Northern Ireland v Norway

NORDIC ADVENTURES

A handful of Northern Ireland players have plied their trade in Norway’s top flight, the Eliteserien, during their careers, with Kyle Lafferty the most high profile player to do so.

Norway’s top football division has had a host of names over the years including the Norgesserien, Hovedserien and 1. Divisjon. Two years after it was rebranded as the Tippeligaen in 1990, former Northern Ireland U21, U23 and B international defender Neil Matthews signed for then top flight side Sogndal on loan from Cardiff City. The Manchester-born player appeared in 15 of Sogndal’s 22 Tippeligaen matches during the 1992 season. The campaign would ultimately end in disappointment as they were relegated to the 1. Divisjon (now the second tier of Norwegian league football). Ballymena-born left back Neil Masters – who received a Northern Ireland call-up in 1995 for a UEFA Euro 1996 qualifier against Portugal but sadly had to withdraw due to injury – signed for Moss FK at the end of a career that had seen him turn out for Bournemouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Gillingham. He made 11 league appearances and scored one goal for top flight side Moss between 2001 and 2003 and later went on to manage Norwegian fourth tier outfit Rygge FK. Well-travelled striker Robin Shroot , who was capped by Northern Ireland at U19, U20 and U21 level, has found Norwegian football to be very much to his liking. After spells with the likes of AFC Wimbledon, Birmingham City and Stevenage, the Londoner joined 1. Divisjon side IL Hødd in March 2014. During the subsequent campaign he scored 16 goals in 23 matches to finish as the second highest goalscorer in the division. Shroot netted four times in 11 league matches for Sogndal before a return to IL Hødd in 2015, for whom he would score 19 times in a further 48 matches over a two-year spell.

Kyle Lafferty played in Norway’s top flight last year.

During this time he was loaned to top flight side Viking, where he made six league appearances in 2017. The following year he headed for America, signing for the former USL Championship side Nashville, before returning to Norway in 2019 to help IL Hødd to a seventh place finish in the 2. Divisjon. He has since taken up the role of manager of IL Hødd’s women’s team. Enniskillen-born forward Kyle Lafferty signed for Sarpsborg O8 in August 2019 and scored once in nine Eliteserien (as the top division in Norway has been known since 2017) appearances that campaign as the club managed to avoid relegation with a 12th place finish. Lafferty, who now plays for Italian side Reggina in Serie B, is Northern Ireland’s second leading marksman after David Healy with 20 goals in 73

appearances to date. Words Andy Greeves

23

www.irishfa.com