Heavy defeats, taking risks and hiring his son – how Shiels has moulded NI’s history makers

If getting on the front foot and attacking teams with possession-based football was Shiels’ plan, then it came to the fore in the final two qualifier victories, at home to Belarus and the Faroe Islands, which they needed to win to be sure of reaching the play-offs.

Set up in a fluid 3-5-2 formation, the back three were key to the team building attacks from deep, with long-serving stalwart Julie Nelson in particular dominant on the ball and continually looking to hurt the opposition with clever forward passes.

Captain Marissa Callaghan anchored the midfield superbly, allowing the dynamic duo of Chloe McCarron and Nadene Caldwell alongside her to interchange superbly between dropping deep to get on the ball and making forward runs.

One of the side’s biggest strengths was their threat posed from either flank, with the pace and industry of Lauren Wade on the right complemented well by the guile, technique and goalscoring ability on the left of Kirsty McGuinness, who scored in three of the last four qualifiers after returning to the international fold in September.

With Everton’s Simone Magill – the squad’s only Women’s Super League representative – unavailable through injury for both matches, Liverpool’s Rachel Furness took up the attacking mantle from a number 10 position, scoring three goals in the two games and enjoying the licence to roam that it looked like she was given by Shiels.