The Northern Ireland men’s and women’s Under-19 and Under-17 teams had a busy year in UEFA competitions with varying degrees of success.
Gareth McAuley’s U19s took part in the UEFA Men’s Under-19 European Championship on home soil (see separate review piece this week on Northern Ireland hosting the U19 Euros) and faced some tough opposition.
In the group stages they drew with Ukraine before losing out to Italy and Norway.
Only eight players who were in the 20-strong panel for UEFA U19 Euro 2024 remained in McAuley’s squad for Euro qualifiers last month, although several players were no longer eligible to play for the U19s due to their age.
The first of the November games – in Group 11 in the U19 Euro 2025 Qualifying Round staged in Albania – saw them lose against a strong Denmark side by four goals to nil.
In their second game, against Israel, they conceded early and again just after the interval before Matty Orr pulled a goal back. They pushed for an equaliser, however Israel scored again on the counter attack and the game ended 3-1 to the Israelis.
The defeat meant they failed to reach the elite round of qualifiers, however they signed off with a 1-0 win against hosts Albania to finish third overall in the group behind table toppers Denmark and Israel. Braiden Graham got the goal.
Gail Redmond’s Women’s U19s had great success in League B qualifiers for WU19 Euro 2024 back in April.
In their first match in League B Group 5 - Georgia hosted the mini tournament - they enjoyed a 5-0 win over the hosts. Rachel McIntyre netted a hat-trick, with Kascie Weir and Rebecca Mann also on target.
Kazakhstan shut up shop in game two and Redmond’s side had to settle for a point following a goalless draw.
But the WU19s gained promotion to League A for the opening stage of qualifiers for WU19 Euro 2025 with a 2-0 victory against Estonia. This time Niamh O’Donnell and Sarah Tweedie (pen) got the goals.
Last month they were defeated by holders Spain (6-0) in their opening UEFA WU19 Euro 2025 qualifier. The League A Group 6 mini tournament was staged in Spain – in Murcia.
In game two against Belgium, played at the start of this month, they were narrowly defeated 2-1.
They battled hard against the Belgians despite being down to 10 players for much of the game after Darcie McNeill was sent off in the 22nd minute. Faye Loughran got Northern Ireland’s goal.
They were on course to avoid relegation from League A when Niamh Boothroyd popped up with an opener against Iceland in the 84th minute of their third and final group game. But it was not to be as Iceland’s Isabella Tryggvadottir grabbed an equaliser shortly after.
The draw ensured Iceland retained their League A status, while Northern Ireland will take part in League B qualifiers next spring.
The Men’s U17 side had a decent year. In March they faced England, France and Hungary in UEFA U17 Euro 2024 elite round qualifiers. They lost 5-1 to England and 5-2 to France at St George’s Park in England but in both games they played well. Callum Burnside got the goal against the hosts, while Dylan Stitt and Braiden Graham netted against the French.
And in their final game they deservedly defeated the Hungarians by three goals to one. Graham was on the scoresheet once again along with Cole Brannigan and Ryan Corrigan.
At the end of October/early November Andy Waterworth's team qualified for the elite round of UEFA U17 Euro 2025 qualifiers thanks to excellent wins against Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. The Round 1 Group 8 mini tournament was staged at Seaview Stadium in Belfast and Inver Park in Larne.
Paul McGovern scored twice in a 3-1 win against the Scots. Darragh McCann got the other goal. And goals from Ceadach O’Neill and Cead McGrath, as well as an own goal from Oisin McDonagh, helped them to secure a 3-1 victory over the Republic.
In their final game McGovern got on the scoresheet again, but this time they lost 3-1 against a physically strong Lithuania side.
Back in February the WU17s enjoyed an emphatic 5-1 win against hosts Malta in League B Group 5 of the UEFA Women’s Under-17 Euro 2024 qualifiers. Bernie Ferreira netted a brace, while Rhianna Breen, Niamh Boothroyd and Gracie Conway also scored.
Their second and final game in the group saw them defeat Luxembourg by four goals to one. This time Boothroyd, Conway, Breen and Mia Moore were on target.
They faced a much tougher assignment in League A in stage one of the UEFA Women’s U17 Euro 2025 qualifiers. In Group 4 games played in Scotland in October they were beaten 5-0 by Poland before being narrowly defeated by the Scots (1-0) and then losing 3-0 against Iceland. They will now play in League B in stage two of the WU17 Euro 2025 qualifiers.
Image: The Men's U17 team who have qualified for the elite round of UEFA U17 Euro 2025 qualifiers.
