Northern Ireland v Germany, Thurs 5th October

Party in Paris (with German fans), June 2016. Pictures supplied by Zoe Neill-Jones, Richard Logue, Andrew Agnew and Davy Mills.

And, with almost perfect synergy, win, lose or draw against Germany, Northern Ireland will be celebrating yet another amazing run. Tonight will, of course, be a David v Goliath match (our playing record against the Germans is won two, drawn four and lost 10). But as our recent run has shown, Norn Iron are no pushovers and we do rise to the big occasion. There’s no doubt all you lovely away fans will revel in our on-pitch passion and unrivalled GAWA atmosphere. So, after the match, let’s see if we can reproduce that glorious night in Paris when tournament progression was sweetly snatched from the jaws of defeat. How about one more ‘Will Grigg’s On Fire’ for old time’s sake, then walking out of the stadium shoulder to shoulder with our German mates? And, yes, I’ll be wearing that red, black and yellow garland with pride.

Happy Birthday Kop This time last year the revamped National Stadium at Windsor Park was officially opened with a ‘Lap of Legends’ starring some of our most famous fans. Who can forget such icons as Eamonn Holmes, Jimmy Nesbitt, Carl Frampton, Mary Peters, Charlie Lawson and Gary Lightbody parading around the pitch to rapturous applause? But, for many, it was the new Kop that took centre stage as returning fans took their shiny new seats and waved their 'Welcome Back To The Kop' cardboard clappers. So Happy Birthday Kop (aka West Stand). Your acoustics sound better than ever. We beat San Marino 4-0 that night. Let’s hope some Oktoberfest fortune rubs off tonight.

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