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Pens: Jonathan Afolabi smashes in confidently, before Ollie Cook misses.
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Pens: Ryan McGivern with the decisive kick, crossbar! Before Lewis McGugan settles it.
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Settled by penalty kicks, #NTFC seal the victory and progress to the next round of the @CheckatradeTrpy. Unlucky, l… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/928017641893171201
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Gallery: Saints working hard at Staplewood
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Our photographer was on hand to capture Tuesday’s training session at Staplewood Campus, as the Southampton squad were hard at work during the international break.
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QK Southampton chairman to go out on a high - against Saints!
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QK SOUTHAMPTON are poised to appoint a new chairman following next week’s plum Southampton Senior Cup tie against Saints.
Waiting in the wings for the Hampshire Premier League high-fliers is Roy Kingdon, who recently stepped down as chairman of Folland Sports.
He will replace Gavin Naish who will go out on a high when QK visit Saints’ Staplewood training ground in the SSC third round next Wednesday (November 15, 7pm).
Kingdon said: “All at the club thought it was only right and proper for Gavin to be at the helm for the Saints game. After that he will be club vice-president and Mike Thomas will be vice-chairman.
“Between us and the rest of the committee we will push the club forward.”
QK are currently fifth in the HPL Senior Division, but their Redbridge Lane ground needs upgrading to meet Sydenhams Wessex League standards.
Kingdon, a builder by trade, is keen to roll up his sleeves and get to work.
“Manager Mark Sainsbury invited me over for a chat and I saw the potential immediately,” he said.
“QK are a decent side with a top manager and I also know coach Adam Pullinger well from my AFC Stoneham days.”
*Team Solent booked their place in the SSC quarter-finals with a 4-0 win over Hythe & Dibden last night. An Ethan Taylor-forced own goal, Giovanni Landu, Jake Willis-Dellimore and Jamal Wiseman carried the Students through.
Tonight’s SSC tie between Hamble Club and Bush Hill has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
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Martin Tyler’s stats and facts: How does Jose Mourinho’s top-flight away record compare with Big Six?
How does Jose Mourinho’s away record compare will fellow ‘big six’ managers? How prolific is Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus? Martin Tyler knows…
Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler has the answers to those questions and more - plus don’t forget to try his tricky teaser.
Got a question for Martin? Tweet @SkySportsPL with #TylersTeasers.
It is now just one win in their last 16 Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge for Manchester United, drawing five and losing 10 of those games, and the one victory was 3-2 in October 2012.
This poor record is an extension of an already difficult time for Jose Mourinho away from home. The Portuguese has not won any of his past 11 Premier League away games against the ‘Big Six’ as Chelsea and United manager, drawing five, with all five draws goalless, and now losing six.
Of those 11 games, Mourinho’s teams having only netted in two of them, with Chelsea scoring three times at Tottenham Hotspur on New Year’s Day 2015, but lost 5-3, while Wayne Rooney was also on target in the final match at White Hart Lane in May 2017 in a 2-1 defeat.
However, his teams failed to score in nine of those 11 matches, three with Chelsea and now six with United.
Meanwhile, seven of United’s last eight Premier League away defeats have come inside the M25, the one exception being their 2-1 loss at Huddersfield Town in October. And six of those eight losses have actually been in London - United did go down 3-1 at Watford in September 2016, but the Hornets does not count as a London club.
Thirteen of Chelsea’s 19 Premier League goals this season have been scored by Spaniards, Alvaro Morata seven, Marcus Alonso and Pedro both two, while Cesar Azpilicueta and Cesc Fabregas both have one each.
Morata’s goal ended a six-match draught in all competitions and it was the striker’s seventh Premier League goal, five of which have been assisted by Azpilicueta.
And Fabreags was voted by my Sky colleagues as man of the match in the midfielder’s 150th appearance for Chelsea in all competitions.
Jose Mourinho’s record against the ‘big six’ away from home lately is terrible - how does it compare with his rival managers? (John, Chelmsford)
MARTIN SAYS: Manchester United’s defeat at Chelsea means that Jose Mourinho has not won any of his last 11 Premier League away games at the ‘big six’, with his teams failing to score in nine of the last 10 matches.
