N Ireland 1-1 Rep of Ireland, USA 94 World Cup Qualifier - 25 years on...

Started by BennyCake, November 16, 2018, 09:52:14 AM

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BennyCake

So, tomorrow it will be 25 years since that night.

I can't remember much about the match except the two goals, but I do remember the hostile atmosphere. The relief when McLoughlin hit the equaliser, then afterwards the seemingly long wait to see if Spain could hang on v Denmark.

What are your memories of that night?

johnnycool

Quote from: BennyCake on November 16, 2018, 09:52:14 AM
So, tomorrow it will be 25 years since that night.

I can't remember much about the match except the two goals, but I do remember the hostile atmosphere. The relief when McLoughlin hit the equaliser, then afterwards the seemingly long wait to see if Spain could hang on v Denmark.

What are your memories of that night?

Lived on the Lisburn road and remembering it was a pig to get parked on as some hoor had taken my normal spot and I ended up parking near the fire station.

Other than that, not a whole pile.

seafoid

Quote from: BennyCake on November 16, 2018, 09:52:14 AM
So, tomorrow it will be 25 years since that night.

I can't remember much about the match except the two goals, but I do remember the hostile atmosphere. The relief when McLoughlin hit the equaliser, then afterwards the seemingly long wait to see if Spain could hang on v Denmark.

What are your memories of that night?
The tension before the match and the effect it had on the game
there was a strong sense of Schadenfreude coming off the NI side. Billy Bingham was leading it.
They had a sort of dog in the manger attitude.
"f**k it, just score"- Donaghy   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbxG2WwVRjU

AZOffaly

I was in Bunkers in Killorglin. The place was mobbed and went mad when McLoughlin scored. I remember the tension waiting for the Danish game to end. Great night in fairness.


Shamrock Shore

Aye - it was tense alright. But San Mario going 1-0 up on England before our game seemed to ease things somewhat in the pub in town I was in.

(That was the same night, wasn't it?)

Tony Baloney

Did they play in '95 also as I remember there was an atmosphere in halls at uni as some of the OWC supporters were running around with flegs etc. A couple of them got boxed after the match which relieved the tension  :D

BennyCake

Quote from: Tony Baloney on November 16, 2018, 01:19:27 PM
Did they play in '95 also as I remember there was an atmosphere in halls at uni as some of the OWC supporters were running around with flegs etc. A couple of them got boxed after the match which relieved the tension  :D

Aye, they met in late 94 in Belfast, Ireland winning 4-0
Then they drew 1-1 in Dublin in 95

Tony Baloney

Quote from: BennyCake on November 16, 2018, 01:25:16 PM
Quote from: Tony Baloney on November 16, 2018, 01:19:27 PM
Did they play in '95 also as I remember there was an atmosphere in halls at uni as some of the OWC supporters were running around with flegs etc. A couple of them got boxed after the match which relieved the tension  :D

Aye, they met in late 94 in Belfast, Ireland winning 4-0
Then they drew 1-1 in Dublin in 95
Cheers - I just looked it up and it must have been the one in late 94.

shark

Not the same game, but have a distinct memory of the prior Dublin fixture which ROI won 3-0. I was on a family holiday in the US at the time - I guess I was 9. The day before the game I found myself kicking a ball on the beach with some other kids. One of them was from the 6 counties, and I mentioned the upcoming game. He said something along the lines of "yeah hopefully we beat that Northern Ireland shower" - maybe in a less diplomatic way. I, in my ignorance, insisted that NI was his team and he wasn't allowed to support Ireland as he was from a different country. He cried. I told my father afterwards what had happened - he set me straight.

The Gs Man

I was 13, sat at the back of the stand behind the dug-outs, brought to the match by a sales rep who my da knew. I was obviously the only ROI fan in the stand.

I nudged him and smiled at the end of the game when I realised Ireland had qualified.  He told me to keep my mouth shut and say nothing until I got home.

Scary enough.

Keep 'er lit

Mourne Rover

There were supporters of both teams in the Bot in 1993 and the atmosphere was fairly tense. Words were exchanged after the goals, and events could quite easily have gone down hill. It is just as well that, unlike last night, the Republic still had some decent players in those days.

Main Street

As it was a winter's night I could tune in into Radio Eireann 567 MW, from a distance of 1200km along the coast of Norway. The reception literally traveled in on waves, crest and trough, but you could still make out the commentary even at the trough. Once the Republic leveled the game, I thought that was that, I was on cloud nine, I just wasn't fully aware of the drama being played out in Spain. I knew Spain were one up and thought it was as good as  done and dusted there. After the game, I phoned my brother who was still watching the last minutes of the game in Spain on rte,  and it sounded like he had been through squeaky bum time x5, mumbling about Spain down to 10, injury time and Denmark hitting the post.
I'm pretty sure the radio commentary was by Gabriel Egan and Eoin Hand and it sounded as if they were located in the middle of the no surrender, billy bog section. Afair, RTE radio (and me) kept with the story post game, all the way to the plane landing in the early hours at Dublin Airport. The next morning I tuned in from 7.30 am and rte were back on the story, reception faded about 10.00 am. 
I remember seeing a newspaper photo  from Copenhagen of a desolate  Radhus square, of a blank big screen and lingering pockets of Danish supporters, heads down still in shock. I smiled at that.

Dubh driocht

I was there, in the stand opposite the dug outs( the North stand?). To be honest there wasn't a lot of bile where we were. I was with two work colleagues- one fellow RoI supporter ( unfortunately deceased) and one NI supporter. I had another friend who was in the opposite stand and he said it really was a cauldron of hate over there ( he was with the RoI players' families and former players) but apart from a lot of booing of Alan Kernaghan, I didn't hear any sectarian shouting around me. Some did join in with "The Billy Boys" coming from the Kop but to the credit of my NI mate, he told them to shut up.

As for the game, the only real memories are how immense Paul McGrath was- like a senior playing under 14 and classy with it- and two good goals. When McLoughlin scored my RoI mate and I punched each other repeatedly to suppress the pent up roar.

I did feel very uneasy walking out as it was dark, tense and nasty. However, a draw gave them a bit of pride and it would have been ten times worse if we had won. I never needed a pint to calm my nerves as much as that night. Had about 5 of them in an hour.

Marie Jones' play captured the whole thing so well with it's horrible ending in Loughinisland a direct legacy of this game.

brokencrossbar1

I was talking with my daughter about this match and the whole surrounding events at the time. I think it's important for my kids to understand the past,  albeit it from my viewpoint, as a history not understood is a history not learned from. But one thing that has struck me recently. There has been a huge talk around the Shankill Bombing and all that but there's been very little talk about Greysteel which was just as horrific. It makes you think about history and drawing the line a certain way ....