Soccer

Washington says Northern Ireland must win away to Lithuania

Northern Ireland's Conor Washington in action against Germany.
Northern Ireland's Conor Washington in action against Germany. Northern Ireland's Conor Washington in action against Germany.

FOR A player seeking a starting slot after a lengthy absence, Conor Washington might have been expected to ease the pressure on manager Ian Baraclough.

Yet while giving the boss due sympathy as he seeks a first competitive win in normal time, the striker insists that the expectation within the Northern Ireland camp is nothing less than three points in Lithuania tomorrow night.

In 10 matches comprising Nations League, Euro 2020 play-offs, and World Cup 2022 qualifiers, the only victory has come on penalties away to Bosnia & Herzegovina last October.

Washington puts that statistic into some perspective, pointing out: "You have to feel for the gaffer a bit because the situation he came into after Michael [O'Neill] was obviously a tough one. It's not like we've had San Marino or Malta, we've had really tough, competitive games where teams are looking to qualify for tournaments."

However, he also accepts that after losing away to Italy then drawing at home with Bulgaria in March, Northern Ireland really need to get a win in World Cup qualifying Group C:

"Yeah, I think even if the group wasn't where it is in terms of points and standings, I think this is the sort of game as a nation we do need to go and win.

"We've elevated ourselves from Michael's reign that these games if we want to do anything on the international stage, we do need to go and win, at tough places like away to Belarus and Estonia. These are the sort of games we need to be collecting three points from."

Still, he's comfortable with such demands, having come onto the international scene shortly before Euro 2016, with the subsequent campaigns both ending in play-off defeat:

"I've not known any different since I've been in the camp. We'd just qualified for the Euros and every qualifying campaign since then we've been in the mix for it.

"It's a great feeling as a player to come away onto the international stage and you feel you are going to get something from games, you do genuinely have something to play for…

"If we want to do anything in the group we can't shy away from the fact that we do need to go to places like this and win games of football, I don't think there's any doubts in any of our minds. We don't want to try to play that down.

"We have got to accept that pressure and try turning it into a positive thing, that we're in a position now as a nation that we're expected to go to these places and win."