Since the start of the 2015/16 season, Mourinho has taken on average 0.4pts per game on the road against the fellow big guns, which is the same points per game return as Arsene Wenger, who is winless in 13 of these types of games, losing eight.
Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t fared much better, winning just one of his 11 away day outings against his title rivals - that win came in 2016 when goals from Harry Kane and Christen Eriksen saw off Manchester City.
As you can see from the table, the manager with the best record is Jurgen Klopp, who has only lost two of his 10 games away from home against the ‘big six’, registering a 40 per cent win ratio in the process.
There are now eight points separating Manchester United and Manchester City - is this the biggest gap between the top two at this stage of the Premier League season? (Ronnie, Leyton)
MARTIN SAYS: Yes. No other team has amassed such an authoritative margin after 11 games in a Premier League season. As we head into the international period, City have won 10 of those 11 matches in what has been one of the most impressive starts to a campaign in top-flight history.
The previous closest gap after 11 matches was seven points in 1993/94 when United took 28 points from their opening matches, which put them in a commanding early season position ahead of Norwich City in second. United went on to win the league that year by eight points ahead of Blackburn Rovers (it was a 42-game season).
How does Gabriel Jesus’ Premier League goal rate compare? Is it the best ever? (John, Grimsby)
MARTIN SAYS: Of players to have scored 10 or more goals in the Premier League, Jesus does indeed boast the best record of a goal every 89.57 minutes.
He is followed by Manchester City Sergio Aguero, whose 130 Premier League goals have been scored at a rate of a goal every 107.69 minutes.
Harry Kane (86 goals at a goal every 116.14 minutes) and Thierry Henry (175 goals at a goal every 121.79 minutes) follow, before a couple of surprise additions.
Former Reading striker Adam Le Fondre is fifth in the list, having scored his 12 Premier League goals at a goal every 124.33 minutes, while Leicester striker Kelechi Iheanacho is sixth at a rate of 125.92, with all 12 of his goals scored at Manchester City.
Who has conceded the most penalties in the Premier League since the start of last season? (Andy, Glasgow)
MARTIN SAYS: Hull City faced 13 penalties last season before they were relegated from the Premier League, but only 11 were scored.
After conceding from the spot against Manchester City on Sunday, Arsenal have now conceded 12 penalties since the start of the 2016/17 campaign. Not only that, but the Gunners have also failed to keep out any of those spot kicks.
Over the same period, West Ham have also given away 12 penalties, nine of which have been converted, while Southampton have been penalised 12 times as well, but only six have been scored.
Meanwhile, among those teams to have played in both seasons, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Man City, Stoke City and Tottenham have all given away just two penalties, all of which have been converted.
Peter Crouch scored again from the bench on Saturday, but does he hold the record for substitute appearances in the Premier League? (Gerry, Ealing)
MARTIN SAYS: Crouch’s substitute appearance in Stoke’s 2-2 draw with Leicester saw him move level with Shola Ameobi at the top of the list, with both players on 142.
Third in the list is striker Jermain Defoe (136), followed by both Carlton Cole (129) and Joe Cole (123).
Nigeria striker Nwankwo Kanu made 118 substitute appearances during his Premier League career, while Ryan Giggs and James Milner are level on 110, with the latter drawing level after coming off the bench for Liverpool against West Ham on Saturday.
And completing the top 10 are Victor Anichebe (107) and Adam Johnson (105).
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Liverpool News: Van Dijk speaks out, Coutinho injury update, Ox’s selection message
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Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk reveals the toughest striker to play against in the Premier League
Ian McGarry: Virgil van Dijk move to Liverpool still likely in January
Virgil van Dijk insists he’s fully committed to Southampton despite pushing for a move to Liverpool over the summer.
The 26-year-old Dutch international handed in a transfer request at the start of the season amid interest from the Reds but has now moved on from the saga.
He said: "I don’t think it’s appropriate to comment on anything that happened before.
“I’m giving 100 percent for the club, I work hard every day, I help my team-mates and I’m positive and I want to win every game.”
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 07/11/2017 23:30:50
| | Northampton v Southampton U21 - Team Sheets - 7-11-17VITALFOOTBALL |
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#SaintsFC coach @RadhijaidiOff gives his post-match assessment of the 3-3 draw with #NTFC, as Saints depart the… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/928043830124871680
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World Cup play-off: NI skipper Steven Davis bullish for Swiss showdown
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Northern Ireland skipper Steven Davis says there is belief in the squad that they can overcome Switzerland in the World Cup play-off and make the finals.
