Northern Ireland national under-21 football team records and statistics

This page details Northern Ireland national under-21 football team records and statistics; the most capped players, the players with the most goals, and Northern Ireland under-21's match record by opponent.

Player records

Most capped players
  Players still active are highlighted in green

Caps and goals updated as of 19 November 2019 after the match against  Romania.

# Name Career Caps Goals
1 Liam Donnelly 2012–2018 24 5
2 Sean Friars 1998–2001 21 2
3 Terry McFlynn 2000–2003 19 2
Rory McArdle 2006–2008 19 1
Thomas Stewart 2006–2008 19 4
6 Chris Casement 2007–2009 18 2
Cameron Dummigan 2014–2018 18 0
8 Jeff Whitley 1998–2000 17 1
Ciarán Toner 2000–2003 17 1
Josh Magennis 2009–2012 17 4
11 Richard Graham 1998–2001 15 0
Aaron Callaghan 2006–2008 15 0
David Buchanan 2006–2008 15 2
Trevor Carson 2006–2009 15 0
Craig Cathcart 2006–2009 15 0
Dale Gorman 2015–2018 15 1
17 Brian McGlinchey 1998–1999 14 0
Dave Waterman 1998–1999 14 0
Tony Capaldi 2001–2003 14 0
Gordon Simms 2001–2003 14 0
Robert Garrett 2007–2009 14 0
Carl Winchester 2011–2014 14 0
Ryan Johnson 2015–2018 14 2
David Parkhouse 2017– 14 2
25 Liam Burns 1998–1999 13 0
Shaun Holmes 2000–2001 13 0
Jonny Tuffey 2006–2008 13 0
Conor Brennan 2013–2016 13 0
Paul Smyth 2016–2018 13 1

Players with an equal number of caps are ranked in chronological order of reaching the milestone.

Highest goalscorers

Caps and goals updated as of 19 November 2019 after the match against  Romania.

# Name Career Caps Goals Goals per game
1 Liam Donnelly 2012–2018 24 5 0.21
Shayne Lavery 2016– 12 5 0.42
3 Adrian Coote 1998–1999 12 4 0.33
David Healy 1989–1999 8 4 0.50
Sam Morrow 2005–2006 4 4 1.00
Thomas Stewart 2006–2008 19 4 0.21
Josh Magennis 2009–2012 17 4 0.24
Oliver Norwood 2009–2012 11 4 0.36
9 Gary Hamilton 2000–2001 12 3 0.25
Mo Harkin 2000–2001 3 3 0.33
Grant McCann 2000–2001 11 3 0.27
Lee McEvilly 2002–2003 9 3 0.33
Chris Turner 2006–2008 12 3 0.25
Andrew Little 2008–2010 6 3 0.50
Billy Kee 2009–2011 10 3 0.30

Players with an equal number of goals are ranked in chronological order of reaching the milestone.

Hat-tricks

The result is presented with Northern Ireland's score first.

Player Goals Date Opponent Venue Result Type of Game Ref
Billy Kee 3 10 August 2011  Faroe Islands The Oval, Belfast, Northern Ireland 4–0 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier [1]
More than a hat-trick scored *

Red cards

The result is presented with Northern Ireland's score first.

Player Date Opponent Venue Result Type of Game Ref
Dave Waterman 21 April 1998   Switzerland Mourneview Park, Lurgan, Northern Ireland 2–1 International Friendly [2]
Damien Johnson 2 June 1999  Republic of Ireland Caledonian Stadium, Inverness, Scotland 0–1 1999 Presidents Cup [3]
Paul McAreavey 6 October 2000  Denmark The Oval, Belfast, Northern Ireland 0–3 2002 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier [4]
Wayne Carlisle 10 October 2000  Iceland Kaplakriki, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland 2–5 2002 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier [5]
Hugh Dickson 5 October 2001  Malta National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta 2–2 2002 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier [6]
Paddy McCourt 1 April 2003  Greece The Oval, Belfast, Northern Ireland 2–6 2004 UEFA U-21 Group 6 Qualifier [7]
Kieran McKenna 14 November 2006  Germany Hafenstadion, Torgau, Germany 1–2 International Friendly [8]
Johnny Flynn 11 August 2009  Portugal Estádio Municipal da Guarda, Guarda, Portugal 1–2 International Friendly [9]
James Knowles 10 August 2011  Faroe Islands The Oval, Belfast, Northern Ireland 4–0 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier [10]
Conor McLaughlin 2 September 2011  Serbia Stadion Karađorđe, Novi Sad, Serbia 0–1 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier [11]
Shane Ferguson 10 May 2012  Macedonia Milano Arena, Kumanovo, Macedonia 0–1 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier [12]
Conor McLaughlin 7 September 2012  Macedonia The Oval, Belfast, Northern Ireland 1–3 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier [13]
Liam Donnelly 9 September 2013  Belgium Den Dreef, Leuven, Belgium 0–1 2015 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier [14]
Dale Gorman 5 September 2015  Scotland Mourneview Park, Lurgan, Northern Ireland 1–2 2017 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier [15]
Conor Hazard 14 October 2019  Romania Stadionul Anghel Iordănescu, Voluntari, Romania 0–3 2021 UEFA U-21 Group 8 Qualifier [16]

