Youths View: Marty McCann of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland started the second day of the Macron Galway Cup against Roscommon in the 2003 Elite competition.

They once more registered four goals to their name, conceding just the one, to add another victory to the 4-0 win they achieved yesterday against Longford & District Schoolboys League.

Marty McCann is a part of this Northern Ireland’s management for the first time this year and he found the performances really good.

Whilst praising the standard of the facilities, “especially the pitches, which are like bowling greens”, he felt “it’s given us the opportunity to get the ball down and move it about the pitch and we’ve been doing that quite well up to now.”

The players out on the pitch really did move the ball about well and were one of the few who weren’t affected by the wind yesterday.

 All through the squad, players are comfortable on the ball and Marty says they try to tell them “to get a feel for the ball, to try and play from the back out, you know.”

“Some of the pitches in some of the places you might go to, you might have to play against the elements but when you come to pitches and facilities like we have here, it’s only played like that and thankfully the kids have taken the advice we have given them and they’ve been moving the ball quite well.”

When asked about the lure of English and Scottish academies to young Northern Irish players, Marty explained that this is why this program, Club NI, was set-up by the IPA’s Elite Performance Director Jim Magilton and national team manager Michael O’Neill two years ago. 

With regional development centres all over the country, as well as a main base in mid-Ulster where all the kids travel to and train 2-3 times a week, the former Derry City coach explained that those in the program are “in an academy environment and know what’s expected of them, on and off the pitch so they learn good habits and have high standards.”

“So if they get the opportunity, and thankfully quite a few recently have started to get contracts in England, they’re better prepared for the tough environment of professional football in England and Scotland.”

With big changes across the board happening down south, I asked Marty what we could expect from those north of the border. He felt that “over the last number of years, through club NI, there has been a big push on just getting the kids earlier.”

“This is so they’re under the environment of the best playing with the best and thankfully it seems to be working well at the minute.”

With passing combinations, tight defences and attacking play on show in both games so far, it certainly is.