IFA Programme 2016

WHAT THEY SAID

“The fans are a huge factor in making Windsor Park such a fortress. The noise and atmosphere they create at home is amazing: it makes teams fear coming to Belfast. “It also gives the players belief that they could beat anybody at Windsor and that has been shown over the years in the way they have come from behind to beat the likes of Spain, Sweden and Denmark.” Sammy McIlroy “During my time as an international I came to realise that Windsor was just as special a place to play football in as any of the much vaunted grounds around the world. “When the noise starts and the crowd get behind the team the place really begins rocking. It lifts the players no end and they and the crowd feed off each other.” Jim Magilton “When I was a young boy I used to stand on the old Spion Kop at Windsor Park. It was a heaving mass of bodies, a wall of noise that was the backdrop to some unbelievable games. I used to stand there with my dad in awe of the atmosphere. “One evening stands out for me. It was 12 September 1984 – a qualifying match with Romania. Norman Whiteside was in full flow. He grabbed the crucial goal, slipping the ball past their keeper right in front of the Kop. He ran towards us with his arms in the air. “The noise was incredible. I imagined tasting that feeling.” Keith Gillespie

“Many children dream of sporting glory. I know I did when I used to go to Windsor Park, Belfast, to watch Northern Ireland play. I remember vividly one afternoon climbing on the lower rung of a floodlight pylon in torrential rain and watching a game against Scotland. I left the ground soaked to the skin, but I was too busy with my thoughts of one day being good enough to represent my country to bother about a minor detail like possible pneumonia.” Pat Jennings “It has gone on record, from David Beckham to everyone that comes here, that no-one relishes coming to Windsor Park. The Windsor Roar is renowned throughout the world. There’s an incredible atmosphere here. The place rocks when there is a full house. It’s only a small stadium but the noise levels are incredible.” Maik Taylor “The night I made my home debut at Windsor Park in a 3-0 win against Belgium was very special, not only because I scored two goals but because the noise levels were unbelievable. In those days you could cram nearly 40,000 people into the ground, but as the years went by it was clear it was in desperate need of modernisation. “The stadium now looks fantastic and even though it’s half the capacity it was in my day I don’t think it has lost any of its atmosphere. I think today the fans are just as vocal and the noise they make just reverberates around the stadium.” Gerry Armstrong “A full house at the stadium makes as much noise as 30,000 fans and that type of support makes you want to work even harder on the pitch. “Sometimes in a break in play during games the players just look around at the whole ground doing the Bouncy and it’s an absolutely amazing sight.” Chris Baird

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