Thursday’s first leg in Belfast is followed by the return leg in Basle three days later.
“There’s an edge to training - we have a lot of belief although we know it’s going to be difficult,” said Davis.
“There is a going to be a lot of excitement and nerves but we need to stay calm over the two legs.”
He added: "All being well we can get a good start at home - the crowd have an important part to play as usual.
"Everyone knows the ramifications of the two results. It’s between us and the Swiss to show who is the best team over the two legs.
“I’ve a lot of belief that we can do it.”
The game at Windsor Park will also be a landmark occasion for the Southampton midfielder as he makes his 100th international appearance on Thursday.
“It has sort of crept up on me and I haven’t given it much thought,” added Davis.
"It’s a huge landmark for me. Every time I get the chance to to represent my country I do it with pride and I give my all.
“Hopefully I can reflect on it after the two games and say what a special time it was to get my 100th cap.”
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 08/11/2017 00:31:05
| | Southampton’s summer signings - How have they performed so far?READSOUTHAMPTON |
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 08/11/2017 01:31:19
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| | Brilliant fightback sees Cobblers peg back Saints and move into Checkatrade Trophy knockout stagesNORTHANTSNEWS |
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Watch all the highlights from #SaintsFC’s @CheckatradeTrpy visit to #NTFC, including a brace from @JakeHesketh: http://sfcne.ws/HighlightsNTFC
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Report: Northampton* 3-3 Saints (*4-2 pens)
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Jake Hesketh scored a brace, while Tyreke Johnson put the visitors three goals ahead before a second-half revival from the hosts sent the game to a nervy penalty shootout.
The experience of the Cobblers shone through, edging the spot-kicks 4-2, in turn booking their place in the knockout phases of the competition and dashing the hopes of Southampton’s plucky youngsters.
Saints began the game like a team intent on securing qualification from the group stages, and their bold approach deservedly earned the opening goal in the seventh minute.
Hesketh, returning from a long injury lay-off, strong-armed his defender before wriggling free and chipping a delicate finish over David Cornell in the Northampton net to give the visitors the lead.
In almost immediate reply, Cobblers’ midfielder Matt Crooks lashed a shot millimetres wide, as Alex McCarthy scrambled across his goal line to cover the right side of a gaping net.
Crooks again shot marginally off target moments later, as Saints were forced to weather some momentary pressure from the hosts, who were watched on by an increasingly animated Jimmy Floyd Hasslebank.
Comfortable maintaining their slender advantage, Yan Valery was allowed to advance down the right on occasion, and fizzed a cross in the direction of target man Jonathan Afolabi on the half hour mark.
The home side escaped, with the clearance smashed downfield, as Saints once again attempted to strengthen their grip on the tie. Emboldened by a solid first period, Saints remerged with the same intensity, as Will Wood tried his luck from range.
A prelude to the second, Wood’s effort sailed over, before Hesketh doubled Saints’ lead in the 50th minute. The midfielder burst forward, gave Cornell the eyes, before slotting home to put the away side in ascendancy.
And the domination continued in the 58th minute, as some clever wide play from Valery was capitalised on by poacher Johnson. The fullback whipped an inviting delivery across the six yard line, where pacey Johnson arrived late and swept the ball neatly home.
A trio of changes midway through the second half appeared to spark Northampton in to life, as Sam Foley nicked a goal back in the 73rd minute, before striker Marc Richards attempted a lobbed effort which skewed off the sodden turf and dangerously wide.
Buoyed by the first life line, substitute Lewis McGugan soon reduced the deficit once again, with a well struck volley from 22 yards, before Ash Taylor headed home in stoppage time to level the scores.
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Goal-shy Premier League eye side eye move for Monaco star
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Southampton want former Manchester City flop Stevan Jovetic to banish their goal-scoring woes.
The Saints ’ new boss Mauricio Pellegrino is eyeing a January swoop for Montenegro front-man Jovetic, who is unhappy at Monaco.
Pellegrino has come under fire from Saints fans who have seen their side net just nine times in his 11 Premier League games so far.
