Mansfield Town goalkeeper Christy Pym has been called up to the Northern Ireland squad for the first time.
Pym was drafted into the senior men’s panel by Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill following the withdrawal of regular number one Bailey Peacock-Farrell due to injury.
The 29-year-old trained with the two other keepers in the squad, Luke Southwood (Bolton Wanderers) and Pierce Charles (Sheffield Wednesday), earlier today.
It’s Pym’s first involvement in the Northern Ireland international set-up. He is eligible to play for Northern Ireland via a grandmother who was born in Belfast.
Pym is entering his third season at Mansfield following a successful initial loan spell from Peterborough United.
He has been one of the Stags’ standout performers so far in the club’s long-awaited return to Sky Bet League One and has helped maintain both an unbeaten home league record and a sequence of three successive clean sheets.
Exeter-born Pym began his youth and senior career with Exeter City before switching to Peterborough in 2019. He went on loan to Stevenage from Peterborough in 2021-2022 before going out on loan to Mansfield the following season. He signed permanently for Mansfield at the start of the 2023-24 season.
His only other international involvement was for England’s Under-20s in August 2014 for a friendly against Romania.
The Northern Ireland squad are training at Stockport County’s training ground at Carrington in Greater Manchester ahead of upcoming UEFA Nations League games against Belarus and Bulgaria.
The squad are due to jet out to Hungary on Thursday to prepare for the game against Belarus at the neutral ZTE Arena in Zalaegerszeg on Saturday (12 October) at 19.45 BST.
After that they will be facing the Bulgarians at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast on Tuesday 15 October (19.45 BST kick-off).
Northern Ireland began their fourth UEFA Nations League campaign last month with a 2-0 victory against Luxembourg in Belfast and then lost to Bulgaria away by a goal to nil.
They currently sit third in League C Group 3 behind Belarus and Bulgaria, both of whom have four points to date.
Tickets for the Bulgaria game in Belfast on 15 October are still available at irishfa.com/tickets.
