Green and White Army can help take fight to England

Northern Ireland face Women’s Euro 2022 hosts England at a sold-out St Mary’s tonight — and former captain Gail Redmond knows there will be plenty of Green and White Army fans making themselves heard.

The minnows are playing at their first ever major international tournament this summer and have had plenty of backing in both their Group A games in Southampton.

Following defeats to Norway and Austria, they head into Friday’s final group clash with their hopes of reaching the knockout stages already dashed and are up against one of the tournament’s form teams in the Lionesses.

But given how far the team has come since Redmond skippered them, it is still sure to be another occasion to savour.

The BBC pundit, 43, told LiveScore: "We’re really hoping to paint Southampton green with our support and our Green and White Army fans. 

"We will almost try and treat it like a home game for us and be the 12th man. 

"Any time you face England you know what comes along with it. 

"Not just the quality of the players and the coaches they have but also the entourage of the media so it’s so exciting for our players."

Enjoying the ride

While just reaching this tournament was cause for celebration, the Green and White Army have found things difficult going so far.

After successive defeats against Norway and Austria, manager Kenny Shiels admitted his side are not ready to face Europe’s elite teams.

It is not set to get any easier, with England heading into the clash fresh off a stunning 8-0 win over Norway — the first time a men’s or women’s team have scored eight at a European Championship.

But there have been some positives for Northern Ireland too, with Julie Nelson’s headed consolation against the Norwegians seeing the veteran defender become the country’s first female goalscorer at a major tournament.

And Redmond, who now works as women's development manager at the Irish Football Association, is determined to relish those moments.

She added: "I say this all the time. We really want to enjoy the journey. We know it’s a difficult task.

"We played England recently and it was tough. It was a tough game for us so there’s some realism there. 

"But at the same time, it’s tournament football and we know that momentum can change things throughout and we’ll go and give it our best shot.

"We have a slogan over in Northern Ireland, ‘A new dream’. And to be here among the European elite, it really is a new dream for everyone.

"Players, coaches, fans, the next generation. It’s really exciting."

Wiegman leading the charge

After a narrow 1-0 victory over Austria in their opener, England showed their prowess with a thumping win over one of the pre-tournament favourites on Monday.

It means they are unbeaten in the 16 games under manager Sarina Wiegman and Redmond feels the Dutchwoman is a key factor behind their success so far.

On Wiegman — who will be absent from the dugout due to a positive coronavirus test — Redmond said: "She never gives too much away. You’re watching her on the sidelines and she’s not very animated. You never really know what she’s thinking.

"She keeps everything in house. There was big talk when she didn’t name her captain straight away. She’s calculated, she wanted to wait until she knew the right person was leading her team. 

"I think she’s smart, intelligent and she’s proved she’s a winner as a player and as a coach."

Ones to watch

It may not all be plain sailing for the Lionesses though, with Redmond’s old side causing problems for their opponents in the previous two fixtures.

With plenty of stars who ply their their trade in England and Scotland among the Green and White Army’s ranks, Redmond is hoping they can spring a surprise against the heavyweights.

On the players to watch out for, Redmond replied: "We have a couple of really good young players. On the big stage, I think they’ll really, really perform. 

"Rachel [Furness] is one, Julie Nelson is a stalwart with 120-odd caps.

"So players like that, who have had experience, we’ll have to really draw on that. We have a few good players. Demi Vance has just won the league with Rangers and is another fantastic player.

"We have a couple of good wingers in Kirsty McGuinness and Lauren Wade. Lauren has plenty of experience at Rangers, she was in the last 16 of the Champions League. They’ll be our exciting players."

Follow every game live from Women’s Euro 2022 this summer across TV, radio and online on the BBC.