Bogged Down In Tirana
Wed, Mar 03 2010
A Toyota Land Cruiser would have been a safe bet for Nigel Worthington in a muddy Tirana tonight.
With a pitch resembling a 1970's Hereford v Newcastle match, it was a close call this game would even get the go ahead. The heavy rain stayed away and an admirable number of Green and White Army made the trip to the Albanian capital for what was always going to be a difficult tie.
The team almost picked itself, with Brunt, McAuley, Feeney, Evans, Clingan, Hughes and Baird all out for various reasons and a first start for Andrew Little in defence. However, it didn't take long for the home side to make their mark with an Ervin Skela free kick that beat Maik Taylor in the 26th minute. Northern Ireland were having difficulty getting to grips with the game. Any creativity Northern Ireland attempted was quickly scuppered by a sprightly Albanian side who seemed far more comfortable on the soggy surface.
As the teams approached half time Northern Ireland were struggling to give any account for themselves. Niall McGinn was being closed down at every opportunity while the back four were being kept busy. Nothing much was happening and Nigel Worthington will have been disappointed both with the conditions and the lack of opportunities in the first half. Changes were certain.
The second half saw Corry Evans replace Niall McGinn, having just arrived in Tirana at lunchtime from the 45 minutes he played last night in San Marino for the U-21s. Dean Shiels, whose last appearance was 16 months ago as a sub in a friendly defeat to Hungary, also came on to replace O'Connor. Albania were no great shakes, but Northern Ireland were getting frustrated at their own sloppiness, giving away the ball cheaply and too keen to hoof the ball to a hapless Kyle Lafferty. Rory Patterson came on, hoping to inject some urgency. In the 61st minute Stephen Craigan almost took his first international goal from a Grant McCann corner, only for it to bounce off the top-side of the crossbar. Albania came close to a second seven minutes later, with a Lorik Cana header well saved from Maik Taylor. Northern Ireland were struggling.
Moments later Taylor was replaced by Jonathan Tuffey. The subs were coming on thick and fast for the home side too, with Albania keen to hold on to the advantage. Stephen Craigan again came close in a goalmouth scramble, hitting the upright with Healy unable to convert the rebound. The 77th minute saw a Grant McCann set piece narrowly miss the target, but surely, the noisy GAWA were witnessing one of the most disjointed performances for years.
Unfortunately, it didn't get any better. It was clear the players were frustrated, but this was such a typical away result to a typical side that can take points off us. Worthington will be disappointed, although he may not say as much, and try to draw positives from what was ultimately a crap performance. This is the managers twelfth away match with only one victory to show, seven games without a win and no goals in four.
Final Score: Albania 1 (Skela, 26) Northern Ireland 0
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