The 27-year-old, who only joined Monaco from Inter Milan in the summer on a four-year contract, scored eight league goals for City over a three-year spell at the Etihad.
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Steven Davies: The MBE and 100th cap are special but getting to the World Cup would be huge
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Steven Davis has claimed winning his 100th cap for Northern Ireland at Windsor Park on Thursday will mean little to him if they fail to overcome Switzerland in their World Cup play-off.
Northern Ireland are 180 minutes away from reaching next summer’s tournament in Russia and Davis is adamant that will mean much more to him than any personal milestone.
The Southampton midfielder also received an MBE from Prince William at Buckingham Palace last week after leading Northern Ireland to the last 16 of Euro 2016 in the summer but he would happily sacrifice individual accolades for a place at the World Cup.
“The MBE and 100th caps are special achievements on a personal level but getting to a World Cup would be huge,” the Northern Ireland captain said. “I don’t like to rank achievements or say this is more important but it goes without saying that to play in a World Cup finals would be special as many great players have been unable to do that.
“Obviously it’s a huge landmark and I’m very honoured to get to that number but my focus is solely on the game. Hopefully after the two games I can reflect on it and say that was a special time to achieve that goal but we can only do that by winning and progressing.”
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Saints collapse to get eliminated at Northampton
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Saints were knocked out of the Checkatrade Trophy in dramatic fashion as they squandered a three goal load in the space of just 17 minutes before losing a penalty shootout at Northampton.
The club’s under-21s were by far the better side for the vast majority of the game at the Sixfields Stadium, and deservedly led 3-0 through two goals from Jake Hesketh and one via Tyreke Johnson.
However, they ended up being eliminated at the group stage as Northampton eventually equalised with the last kick of the game to make it 3-3, before running out 4-2 victors in a penalty shootout to qualify from Group H along with Peterborough.
Saints got off to the perfect start as Hesketh, showing great signs of progress after returning recently from a long term hamstring injury, gave them the lead after just seven minutes.
He intercepted the ball and quickly broke through the Northampton backline to get himself one-on-one with David Cornell.
Hesketh showed great composure to wait for the keeper to start to dive out towards him before lifting the ball over Cornell and into the far corner.
Saints were comfortably the better team in the first period.
Northampton, in fairness much changed from their regular League One side, looked like a team unfamiliar with each other and were very disjointed.
Saints, in contrast, were slick, particularly going forward.
Hesketh was at the heart of most of their good attacking work, setting up Callum Slattery for a shot that was straight at Cornell and getting in a shot the Northampton keeper saved.
At the end other end the physical strength of Northampton meant Saints had to defend doggedly in difficult conditions.
If the only slight regret of the first half for Saints was that their dominance hadn’t put them further ahead, it didn’t take much of the second period to put that right.
It was no great surprise that Hesketh picked up a second goal that his efforts merited six minutes after the restart.
He started and ended a superb forward move, with a one-two with Jonathan Afolabi putting him in on goal where he again finished clinically past Cornell.
Yan Valery produced a superb turn on the right and whipped in a cross. Tyreke Johnson made a darting run across the face of his defender and hit a wonderful first time finish that flew into the bottom corner.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink responded by throwing on more experience and it paid off.
Northampton got onto the scoresheet on 73 minutes as Sam Foley guided a half volley into the top corner.
It was 3-2 with seven minutes remaining as a corner was headed clear to Lewis McGugan, whose wonderful volley from 25 yards out was central but too good for Alex McCarthy to get a hand to.
Saints seemed to be seeing out the game with ease until deep into stoppage time when Ash Taylor got his head to a corner to equalise with what was, quite literally, the last kick of the game.
The match went straight to penalties, where Johnson saw his spot kick saved before Ollie Cook blazed over as Saints went out.
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How wantaway stars have fared since being forced to stay
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It was the summer the clubs fought back and big-name players like Philippe Coutinho, Alexis Sanchez and Virgil van Dijk were forced to stay no matter the amount of tears, tantrums and transfer requests.
But how have those players coped with being unable to leave when the grass looked greener on the other side?
For some, like Riyad Mahrez, the response has been particularly impressive. For other wantaways, the situation has appeared manageable. But certain individuals have struggled.
Sportsmail assesses the ‘then and now’ of the Premier League’s conflicted stars.
