Northern Ireland national football B team


The Northern Ireland national football B team is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the Northern Ireland national football team. Primarily seen as a stepping-stone between the under-21 and full international teams, B team matches are also used to give a run-out for fringe players and to honour Irish League players who would not otherwise gain international recognition.
Matches are rarely played by Northern Ireland at this level due to their limited player pool, necessitating rapid elevation of young players to the 'Full' squad. Matches have been played against other football associations' 'B' teams and against various national "selects".

History

The Northern Ireland 'B' team made its first appearance in 1957, playing against Rumania 'B' who were not deemed worthy of a 'Full' international. The occasion of October 23, 1957 marked the first use of the Windsor Park floodlights for an international fixture. A one sided match finished 6-0 with a hat-trick from Derek Dougan and further goals from Sammy McCrory, Sammy Chapman and Jackie Scott.
The match against Rumania was followed up with two matches against France B in 1959 and 1960 before Under-23 international matches became de rigueur in the 1960s. The 'B' format re-emerged in the 1990s as national teams focussed on Under-21 rather than Under-23 matches and thus a "stepping stone" from Under-21 to 'Full' was required.
Northern Ireland's most recent match at 'B' level was against Scotland B in May 2009.

Fixtures

None

Previous matches

Performance Record:
PWDLFAGd
114161619-3

DateOpponentScoreVenueScorers
23 October 1957Romania B6-0Windsor Park, BelfastSammy McCrory, Sammy Chapman, Derek Dougan 3, Jackie Scott
11 November 1959France B1-1Windsor Park, BelfastHugh Barr
16 March 1960France B0-5Stade du Coteau, Annecy
10 May 1994England B2-4Hillsborough Stadium, SheffieldGeorge O'Boyle, James Quinn
21 February 1995Scotland B0-3Easter Road, Edinburgh
26 March 1996Norway Olympic football team3-0The Showgrounds, ColeraineDarren Patterson, James Quinn, Phil Mulryne
28 March 1997Portugal under-212-0Mourneview Park, LurganDanny Sonner, Steve Robinson
11 February 1998Republic of Ireland B1-0Tolka Park, DublinGeorge O'Boyle
9 February 1999Wales B0-1The Racecourse Ground, Wrexham
20 May 2003Scotland Future1-2Firhill Stadium, GlasgowSteve Jones
6 May 2009Scotland B0-3Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld

Squad for most recent game

'
Goalkeepers
  • Trevor Carson
  • Jonathan Tuffey
Defenders
  • Chris Casement
  • Craig Cathcart*
  • Adam Chapman
  • Shane Duffy
  • Scott Gibb
  • Jeff Hughes*
  • Daniel Lafferty
  • Rory McArdle*
  • Ryan McGivern
  • Robbie Weir
Midfielders
  • Martin Donnelly*
  • Corry Evans
  • Shane Ferguson
  • Robert Garrett
  • Pat McCourt
  • Niall McGinn
  • Oliver Norwood
  • Michael O'Connor
Forwards'''
Goalkeepers
Defenders
Midfielders
Forwards
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