Tuesday 17 May 2022

Boothroyd joins Baraclough’s backroom team for camp and UNL games

Boothroyd joins Baraclough’s backroom team for camp and UNL games 

Former England Under-21s boss Aidy Boothroyd has joined the Northern Ireland coaching staff on a short-term basis. 

The ex-Watford and Coventry City boss has been drafted in to help out at this week’s training camp in England. 

And he will also be part of Ian Baraclough’s backroom team for next month’s UEFA Nations League fixtures. 

Northern Ireland’s regular main coach, Adam Sadler, who is also first team coach at Leicester City, is unavailable for this week’s four-day camp and the four Nations League games for personal reasons. 

Baraclough revealed: “I delved into the contacts book and Aidy is someone who I’ve known for a number of years. I used to play with him at Mansfield Town in the early 1990s. 

“He’s got a wealth of experience. He’s been a Premier League coach, a Premier League manager, worked within academies at Premier League clubs and also worked internationally for seven years with England’s U21s, U20s and U19s. 

“To call on someone like him has been invaluable. He’ll go to the June games with us and we’re totally looking forward to it.” 

As a player Boothroyd played for Huddersfield Town, Bristol Rovers, Hearts, Mansfield and Peterborough United.

His coaching career began at youth level with Peterborough, Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion before he became first team coach at Leeds United.

From there he was appointed manager of Watford in 2005 and he got them promoted to the Premier League in 2005-06 via the play-offs only for his team to be relegated the following season. 

He left the Hornets in 2008. After that he managed Colchester United in League One, Coventry in the Championship and Northampton Town in League Two before switching to the England international set-up in 2014. He took charge of both the U19s and U20s before taking over the U21s for five years, up until April last year. 

This week’s camp at the FA’s national training centre in Staffordshire is part of the preparations for four UEFA Nations League fixtures next month. 

Northern Ireland, the top seeds in Group 2 in League C of the 2022-23 edition of the competition, will begin their latest Nations League campaign with a game against second seeds Greece at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park on Thursday 2 June (7.45pm).

Baraclough’s team will then play fourth seeds Cyprus away on Sunday 5 June at the AEK Arena in Larnaca (5pm start UK time) followed by another away fixture against third seeds Kosovo on Thursday 9 June (7.45pm UK time). That game is being played at Stadiumi Fadil Vokrri in Pristina. 

Their fourth and final fixture in June is a home match against Cyprus on Sunday the 12th (2pm start).