Initially, the Brazilian kept quiet over strong Barcelona interest, believing that playing the nice guy would secure his move to the Nou Camp. But when Liverpool resisted, his cover was blown when he emailed a transfer request to director of football Michael Edwards.
The amount of money Barca were throwing at the 25-year-old was large, although nobody seems sure how large. Figures of £120million were banded about – which would have placed him among the most expensive players of all-time – but others suggest the initial fee the highest offer was ‘only’ £80million with the rest in add-ons.
Coutinho hasn’t hit the heights of last season though it seems to be a question of fitness rather than commitment. He’s played only five matches so far, missing the start of the season with a back complaint and the last three days with a muscular problem.
On the plus side, he has scored a couple of goals and the fans don’t seem to have held his dalliance with Barca against him. Luis Suarez moved on a year after Liverpool fought hard to keep him, you wouldn’t be surprised to see Coutinho a gonner next summer with Jurgen Klopp creating new match-winners in Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Given Arsenal’s stance on Robin van Persie – selling him to rivals Manchester United rather than letting him run down his contract – it was a surprise they kept Sanchez when Manchester City offered a hefty £50million.
At the moment, it looks like a strategic mistake. The Chilean hasn’t been the force of old and has only scored twice in 10 games for The Gunners this season. He was ineffectual against City at the weekend and has looked irritable and grumpy in other games.
With Sanchez intransigent on signing a new contract, Arsenal have shifted their position and may now look to sell him in January, though they’ll only get half of the money on offer in the summer.
Pep Guardiola, who managed Sanchez at Barcelona, is still a big fan but he can’t afford to sulk between now and Christmas or even City’s interest might wane.
Southampton went radically against their reputation as a selling club when Virgil van Dijk was denied a dream £60million move to Liverpool.
Things got so heated the Anfield club were forced to say sorry for their obvious pursuit of the Dutch international, saying in a statement: ‘We apologise to the owner, board of directors and fans of Southampton for any misunderstanding.’
Liverpool had to move on this season without him, but it’s not been so easy for Van Dijk, who started the campaign training with The Saints reserves.
To be fair to him and the club, a form of peace has broken out since, and Southampton have conceded only six goals in the six games Van Dijk has featured.
However, it’s clear the 26-year-old hasn’t given up on joining Jurgen Klopp sooner rather than later. ‘Halfway through the season, maybe we can see what’s possible,’ he said only last month.
Mahrez was so keen to leave Leicester, Algeria gave him time off international duty on transfer deadline day to try and secure a move. However, despite reported interest from Roma, nothing happened.
It hasn’t affected the winger adversely though. He’s played in every Premier League game this season and though his form was patchy at the start, he has been excellent in the last two games under new manager Claude Puel, who knows him well from French football.
Voted the PFA Player of the Year two seasons ago, Mahrez has scored three times in his last five games and the title-winning relationship with Jamie Vardy is clicking into gear again. If he carries on with this form, there will be clubs interested in January but he might not be so quick to walk out the exit door.
Slightly different to the other cases in that Everton, or particularly their manager at the time Ronald Koeman, seemed as keen for him to leave as the midfielder did.
That gave Barkley a stronger bargaining position in the final year of his contract. And when he decided he didn’t want to join Chelsea, he pulled the plug on the £25million deal at the last minute.
The 23-year-old’s reputation has grown since then without kicking a ball as Everton have struggled badly while the player has been out with a hamstring injury.
Tottenham are reported to want to bid for him in January and Everton, now that Koeman is out the door, seem keener to keep ‘one of their own’ though money remains a sticking point, Barkley is believed to want in excess of £100,000-a-week.
Interim manager David Unsworth, a former Everton player, wants Barkley to stay. ‘He could be one of the all-time greats here,’ he said.
The Northern Ireland international is regarded as a complete professional but when he looks at Manchester City this season, does he wish he’d rocked the boat a little bit more to get out of West Brom?
Pep Guardiola made two bids of around £20million for the left-sided central defender but neither matched West Brom’s valuation. And in an era where every Premier League club gets millions from television, Tony Pulis wasn’t forced to sell.
The 29-year-old has failed to halt Albion’s slide down the table and his club form doesn’t appear to match his international performances, which have helped take Northern Ireland to a World Cup play-off.
