Simone Magill hoping small changes will make a big difference for Northern Ireland
That is the hope of Simone Magill as she prepares to lead Northern Ireland into what can rightly be considered the country's biggest game since the Women's Euro 2022 Finals.
Subtle yet obvious tactical tweaks by manager Tanya Oxtoby in the last two home games have impacted on the captain and the results have been clear – two goals from Magill herself to earn a 3-2 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina before a superb move involving Keri Halliday and finished by Kascie Weir to defeat Romania 1-0 when they were deployed in a three-pronged attack.
It's a refreshing change for Magill, and while Oxtoby has hinted that the approach may not be quite as adventurous when Northern Ireland face a Euro 2025-bound Poland at Seaview with promotion to the top level of the Women's Nations League on the line, the need to win the game in order to take top spot in the group means a search for goals is a must and, therefore, attacking with purpose is essential.
'I felt like we really clicked and there was a lot of fluidity in the attack and when we did commit numbers forward. It was really exciting, certainly for me. I really enjoyed that game,' said Magill as she reflected on the win against Romania which, combined with Poland scrambling a late draw against Bosnia, means there is only a three-point gap between the teams.
'It was really nice for me to to have another striker in the team as well, because for so many years in my international career I was a lone striker and 90 minutes felt like a long time.
'Tanya's adapted the way we've played and hopefully people from outside can see the effects of that and what that looks like.
'It was really enjoyable and hopefully we can show some more of that.'
With that hope also comes expectation. The expectation that Northern Ireland themselves have created.
No longer is it a case of turning up for international games against the stronger nations – which, as a team heading to a major tournament, Poland are – hoping to keep it tight at the back, frustrate them and come away with a moral victory if an actual one isn't possible.
The players expect more of themselves now and that's why the target of promotion to League A and a place among Europe's elite top-16 countries isn't just an aspiration, it's a target the squad has set for themselves.
'At the start of this campaign we set out our aims as a group of where we wanted to be. That's still exactly the same and that's still very much in our control,' said Magill.
'The important thing is we get a good result against Poland and then we take that into the game against Bosnia.
'Our aim has always been to try to get into League A and I think that would be hugely successful if we do that. You go into these campaigns and you want to put yourself up there in amongst the top teams.
'We've said since we qualified for the Euros that it is very much in this group's aim at some point to be challenging for those things again. Getting into League A is part of that.'
A factor in that successful Euro 2022 qualifying campaign was the team's home results. All the games in that series were played at Seaview, where Northern Ireland will return to when Poland come to town.
In eight games between November 2019 and the last game there in October 2023 Northern Ireland were unbeaten.
Being back on Belfast's Shore Road is a little like stepping back in time to a special time, while hoping that the memories can inspire the team to a future that will be equally as memorable.
'A lot of us have very fond memories of playing for Northern Ireland at Seaview,' added Magill.
'We've had some really euphoric nights here. Hopefully we're playing exciting football and have another memorable night. That would be perfect.
'We had a really good run of games here and we built up really good momentum and we made this place a fortress. I don't think that will have changed even though we've been playing elsewhere in between. I think we'll flick right back into that.'
As well as the 2-0 win over Ukraine that took Northern Ireland to those Euro 2022 Finals, Magill fondly remembers a 9-0 win over North Macedonia at Seaview.
With UEFA using head-to-head as the separation factor if teams are tied, a 3-0 win is required in order to overtake the Poles, who were 2-0 winners in Gdansk in February.
It's a repeat of those kind of Seaview nights that is needed in order to have the biggest impact.
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