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Belfast Telegraph
04-06-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
NI boss Tanya Oxtoby reveals why Nations League promotion push requires a total squad effort
If anything what goes on during an hour and a half on a rectangle of grass is merely the tip of a fairly large iceberg. Northern Ireland manager Tanya Oxtoby has talked regularly about the culture in her squad and after securing a Nations League promotion Play-Off gave an insight into the small things that she sees behind the scenes that are impacting when the whistle goes. The kind of actions that helped earn the 1-1 draw in Bosnia-Herzegovina that puts the team one step away from breaking into League A. Four members of the squad didn't see game time over the double header against Poland and Bosnia — back-up goalkeepers Abbie Smith and Kate Smith as well as Louise McDaniel and Rachel Furness — but it's about other things for the manager. 'I think when you talk about the culture of the group it's the fact that everybody adds value and contributes to what we're doing,' said Oxtoby. 'I said to them that whether you played or you didn't you know you've contributed to the success of this group and it takes everybody. 'The way in which this group goes about that and looks after each other, the travel day wasn't exactly smooth and to see in the airport the way they look after each other that pleases me no end because that is the foundation that you build team character and resilience on 'Credit to all of them, I thought they were great and from my perspective I'm just pleased for them and the staff.' Points tallies in groups only tell you so much. Northern Ireland's fortunes in the last three campaigns have fluctuated from earning seven points in the 2023 Nations League to eight this time around while in between collecting 10 in the Euro 2025 qualifying series — dropping two at home to Malta in the first game was a serious frustration at the time. Places are more important and finishing second behind teams of the quality of Portugal and Poland in the last two groups was not only an improvement on the previous one, it was realistically the best that could have been hoped for. Winning a promotion Play-Off and becoming a League A nation remains a big ask, especially as potential opponents Iceland, Belgium and Denmark have all qualified for the Women's Euro 2025 Finals and Austria were in Northern Ireland's group in 2022. Although Oxtoby took over a Northern Ireland team that was only 14 months out of a first ever major tournament and who had won four out of six matches after the Women's Euro 2022 Finals, it was always going to take time for her to make it her team. Her evolution of the squad, edging out the likes of former captain Marissa Callaghan and Demi Vance while also ending Julie Nelson's international career without ever calling her up elongated that process. With Rachel Dugdale restored to the squad, Ellie Mason and Megan Bell now playing regularly, Brenna McPartlan and Natalie Johnson capped for the first time under Oxtoby's management and the introduction of youth in the shape of Keri Halliday, Kascie Weir and Abi Sweetlove, her vision is starting to take shape. It will be the 2027 World Cup campaign or the next Nations League ahead of that tournament when the real judgement can be made. The very nature of the Nations League with teams playing against similar level of opposition rather than being in groups of varying ability does give a much clearer picture of where each individual country sits on the wider landscape. Poland proved they are better than Northern Ireland and showed the gap between League A and League B, but with better defending, a little bit more luck and not giving them early confidence after two goals inside 10 minutes they might have been beatable in a one-off game. 'In international football there are no easy games. That is the bottom line,' said Oxtoby. 'I said all along that this group was going to be so competitive and to come here away from home and grind out the result, as we did against Romania, we've done the job. 'I don't know any team in the world, whether that be club football or international football that gets it all their own way all the time. 'You've got to show character and resilience. You've got to win when it's not pretty, you've got to get results when it's not pretty and we've certainly done that . 'There have been times previously that we haven't, so for me that's growth.' That character shining through is a measure of the qualities Oxtoby's team possesses. Even within the last four months they staved off comebacks away to both Romania and Bosnia after conceding within a few minutes of taking the lead, came from behind with two late, late goals to beat Bosnia, who themselves had come from 1-0 down and survived pressure at home to Romania to see out a 1-0 win. Those things don't just happen. 'To manage the game the way we did — I thought we should have probably scored a few more in the first half and conceded a sloppy one — to show the character to make sure we saw the game out, at the end of the day, that's all that matters at this point,' said Oxtoby.
