Euro 2022: ‘After 450-day wait, it’s game on for Northern Ireland’s game-changers’

While her fitness was the focus, she still had time to remind people of the lovely nature of her individual story, and that of the team’s.

“It is incredible what we have achieved. Some of us have been here since 2004 and back then we actually had to pay to go to tournaments, so it is great that we are getting to experience this,” she reflected.

“The young players, as well, are going to take so much from this.

“I am so proud and so honoured. It is a dream come true for any little girl to lead her country out and be the captain at a major tournament. I still have to pinch myself that it is actually my title, but I absolutely love it. And it has actually helped me grow as a person.”

And, what of the Northern Ireland manager?

A surprise appointment for many back in the summer of 2019, Callaghan admitted back then that she and her team-mates were immediately doing Google searches to get clued up on their new boss. Little did they know.

With son Dean by his side in the dugout, Shiels has done a heroic job, sticking steadfastly to a style of play and fashioning a team bond that must be as strong as any in a tournament in which they are the lowest-ranked side by some distance.

Rarely predictable, Shiels delivered a light-hearted quip when asked on Wednesday if he has had any ‘pinch yourself’ moments in the week building up to the biggest match of his managerial career. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he identified the food in the team hotel as his highlight.

If that smile returns after full-time at St Mary’s on Thursday night, then a whole new sequel to Northern Ireland’s captivating story will have begun.