Conor Bradley example can inspire potential Northern Ireland golden generation says Gareth McAuley

Gareth McAuley believes a number of his Northern Ireland Under-19 squad will be knocking on the door of the senior squad in the not-too-distant-future.

McAuley is currently preparing his young charges for the Under-19 European Championship, which gets underway in 10 day's time. And he has challenged them to take their opportunity and follow in the footsteps of Conor Bradley and Shea Charles in recent years.

“If it’s harnessed properly across the board then there could be a golden generation coming again to bring a lot of good times back to the country, to the country’s football,” said McAuley. "There are already plenty of Under-21 players in the senior squad with more to come.”

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McAuley is urging the Northern Ireland public to come out and support the next generation of stars in their games across the province. He recalled the impact the Windsor Park crowd had on Liverpool star Bradley when he made a crunching tackle during a World Cup qualifier against Switzerland in 2021 not long after he had made his senior debut.

“One of the highlights for me was Conor’s tackle in front of the fans when the stadium erupted," said McAuley. “I can only imagine the feeling he would have got off that and the lift he would have got off that, and just the connection he got off that. He would never forget that.”

McAuley names his squad next week for the eight-team tournament, which is being staged in Belfast and Larne. The hosts will play holders Italy, Ukraine and Norway and McAuley feels they can “do something special”.

“If you tell yourself you can do something then there’s a chance you can do it," he said. "If you tell yourself you can’t do something then you are not going to do it. It’s about getting them (the players) to believe in themselves, to make the right decisions both on and off the pitch.”

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