Northern Ireland remain on course to qualify for their first ever European Championships and top Group F in the European Qualifiers with just two games to go.
Mark McIntosh from The Sun joined Joe Molloy and Daniel McDonnell on Off the Ball's Football Show last night to talk about the resurgence of the side under Martin O'Neill.
"You just couldn't think of Northern Ireland making a mess of this from where they are", ahead of the games against Greece and Finland, McIntosh told Joe. He added that the key game of the campaign so far was the 3-1 win over the Faroe Islands, a game where Northern Ireland previously may have struggled.
McIntosh said that the key so far has been the belief in the side. "They went on a South American tour two summers ago, and something clicked on that tour". The seven goals of Kyle Lafferty have also been crucial and McIntosh feels the Norwich performs far better with the national side "because he loves being loved".
After a sending off against Portugal, Lafferty was sat down by Michael O'Neill about his discipline issues and McIntosh told Joe that the manager "got inside his head". That chat between the two has seen Lafferty spearhead the sides quest to reach France. Despite his goal scoring feats he will miss the next game against Greece due to suspension.
On the potential of reaching Euro 2016, McIntosh feels it will be massive for the country. "Everyone's getting behind it" he added. If Northern Ireland qualify, it will be their first time in a major international tournament since the World Cup in Mexico in 1986.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
