As Northern Ireland prepared to host a talented Switzerland side in last night’s World Cup qualifier at Windsor Park, there were plenty of reasons for pessimism.
Ian Baraclough was missing Jonny Evans, Corry Evans, Paddy McNair, Josh Magennis and Stuart Dallas – the spine of his side, an uber-experienced quintet with 323 international caps between them.
But he could still call on the grandaddy of them all – a man who appears to age like a bottle of the finest sauvignon.
Steven ‘the Ulster Pirlo’ Davis, in his 16th year as an international, performed like he has in the majority of his previous 125 appearances – with trademark energy, authority and industry.
Is Rangers and Northern Ireland star Steven Davis getting better with age?
Rangers’ evergreen playmaker is arguably playing the best football of his career at the age of 36 and, alongside the up-and-coming Jordan Thompson and Ali McCann, ensured a much-fancied Switzerland side failed to turn their dominance into three vital points.
“We had to be patient, compact, resolute and organised – and we had that in abundance,” said former Motherwell coach Baraclough at full-time, via the Shropshire Star.
“We tried to control the ball when we had it and be positive. Sometimes we lacked that killer ball but we still looked dangerous and I was energised by what I saw in the performance and the enthusiasm. The crowd clearly played their part in that – and I was very proud.
“You look at the players who were missing. Take nothing away from the boys coming in but Jonny, Corry, Paddy McNair, Josh, Stuart Dallas, they’re big, big players.”
In the jet-heeled Shayne Lavery, Northern Ireland appear to have found a striker capable of leading the line on the big stage. Daniel Ballard, Ciaron Brown and Ali McCann are growing in stature with every game, while in Bailey Peacock-Farrell – with two penalty saves in the space of a week – they possess a goalkeeper who transforms into Gigi Buffon every time he pulls on the national jersey.
Davis, however, remains their timeless talisman. Long may he reign.
Here’s what some fans had to say on Twitter about Davis’s performance:
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