Michael O’Neill described Terry Devlin as a manager’s dream after his first international goal kept Northern Ireland top of their Nations League group with a 1-0 win over Ukraine ahead of a promotion decider away to Hungary on Tuesday.
Devlin’s 68th-minute strike from outside the box left goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin flat-footed, giving Northern Ireland a win that ensures they will at least finish in the top two, with the back-up of a promotion play-off if they lose in Budapest.
Devlin, who played for Dungannon and Glentoran before joining Portsmouth in 2023, has been in the goals for Pompey this season, their top-scorer so far with four, and was able to translate that to the international stage at the ideal time.
“Terry’s a great lad,” O’Neill said of the 23-year-old as he earned his eighth cap. “He deserves everything he’ll get from the game. He’s one of those lads that maximises what he has.
“He was a midfield player when he was here in the Irish League. Portsmouth see him in a different role (right-back) and he’s taken that role and he’s adapted to it.
“I asked him in Slovakia (where) we needed him to play off the left. He does it with no fuss. He tries to do it to the best of his ability. He’s a bit of a dream for a manager.
“And he has the ability to contribute goals. We’ve seen that for Portsmouth already. He’s a very valuable player for them, I think he’s in the process of signing a new contract there and there’s a lot of teams in the Championship I imagine will be disappointed by that.”
The win means Northern Ireland will go to Budapest knowing a draw will be enough to secure promotion to League A, and with a place in pot two for the Euro 2028 qualifying draw already theirs.
It is rapid progression for a young side who two years ago were playing in League C, but who have now won eight of their last 12 games at Windsor Park, with Germany the only team to beat them during that run.
It was not all good news on the night, however, with both O’Neill and Jamie Donley facing bans for the Hungary showdown after being booked.
O’Neill was shown a yellow card by referee Francois Letexier late on as he appealed for a free-kick.
“I thought there was a clear foul on Ciaron Brown that wasn’t given,” the manager said. “The referee doesn’t like my reaction. There’s not much I can do about that.
“I would assume that I’m going to have to watch the game in Budapest from the stands but I’ll be able to influence it from there, I’m sure.”
Donley was booked for his reaction after Letexier failed to stop the match when Trai Hume suffered a clear cut to the head, with O’Neill describing it as a “poor” decision from the French official.
Share