Individual and Team records

Goal records

Firsts
  • First under-21 international: 8 March 1978 vs  Republic of Ireland
  • First home under-21 international: 3 April 1990 vs  Israel
  • First win: 3 April 1990 vs  Israel
  • First overseas opponent:  Israel, 3 April 1990
  • First win over an overseas opponent: 3 April 1990 vs  Israel

Streaks
  • Most consecutive victories: 6
    • 6 February 2006 – 16 May 2016
    • 6 September 2018 – 25 March 2019
  • Most consecutive matches without defeat: 11
    • 9 September 2003 – 16 May 2006
  • Most consecutive draws: 3
    • 29 May 2000 – 1 September 2000
  • Most consecutive matches without a draw: 25
    • 6 February 2006 – 18 November 2008
  • Most consecutive matches without victory: 14
    • 2 September 2011 – 14 November 2013
  • Most consecutive defeats: 14
    • 2 September 2011 – 14 November 2013
  • Most consecutive matches scoring: 8
    • 8 February 2005 – 16 May 2006
  • Most consecutive matches without scoring: 4
    • 2 September 2011 – 10 May 2012
  • Most consecutive matches conceding a goal: 29
    • 2 June 1999 – 9 September 2003
  • Most consecutive matches without conceding a goal: 3
    • 6 February 2006 – 28 February 2006
    • 11 October 2018 – 22 March 2019

Biggest wins
Best Results by Northern Ireland under-21's
Date Opponent Round Result Difference
1 16 November 2007  Luxembourg 2009 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier 5–0 +5
2 10 May 2006  Liechtenstein 2007 UEFA U-21 Qualification preliminary round 4–0 +4
3 September 2010  San Marino 2011 UEFA U-21 Group 5 Qualifier 4–0
10 August 2011  Faroe Islands 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier 4–0
3 10 October 2000  Iceland 2002 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier 5–2 +3
12 April 2006  Liechtenstein 2007 UEFA U-21 Qualification preliminary round 4–1
20 November 2007  Moldova 2009 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier 3–0
2 March 2010  San Marino 2011 UEFA U-21 Group 5 Qualifier 3–0

Heaviest defeats
Worst Results by Northern Ireland under-21's
Date Opponent Round Result Difference
1 1 April 2003  Greece 2004 UEFA U-21 Group 6 Qualifier 2–6 -4
8 September 2009  Iceland 2011 UEFA U-21 Group 5 Qualifier 2–6
5 June 2001  Czech Republic 2002 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier 0–4
6 February 2007  Wales International Friendly 0–4
24 May 2007  Scotland International Friendly 0–4
6 10 June 2003  Spain 2004 UEFA U-21 Group 6 Qualifier 1–4 -3
20 August 2008  Ukraine Valeriy Lobanovskyi Memorial Tournament 1–4
14 August 2013  Denmark International Friendly 1–4
9 September 2014  Serbia 2015 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier 1–4
6 October 2000  Denmark 2002 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier 0–3
16 August 2006  Romania 2007 UEFA U-21 Group 10 Qualifier 0–3
7 September 2007  Germany 2009 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier 0–3
5 September 2008  Germany 2009 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier 0–3
7 September 2010  Germany 2011 UEFA U-21 Group 5 Qualifier 0–3
6 September 2011  Denmark 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier 0–3
10 September 2012  Denmark 2013 UEFA U-21 Group 4 Qualifier 0–3
31 May 2013  Cyprus 2015 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier 0–3
14 November 2013  Italy 2015 UEFA U-21 Group 9 Qualifier 0–3
11 October 2016  France 2017 UEFA U-21 Group 3 Qualifier 0–3
14 October 2019  Romania 2021 UEFA U-21 Group 8 Qualifier 0–3

Performance

Performance by competition

Last updated after the match against  Romania on 19 November 2019.