The irony is he might have played for Manchester City in their next game against Leicester because Nicolas Otamendi is suspended and Vincent Kompany has been injured. Evans might not create the same interest in the future unless he gets to the World Cup and it turns out to be a useful shop window.
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Steven Davis to win milestone cap with Northern Ireland on the cusp
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On the cusp. Over the past three years the Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis has used this three-word preview so often it could be his motto. On each occasion it has been appropriate for his team, and now it applies to him alone.
On Thursday, Davis, this self-effacing, maturing and skilful leader of his country wins his 100th cap. That it comes against Switzerland in a World Cup play-off was not always foreseeable.
It has taken Davis 12 sometimes hard years to reach the landmark, but from midway through the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, he began to be asked about the possibility of this group of Irish players making history.
“We’re on the cusp,” would always form part of Davis’s reply.
It is the difference between potential and fulfilment and thanks to the efforts of Davis, Northern Ireland made good on his statement. Against Greece in Belfast two years ago, missing Jonny Evans and talisman goalscorer Kyle Lafferty, Davis scored twice to ensure qualification for France. His calm, driven personality counted.
It was the first time Northern Ireland had reached the European Championships; it was the first time in 30 years, a generation, that Northern Ireland had been to any finals.
Given that when Davis won his first cap, against Canada back in 2005 under Lawrie Sanchez, the Irish had not won at home for three years, Davis has seen Windsor Park in different lights.
“It’s quite incredible,” he says of the contrast at the hotel outside Belfast where Northern Ireland are preparing for Switzerland. “I think the players who have been around the squad for longer know how difficult it is to get consistent results at international level.
“It makes you appreciate the success we have had so much more. Some of the new additions to the squad only know good times.”
Now 32, Davis was once a new boy. His Irish hero was George Best but his role models were Jim Magilton and Neil Lennon, the sort of precise, passing midfielders Davis became at Aston Villa, Fulham, Rangers and Southampton.
That was and is top-flight football, whereas playing for Northern Ireland frequently entailed hope more than expectation. There were the odd satisfying moments – beating England and Spain in Belfast – but there were also a lot of occasions when Davis and his colleagues left the pitch a beaten team. There was the ultimate low of losing to Luxembourg in 2013. He played all 90 minutes that night.
As Davis said of that first cap against Canada, a 1-0 defeat: “On a personal level it was a special night to make my debut, being at home as well, but the result and performance left a bit to be desired.
“If you play that number of games [100] you are going to have highs and lows. It’s been nice starting on a low and then coming into this high, rather than the other way round. I’m really enjoying it. It is difficult when you come away with nothing to show for it, but the last few years have been special.”
There is a growing recognition of Davis’s abilities but he remains quiet, underrated. He is not a shouter of a captain and after those goals against Greece, when he pointed to the skies in celebration, it was a rare public display of emotion. His mother had recently passed away.
Within the squad, though, Davis is cherished for the example he sets. As Michael O’Neill says: “There’s all types of captains, but for me Steven epitomises everything you want.
“He takes responsibility on the pitch, he drives the team forward, he’s an example in terms of how he is as a professional, how he is as a person. He’s never not been available, never said he needs a rest, never comes off. That gives you an indication of what type of individual he is.”
An MBE received at Buckingham Palace last week was evidence of appreciation, but it was typical of Davis to pass it on to others.
“It is very humbling to be there and recognise what people have achieved in their lives,” he says. “I got an award for doing something that I have loved, and it’s not something I ever expected, but I’m very proud of.
“I’ll probably keep in touch with a few of the award winners. There was a guy from Glasgow who had lost his son and then went on a campaign to raise money for a teenage cancer fund, it was nice to share that experience.”
Davis’s sincerity is real, which is why other players follow him. He had earned those 100 caps and the 101st on Sunday in Basel. It could be as special as any.
“We’ve done a lot of homework on the Swiss,” he adds. “Michael is always well prepared. As soon as we got in he had little paper booklets made up of them with information.
“I’m excited and really looking forward to it. We all understand the ramifications of the two results, but it’s a great position to be in. We’re exactly where we wanted to be before a ball a was kicked in the group. I think we have it all to gain.”
Northern Ireland and their captain are, once again, on the cusp.
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