Sunderland star Daniel Ballard can see green shoots of recovery in the Northern Ireland squad.
The Black Cats' wholehearted defender is among a clutch of Premier League players bringing the tiny country back to the big time under boss Michael O’Neill.
Ballard, his Sunderland teammate Trai Hume, Liverpool’s formidable wing-back Conor Bradley and Callum Marshall of West Ham United spearhead the regeneration.
Ballard Targeting Qualification After Squad Overhaul
Daniel Ballard
There are echoes of the famous squad which reached the knockout stages of Euro 2016 under O’Neill in his first spell as coach. Jonny Evans, Steven Davis, Craig Cathcart and Gareth McAuley provided the sprinkling of top-level stardust that gave Northern Ireland pedigree on the international stage.
After spending the intervening years in the wilderness, O’Neill is back in charge and overseeing a growing influence from players in the world’s toughest league paying dividends for his squad.
Even a draw in Slovakia on Friday keeps them in with a chance of making the play-offs for next summer’s World Cup finals, which will be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Centre-half Ballard told GIVEMESPORT: “It's been a complete overhaul of the squad, really. A lot of those boys have retired now, and they had fantastic careers. So it's down to us now to pick up where they left off. We have had a few tough years. But now we're in a spot to go and challenge and hopefully qualify for a tournament.
“We had a few years where we were transitioning, and there's a lot of new players. We stuck together for a few years and the results have started to turn. And a lot of the lads individually are growing and doing well in their club careers. So we're growing as a team and we're getting a lot more familiar with each other, and you can probably see that with the performances and the results.
“We're getting more comfortable together. We're learning together and feel like we've got a real strong base now.”
Daniel Ballard
Northern Ireland captured hearts at Euro 2016, thanks to their committed performances combined with the colourful fans who gave the football world a terrace anthem that is still hugely popular to this day.
The cries of ‘Will Grigg’s on fire’ echoed around the streets of the host cities in France and was adopted by other countries and even now supporters of Premier League teams have adapted it to fit their cause - West Ham fans in particular with their homage to captain Jarrod Bowen.
But in the most important aspects on the pitch, Northern Ireland are benefitting from the growing band of Premier League players in their ranks. Right wing-back Bradley, in particular, has become a key player for English champions Liverpool, keeping Real Madrid superstars Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior quiet in subsequent games against the 15-times Champions League winners in the past two seasons.
A country so small and limited in its talent pool will never consistently sweep the board on the international stage, but with the right players guided by O’Neill’s steady hand, they can punch above their weight from time to time.
In October 2023, Northern Ireland sunk to 75th in the world rankings. They are 69th heading into the next game. A long way back from their best ever of 20th, but things are moving in the right direction.
Two wins in the last four games have fuelled the feeling of positivity in the camp. One of those was a 2-0 victory over Slovakia, who sit one place above them but within reach of qualifying from Group A.
Ballard, 26, said: “We only played them last month, so they're quite fresh in our minds still, but we think it's going to be a completely different game.
“We're missing a few key players, and we're away from home, so I don't think it will be as straightforward as the game last time. So we're excited to play, but we think it's going to be a real tough game.
“There was such support in 2016 at the Euro finals and it's a real exciting one around the corner, going to America, Mexico and Canada, that will be a fantastic tournament.
“So there's a massive prize at the end of it. And we're extremely driven to get to America. I've been there once or twice before playing pre-season there, so it will be one of those experiences you'll never forget.
“Some of the lads talk about the 2016 finals and, recently, I was watching Jonny Evans talking about it, talking about his career on Sky and he was saying that one of his biggest highlights was being in the finals at the Euros. So, yeah, we can only dream of that. We're closer than we think now.”
Ballard was born and raised in Stevenage, Hertfordshire but qualifies for Northern Ireland through a grandparent. He came through the youth ranks at Arsenal then left to join Sunderland after a series of loans. He is now a mainstay of the team that is surprising everyone this season.
Ballard boasts 32 international caps and almost 100 games for Sunderland. He is also a dad himself at 26 years old.
He joked: “I’ve got two kids now. One is almost two and the other a couple of months old. These international breaks are actually quite nice.
“There's nothing too exciting in my life. Just like everyone else, I like getting home, spending some time with the kids and my girlfriend and just doing the simple things.”