Northern Ireland Under-21 manager Tommy Wright wants his young side to sign off their UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification campaign on a high when they face Greece tonight.
Having already secured a highly creditable third-place finish in the group following their draw with Georgia, Wright believes the achievement is even more significant given the age of his squad.
With a number of players still eligible for the age group beyond this campaign, Wright sees the experience gained during the qualification journey as an important part of their continued development.
Reflecting on the team’s third-place finish, he said:
“We would have been more than satisfied with a third-place finish in this group when the fixtures first came out, so full credit to the players for making this happen.
“At times against Georgia it might not have been the prettiest football and things didn’t flow as freely as we would have liked, but that was also down to the quality of the opposition and the way they made things difficult for us.
“We showed a lot of character and our best spell came when we went behind, which shows the resolve this team has. It was also great to see Paul McGovern make his debut.
“This is a very young team compared to a lot of the other sides around us at this age group, so I’m particularly proud that we have managed to finish third.
“For these players to experience competitive games against some of the best young players in Europe is hugely important for their development. They’ve had to learn, adapt and show character throughout the campaign, and hopefully that experience will stand to them as they progress in the game.”
The final challenge comes against a strong Greece side, who will be determined to finish their own campaign on a positive note.
“Greece, along with Germany, are the top teams in our group. They have some goal difference to make up, so I suspect they will come out on the front foot. However, that should naturally give us opportunities on the counter-attack.
“They are a strong side, with players playing in the Champions League, Premier League and other top leagues across Europe, so we know the challenge that awaits us.
“Hopefully, it’s one that we can rise to and it will be another valuable experience for this group of players.
“I’ve told the players that they should be very proud of what they have achieved, particularly given how young the team is. But I’ve also told them to go again one last time.
“We want to finish the campaign strongly and give ourselves another opportunity to test ourselves against a very good side.”