Belfast Telegraph
03-06-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Northern Ireland captain Simone Magill says Play-Off destiny is in sqaud's hands ahead of Bosnia clash
Those who are full-time professionals will go off on their summer break, while an immediate refocus to domestic action this weekend will be the case for those who play for Irish League clubs. There is no major tournament to look forward to, no place in the sun a la Southampton three years ago for the Women's Euro 2022 Finals. While the cream of Europe is battling it out for the right to be called the best team on the continent, Northern Ireland will be watching on. That doesn't mean the final Women's Nations League group game is without meaning. Far from it. Where Northern Ireland finish in the table and what comes next are hugely important in the context of obtaining a first World Cup qualification and the potential for at least a guaranteed qualification Play-Off. That's what comes with being a League A team, which Tanya Oxtoby's side have ambitions to be and, while automatic Uefa Nations League promotion is no longer within reach after Friday night's 4-0 defeat to Poland, that ambition is still achievable. Indeed unless things go badly wrong for Northern Ireland against Bosnia & Herzegovina, a Play-Off for a place in League A awaits and the World Cup becomes a realistic aim, even if there would still be much work to do in terms of at least winning two Play-Off contests over the next couple of years. Even a single goal defeat would secure second place in the group and finishing a place higher than the 2023 Nations League, with promotion to play for rather than a fight to avoid relegation, would be the kind of success the team has been striving for. 'We spoke at the start of this campaign about our aim and that is still very much in our control and I think that is the most important thing,' said captain Simone Magill. 'If we can go and get the result we want then that's been success for us. It would be a special feeling (to get to League A). We spoke about after qualifying for the last major tournament that we didn't want it to be a one-off, we wanted to be in the mix again and getting promotion to League A would do exactly that, it would start to put us back in the mix and get us closer to being back where we want to be.' The safety net of a three point cushion ahead of both Bosnia and Romania isn't something that manager Oxtoby wants to have to rely on — the head-to-head record already means that Romania can't get into second place and the thrilling 3-2 comeback win against Bosnia gives Northern Ireland an advantage as things stand. The three wins against the Bosnians in the last 15 months aren't in Oxtoby's mind either. Her reign has been something of a roller-coaster since taking charge in September 2023. Now the hope is that with everything in Northern Ireland's hands, there is a smooth ending to this campaign, ready for a rise again come October with the carrot of taking someone's League A status from them. 'We know that we are in a really good position where we can affect our own destiny and that's what we wanted going into this game,' said Oxtoby. 'The job is certainly not done, We are by no means expecting to turn up and the result to be ours. 'We need to make sure that we are fully focused and we go 100 miles an hour after it. 'I would just be so happy for the players because it has been a tough window and a tough campaign and that reward for all the effort that everyone has put in would be the most pleasing thing.'
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Northern Ireland's job 'certainly not done'
Nations League Group B1: Bosnia & Herzegovina v Northern Ireland Venue: FF BH Football Training Centre, Zenica Date: Tuesday, 3 June Kick-off: 18:00 BST Coverage: Watch live on BBC iPlayer and follow live text commentary & in-play clips on the BBC Sport website Advertisement Manager Tanya Oxtoby says her Northern Ireland side know the "job's certainly not done" in the Nations League. Northern Ireland travel to Bosnia-Herzegovina knowing a win or draw would secure a promotion play-off with a League A side. However, a defeat would open up a number of permutations with the Bosnians just three points behind Oxtoby's side in Group B1. NI have won all three meetings with Bosnia-Herzegovina in the past year, including a dramatic 3-2 win in the reverse Nations League fixture in February. "We by no means expect to just turn up here and the result be ours," said Oxtoby. Advertisement "We need to make sure that we are fully focused and that we go 100mph after it." Oxtoby admitted it had been a "tough campaign" and a promotion play-off against a League A side would be a good reward for the work they have put in. "From a playing group point of view and a staff point of view, I'd just be so happy for them because it's been a really, really tough window this window,. "It's also been a tough campaign, and that reward for all the effort that everyone's put in for me be the most pleasing thing." After the defeat on Friday, when Poland punished the hosts in a ruthless first half, Oxtoby says her youthful squad will be "right up for it" in Zenica. Advertisement "We know what Bosnia possess in terms of threats and we know what we're looking to do too. "We can only concentrate on on ourselves, try to execute what we're going after and focus on the performance to give ourselves every opportunity to get the result. "The ball is in our court, we know that we're in a really good position where we can affect our own destiny. "That's what we wanted going into this game."
