As Pat Jennings celebrates his 81st birthday today, we look at some of his best moments playing for Northern Ireland…
On 15 April 1964 Jennings made his senior international debut for Northern Ireland in a 3-2 victory against Wales in the British Home Championship. And George Best also made his international debut in Swansea that day.
Having not qualified for the FIFA World Cup since 1958, the keeper played a vital role for Northern Ireland as they reached both the 1982 and 1986 editions.
In the 1982 edition he only conceded one goal in three group stage games, including a clean-sheet performance in the famous 1-0 victory against hosts Spain.
And he produced a stellar performance in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley on 13 November 1985 which helped Northern Ireland qualify for the 1986 finals in Mexico. The then 40-year-old pulled off a string of saves against a star-studded England team, including a remarkable stop from Glenn Hoddle, as Billy Bingham’s team secured a 0-0 draw.
The Newry man was playing for Newry Town when he was spotted by a Watford scout and subsequently moved to the Hornets in May 1963.
Just over a year later he switched to Tottenham Hotspur. Across 13 years at White Hart Lane he played in 472 league games and 591 matches in all competitions. He won the FA Cup in 1967, the League Cup in 1971 and 1973, and the UEFA Cup in 1972. And in 1973 he was named footballer of the year by the Football Writers' Association.
In August 1977 he moved across north London to Arsenal. He made 327 appearances for the Gunners, 237 of them in the league, between 1977 and 1985. He won the FA Cup in 1979. On 26 February 1983 he became the first player in English football to make 1,000 senior appearances.
He was an Arsenal player when he appeared at the 1982 World Cup, while he had effectively retired from club football by the time he played at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Jennings played his final international game at that World Cup on his 41st birthday. It was a 3-0 defeat in the group stage against Brazil.
Jennings’ performances for more than 20 years were crucial to the success of Northern Ireland as the team reached new heights at international level. He twice won the British Home Championship with his country - in 1980 and 1984.
With 119 appearances, he is the second most-capped player in national team history.
Happy Birthday Pat!
