Shiels of dreams

By Andrew Haslam

Northern Ireland coach Kenny Shiels describes his side's achievement in reaching the UEFA European Under-17 Championship finals tournament for the first time as "unbelievable".

Qualifying success
The 48-year-old has steered his side through two tough qualifying groups to take their place among Europe's top eight U17 sides. However, the finals draw has thrown up another huge challenge, with hosts France, Spain – beaten finalists in 2003 – and Turkey joining the Northern Irish in Group A.

Steady progression
Despite the task ahead, Shiels remains upbeat, having overseen a steady progression since taking charge of the team four years ago. Northern Ireland reached the second qualifying round of the U17 event for the first time a year ago, itself a notable achievement for one of UEFA's smaller member associations. This year's results have been even more extraordinary.

'Tremendous success'
"We're delighted to qualify for the first time," Shiels told uefa.com. "For a small country like ours, where all youth football is part time, that's fantastic. The boys have done tremendously. Last year was superb, so to go one step further this time round is unbelievable."

Part-time position
Shiels was quick to put his side's performances in perspective. "I recently attended a UEFA Congress, where 52 nations were represented - and I was the only part-time coach there," he said. "I also work part-time at [Northern Irish Premier Division side] Ballymena United [FC] and as a youth co-ordinator. There is an excellent coaching structure in Northern Ireland but it's difficult to get time with the lads, and we have to get training sessions where we can. At our level, to play friendlies we have to travel abroad, and we can't afford to do that."

Narrow win
Such constraints make a Northern Irish presence in France even more remarkable, particularly as it took a late winner from Michael O'Connor against Malta to squeeze Shiels' team into the second qualifying round. Paired with Belgium, Scotland and Belarus, Northern Ireland were considered rank outsiders to qualify.

Sizeable challenge
"We were massive underdogs, and surpassed all expectations in Belgium," Shiels agreed. "We faced three traditionally strong opponents - in comparison to us - so to qualify is beyond our wildest dreams. We were in our hotel the day before the mini-tournament kicked off watching [RSC] Anderlecht on television, and two members of the Belgian side we were due to play were in the team. Several members of the Belgian team had top-flight experience, as did a number of the Scottish players."

Three victories
Northern Irish hopes looked even bleaker as Belarus built a 2-0 lead in their first game, but a rousing fightback was capped by Michael Carville's goal that sealed a 3-2 victory. Subsequent wins against Scotland and the hosts enable Shiels to focus on France with cautious optimism.

'Commitment and quality'
"We're obviously happy to have qualified, but you have to be realistic," he said. "We're going there to show commitment and our quality, and the tournament gives us a great opportunity to do well. This is a top-drawer showpiece event designed for the top nations, and we've upset the apple cart and qualified against the odds."

'Strong bond'
He is under no illusions about the task that awaits his team, saying: "Turkey had three wins in qualifying so they should be pretty useful. France and Spain are both professional and strong, and are among the favourites to win the tournament. But we are a solid unit and there is a strong bond there. The lads work hard for each other and never know when they're beaten."