NIFG

333 vs Scotland - 334 - 335 vs Wales ENGLAND 1-1 NORTHERN IRELAND 1980 British Home Nations Championship Venue: Wembley Stadium, London Referee: Gwyn P. Owen (WAL) Goals: ENG Brotherston (og) 79 ; NIR Cochrane 82 NORTHERN IRELAND: (green/white/green) Manager: Billy Bingham Captain: Sammy McIlroy Platt; J. Nicholl, Donaghy, C. Nicholl, J. O'Neill; Cassidy [Cochrane 70 ], McIlroy, Finney, Brotherston; Hamilton [ McCreery 70 ], Armstrong ENGLAND: (white/blue/white) Manager: Ron Greenwood Captain: Emlyn Hughes EnglandFootballOnline  

Northern Ireland haven't managed to win one of the world's major trophies (yet), but they have faced the holders on many occasions. With a similar premise to the Unofficial Football World Cup ( UFWC ), any victory over a reigning champion would mean that Northern Ireland could claim to have taken that crown. While there has yet to be a victory over any reigning World Champions - two draws with (West) Germany is the best that can be claimed - wins over the Germans in 1982 and 1983 could have seen Northern Ireland crowned Vicarious European Champions (though it wasn't enough to seal a place at the actual 1984 UEFA European Championships). To carry this premise through, Northern Ireland could also claim to be the best team in North America (courtesy of defeating CONCACAF champions Mexico in 1966) and two-time Oceania champions via wins over Australia and New Zealand in 1980 and 2017.  That however may be stretching credulity a bit far! WORLD CUP 1930 URUGUAY (1st title) did

Graphics of every Northern Ireland goalkeeper jersey... 1908-1971 1908 (colour tbc) 1914 (colours tbc) 1920 (colours tbc) 1921 (colour tbc) 1922-1931 (colour tbc) 1931-1951 1951-1957 1957-1967 1967-1971 1972-1977 (Umbro) 1972-1976 1974-1975 1976-1977 1977-1990 (Adidas) 1977-1982 1980-1981 1982 1984-1986 1984-1985 1986-1990 1986 1989-1990 - 1990-1994 (Umbro) 1990-1994 1992-1993 1992-1994 1994 1993-1994 - 1994-1998 (Asics) 1994-1995 1995-1996 1995-1996 1996-1998 1996-1998 (unkworn) - 1998-1999 (Olympic Sports) 1998-1999 - - 1999-2004 (Patrick) 1999-2001 2002-2004 2002-2004 2002-2004 2004 - 2004-2012 (Umbro) 2004-2007 2004-2006

They say that goalkeepers are a bit different… but that wasn’t always the case! While nowadays the custodian stands out from their teammates by virtue of a bright orange/yellow/pink kit, in the early days it was the norm for ‘keepers to don the same jersey as their outfield colleagues. While some did take the field in  unique colours as early as 1891 , it was  1909 when the English  and Scottish Leagues finally decreed that a goalkeeper had to wear a distinct uniform so that they could be clearly identified during any goalmouth melee. In 1921 the International Football Association Board (IFAB) ruled that goalkeepers should wear deep-yellow jerseys in international matches. Domestic goalkeepers were limited to green, blue, red or white, a rule finally rescinded in the mid-1980s. Photos of Ireland in this era are scarce and, of course, exclusively black and white. The first obvious image of an Irish international keeper wearing a distinct colour comes from 1908, when Billy Scott can be s