Proud Coach Wylie (Alfie Wylie interview)

Northern Ireland’s manager calls the Under-19 Euros an unbelievable learning experience in front of record crowds, and is proud of a team that had the youngest squad in the tournament and came away with a first ever goal and a first ever point. Asked why he became emotional in a post-match interview after the Scotland game, he says he dropped his guard because he could see what it meant to every player, and because the squad – led by seventeen-year-old scorer Louise McDaniel – ran to him afterwards, which reflected the bond they had built. He believes the ten months of physical, technical and mental development give Northern Ireland a blueprint, and names the players from Spain, France and the Netherlands he expects to see again in Brittany.