Emina Ekic and Marija Milinkovic were the scorers – to edge ahead.
Northern Ireland equalised on 89 minutes with a route one goal. Ellie Mason’s long ball found Magill inside the penalty area and she nodded it home from 12 yards past the advancing Bosnian keeper Almina Hodzic.
Then, in added time, the same duo repeated the feat. This time Mason’s long ball was chested down by Magill inside the area before she stroked the ball past Hodzic into the bottom corner. It was a class finish and it proved to be decisive.
Northern Ireland’s next UWNL match was against Romania in Bucharest.
Oxtoby’s side took the lead with a fine first half strike from Danielle Maxwell in what was part one of a double header against the Romanians in April.
But the home side equalised and held on to earn their first point in B1. It was a game of very few chances at the Stadionul Arcul de Triumf in the Romanian capital.
In the reverse fixture a well worked goal - it came after just eight minutes - from Kascie Weir was enough to secure a 1-0 victory for Oxtoby’s team. It was the teenager’s first senior international goal.
Northern Ireland had the better chances in the game at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park and deserved their success.
Next up for the senior women’s team was a match against Poland at home in late May. The game at Seaview was the penultimate game in B1 for Northern Ireland.
Polish striker Ewa Pajor had a memorable match as she collected her 100th cap for her country.
Pajor opened the scoring on five minutes with a close range finish. Then, just four minutes after that, Pajor doubled her tally.
Poland added a third just before the half-hour mark through Paulina Tomasiak, while their fourth and final goal of a 4-0 win came just after the restart. Adriana Achcinska, who had also netted in the February encounter between the two sides, was the scorer.
Defender Abi Sweetlove, who played from the start, and midfielder Aimee Kerr, a second half substitute, made their senior international debuts in the game.
The defeat to the Poles meant Northern Ireland needed a point from their final group game to secure a promotion play-off place.
That match was away to the Bosnians in early June and they managed to grab a 1-1 draw in sweltering conditions.
Captain Simone Magill opened the scoring in the 23rd minute after latching on to Rebecca Holloway's through ball.
Bosnia equalised six minutes later when Sofija Krajsumovic capitalised on some slack defending.
Both sides created chances after that. Ultimately Bosnia could not fashion the goal for the win that would have displaced Northern Ireland from second place.
The play-off followed in October, with Northern Ireland drawn to face Iceland home and away.
Northern Ireland produced a gritty and gutsy display in part one of the UWNL play-off.
A goal in each half helped Iceland to a 2-0 win at Ballymena Showgrounds.
Oxtoby’s side had to soak up a lot of pressure throughout the match, with keeper Jackie Burns in commanding form, but they also created some decent opportunities in the second half.
Iceland, ranked 17th in the world compared to Northern Ireland in 44th, opened the scoring on 31 minutes through a Glodis Viggorsdottir header. And they doubled their lead in the 75th minute when Ingibjorg Sigurdardottir also netted with a header.
Midfielders Mia Moore and Leyla McFarland both came off the bench to make their senior international debuts in the game.
The second leg was delayed by 24 hours due to heavy snowfall in Reykjavik, the Icelandic capital.
The venue was changed to Þróttur Stadium (Laugardalur) as the snow rendered the original venue, Laugardalsvöllur Stadium, unplayable.
Snow had to be cleared from the pitch to allow the game to go ahead.
Sveindis Jonsdottir found the net from close range to open the scoring just after the half-hour mark, and further goals from Hlin Eiriksdottir and Emilia Asgeirsdottir (penalty) saw the home team run out comfortable winners.
The 5-0 aggregate defeat meant Oxtoby's side would remain in League B forstage one of the European qualifiers for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil, with Iceland staying in League A.
Last month Northern Ireland found out who they will face in part one of those World Cup qualifiers.
They have been placed in League B Group 2 along with top seeds Switzerland, Turkiye and Malta.
The qualifiers are set to run from February to December next year and will decide the European nations earning places at the 2027 World Cup as well as promotion and relegation ahead of the next edition of the UEFA Women's Nations League.
Also last month Tanya Oxtoby stepped down as manager of the Northern Ireland senior women’s team to take up the women’s first team manager post with WSL 2 side Newcastle United.
Oxtoby, who took charge in August 2023, guided Northern Ireland to the UEFA Women’s European Championship Qualifying Play-Offs in 2024 – including a semi-final win over Croatia – and the Nations League Promotion Play-Off against Iceland this year.
And Northern Ireland’s FIFA world ranking also improved during her tenure, up from 47th to 44th.
On departing she said: “It’s been an honour and a privilege to lead Northern Ireland. We have seen a massive transition of young players coming through and a real high performing environment created which is a huge credit to players and staff alike who have been a pleasure to work with during my time in post.”
Also during the year there were some notable retirements.
Former captain Marissa Callaghan, who wore the armband on 52 occasions across eight years, announced her retirement from international football in March.
Marissa won a total of 91 caps for her country, scoring eight goals. She made her international debut in a friendly against Scotland in May 2010 and she first captained the team in June 2016 in a European Championship qualifier against Georgia.
The midfielder’s final appearance for Northern Ireland came against Malta in April 2024 in the UEFA Women’s Nations League.
Her high point as captain came when she led the senior women’s team to their first major tournament, UEFA Women’s Euro 2022.
Then, in June, Rachel Furness announced her retirement from both club and international football, bringing to a close a career that spanned two decades.
Furness bowed out as Northern Ireland’s all-time leading goalscorer - across both the women’s and men’s teams - having netted 38 goals in 95 appearances for the senior women’s side.
The attacker featured in all qualifying matches for UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, scoring several key goals, including a decisive strike in the play-off win over Ukraine that sealed an historic place at the finals. She went on to appear in all three of Northern Ireland’s group matches at the tournament in England.
She made her debut for her country in March 2005. Her final appearance for Northern Ireland came in a UEFA Nations League match against Hungary in October 2023.
In September Rachel Dugdale (28) decided to retire as a player. The defender earned 43 senior caps for her country.
Dugdale (nee Newborough) made her Northern Ireland debut in March 2016 against Slovakia in the Istria Cup. Her final appearance for the senior women’s team was away against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the UWNL match back in June.
Image: Simone Magill celebrates her dramatic winning goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Larne back in February.
