Northern Ireland’s Powerchair squad finished sixth overall in the European Powerchair Football Association Nations Cup in Italy.
The EPFA tournament was staged at the Bella Italia Efa Village and Municipal Sports Hall in Lignano Sabbiadoro.
Northern Ireland were initially drawn in Group A alongside world champions France, Belgium, Spain and Germany.
The young squad had a mix of experience and fresh faces. Scott Hilland, Patrick Cumiskey, Sean McKinney and Bartek Kuszkowski all retained their places from the 2023 World Cup and were joined by Ethan McCabe, Kyle Forster and Reuben Walls, who were all making their first appearances at a major tournament.
The opening game saw Northern Ireland face eventual tournament winners France.
An incredible defensive display in the opening half saw Northern Ireland prevent France from scoring, before Kuszkowski pounced on a lapse in concentration to put Northern Ireland 1-0 up at the break.
It was the first time any team had led France at the interval in a group stage match of a major tournament and would be the only goal conceded by the two-time world champions in the entire competition.
The pressure eventually told in the second half with France scoring a flurry of goals late on to win 5-1 but nonetheless it was a Northern Ireland display that was full of determination.
Northern Ireland bounced back in style the following day with a resounding 6-0 victory over Germany. Kuszkowski found the net again in between a brace for Walls in the first half. Forster came off the bench at half-time and marked his major tournament debut with a hat-trick.
Next up was a tightly contested affair against a strong Belgian side with Northern Ireland coming out on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline.
Belgium scored either side of half-time. Northern Ireland found a way back into the match through a well worked passing move that was finished off at the near post by Walls.
Despite a late push and forcing a couple of smart stops, Northern Ireland were unable to find an equaliser.
The group stage was rounded off with a confident display against Spain. Forster opened the scoring early on after Cumiskey found him at the back post with a good cross. In the second half Cumiskey produced a composed finish from a Walls corner for a 2-0 win.
In the next stage Northern Ireland faced Republic of Ireland and Denmark played Spain, with the winners going on to a fifth/sixth play-off match with a place at the World Cup up for grabs (the top five teams at the Nations Cup progressed to the global finals in Argentina next year).
The match against the Republic was a cagey affair. Both sides created decent opportunities but neither could find the breakthrough - even after extra time.
Northern Ireland came out on top in the penalty shootout. A miss followed by a save from Hilland, either side of a calm finish from McCabe, gave Northern Ireland the advantage before Forster and Walls converted to seal the victory.
Northern Ireland faced Denmark in the fifth/sixth play-off. Unfortunately Northern Ireland fell to a 2-1 defeat.
Kuzskowski gave Northern Ireland the lead but two well worked set pieces from the Danes put them in the driving seat and it was enough to see them over the line.
Although ultimately disappointed with failing to secure World Cup finals qualification, coach Michael Hilland was full of praise for his side.
He said: “Naturally there is a feeling of disappointment amongst the squad. Our goal was to try to qualify for the World Cup in Argentina, but I have to say that I am very proud of the players.
“We played against some top sides and we were competitive in every game. At this level it comes down to the fine margins and unfortunately they didn’t go for us this time.
“There are a lot of positives to bank as well as a lot of learning for us to take back with us so that we are in a stronger position next time around.”