Belfast Telegraph
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Northern Ireland must learn from unacceptable mistakes in Poland loss, admits Tanya Oxtoby
A nightmare start, in which Poland scored twice inside the opening nine minutes, saw hopes of victory quickly evaporate and those two goals were a horror for Northern Ireland. First, Martyna Wiankowska was afforded the freedom of Seaview when she had acres of space on the left wing to deliver a cross into the box for Ewa Pajor to score the opening goal after four minutes. Pajor then took the ball of a the toe of a hesitant Jackie Burns just outside the box before doubling the lead five minutes later. It is the response from her players in such circumstances and how they reacted over the course of the 80 minutes that followed that is Oxtoby's real focus going into a crucial trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina, with second place in the Nations League group on the line now that top spot has been secured by Poland. It was a tough night for teenage debutant Abi Sweetlove to come into the defence, while she was later joined on the pitch by Glentoran's Aimee Kerr – which Oxtoby highlighted as positives to take from the game. 'We spoke about starting well and staying in the game and we didn't do that,' said Oxtoby. 'I don't think you can play a team like this and make mistakes. They will punish you. They did that tonight and they did it when we played them away as well. 'It's a lesson to be learned, but that's why they're going to Euros. They're a top side with top players and if you make errors, whether that be collectively or individually, they're going to punish you for that. 'That's the level we want to be at. So we have to take that on the chin and we have to learn from it, and we have to keep moving forward.' Poland's three major threats, Paulina Tomasiak, Pajor and Adriana Achcinska, combined for the third and fourth goals – the former smashing home after 28 minutes before the latter slotted the fourth a minute into the second half to wreck Oxtoby's half-time reorganisation. There was a distinct difference from the first two goals, which were heart-breaking for Northern Ireland compared to the sheer quality that Poland displayed for the latter two. 'There were mistakes all over the pitch and I think it's the reaction to that that we're looking for,' said Oxtoby. 'Do you have the resilience to turn that around and really then impact the game in a positive way? Credit to the girls I thought they did that, each and every one of them. 'The changes we made at half-time had an impact, the subs we made during the second half had an impact and the girls will learn from that. 'We've had two debuts tonight and you look at what Poland put out, you look at what we're put out and, you know, we're on a journey and I'll take those mistakes while we're continuing to learn.' After going three games unbeaten since a 2-0 defeat in Poland, results which had given hope to pipping the Poles for top spot in the group, Oxtoby wasn't completely downbeat. 'There are group errors, there are individual errors across the whole campaign and it's just about learning from those and making sure that we continue to develop the players,' said Oxtoby. 'One result doesn't define our campaign, we've been brilliant across this campaign and we're still in a great position and that has got to be the focus for us. 'We've said that in the group there. We've got to learn from tonight, the bits that we need to take and be better at, no doubt, short term and long term. But our focus has got to be on Tuesday and making sure that we get that right.' The focus is now very much on Tuesday and, with Bosnia being very much a different level of opposition, Northern Ireland's approach will be very different in Zenica. 'You probably have to be flawless against a team like (Poland), and in the second half what pleased me was the opportunities we had going the other way,' said Oxtoby. 'We could have easily gone into our shell and not really expressed ourselves and we still did that. We take the positives and we've got to take those into Tuesday because it's a massive game for us.'
Belfast Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Teenage goalkeeper called into Northern Ireland squad for Nations League double-header
Teenage goalkeeper Kate Smith has been called in to the Northern Ireland squad by manager Tanya Oxtoby's for the upcoming Women's Nations League games against Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Lisburn Rangers shot stopper will replace Maddy Harvey-Clifford who has withdrawn from the squad through injury. Oxtoby said: 'Kate is a young player we've been monitoring for some time. She equipped herself well when she joined the squad as a training player during our last camp and deserves her place for these two games.' Kate Smith is one of two teenage goalkeepers in the squad, with Manchester City youngster Abbie Smith named in the original panel. The two youngster will likely play back-up to experience first-choice goalkeeper Jackie Burns. The clash with Poland will be played at Seaview on Friday night, with kick-off at 7pm, before the team travel to Zenica's for Tuesday clash. Oxtoby added: 'It's great to get the players together again. There is an optimistic mood about the place. "We know we need to put the work in here over the next few days to prepare ourselves for the games against two quality teams in Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. 'The players are all eager to play in front of the Green and White Army and we know how important they can be in helping us deliver a positive performance.'