Competition Pld W D L GF GA GD Win % Draw % Loss %
UEFA European Under-21 Championship8720165189147-5822.99%18.39%58.62%
International Friendlies34157124047-744.12%20.59%35.29%
Minor Tournaments8143711-412.50%50.00%37.50%
Total 129 36 27 66 136 205 -69 27.91% 20.93% 51.16%

Performance by manager
  Current manager highlighted in green

Last updated after the match against  Romania on 19 November 2019.

Manager First Game Last Game Pld W D L GF GA GD Win % Draw % Loss %
Danny Blanchflower 8 March 1978 vs. 8 March 1978 vs. 10101100.00%100.00%0.00%
Billy Bingham 3 April 1990 vs. 3 April 1990 vs. 110021+1100.00%0.00%0.00%
Bryan Hamilton 22 March 1994 vs. 22 March 1994 vs. 10100000.00%100.00%0.00%
Roy Millar 21 April 1998 vs. 21 April 1998 vs. 110021+1100.00%0.00%0.00%
Chris Nicholl 20 May 1998 vs. 8 October 1999 vs. 133551113–223.08%38.46%38.46%
Roy Millar 28 March 2000 vs. 26 March 2008 vs. 48179226280–1835.42%18.75%45.83%
Steve Beaglehole 19 August 2008 vs. 15 November 2011 vs. 2143142339–1619.05%14.29%66.67%
Steve Robinson 10 May 2012 vs. 15 October 2013 vs. 100010524–190.00%0.00%100.00%
Jim Magilton 14 November 2013 vs. 11 October 2016 vs. 141211827–197.14%14.29%78.57%
Ian Baraclough 8 June 2017 vs. – 199642219+347.37%31.58%21.05%
Total 129 36 27 66 136 205 -69 27.91% 20.93% 51.16%

Performance by venue

Last updated after the match against  Romania on 19 November 2019.

Venue Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Win % Draw % Loss %
Home6018152780101-2130.00%25.00%45.00%
Away6416113752100-4825.00%17.19%57.81%
Neutral521244040.00%20.00%40.00%
Total 129 36 27 66 136 205 -69 27.91% 20.93% 51.16%

Performance by decade
  Still active decade highlighted in green

Last updated after the match against  Romania on 19 November 2019.

Decade Pld W D L GF GA GD Win % Draw % Loss %
1970s10101100.00%100.00%0.00%
1990s165651515031.25%37.50%31.25%
2000s5918113073105-3230.51%18.64%50.85%
2010s53139314784-3724.53%16.98%58.49%
Total 129 36 27 66 136 205 -69 27.91% 20.93% 51.16%

All-time records

Head to head records

Last updated after match against  Romania on 19 November 2019.

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Opponent Confederation Pld W D L GF GA GD Win % Draw % Loss %
 AlbaniaUEFA211021+150.00%50.00%0.00%
 ArmeniaUEFA210133050.00%0.00%50.00%
 BelgiumUEFA200202-20.00%0.00%100.00%
 BulgariaUEFA311123-133.33%33.33%33.33%
 CyprusUEFA210113-250.00%0.00%50.00%
 Czech RepublicUEFA4004110-90.00%0.00%100.00%
 DenmarkUEFA6006217-150.00%0.00%100.00%
 EnglandUEFA100102-20.00%0.00%100.00%
 EstoniaUEFA220063+3100.00%0.00%0.00%
 Faroe IslandsUEFA211040+450.00%50.00%0.00%
 FinlandUEFA522186+240.00%20.00%20.00%
 FranceUEFA310235-233.33%0.00%66.67%
 GermanyUEFA9117517-1211.11%11.11%77.78%
 GreeceUEFA210136-350.00%0.00%50.00%
 HungaryUEFA201134-10.00%50.00%50.00%
 IcelandUEFA82241115-425.00%25.00%50.00%
 IsraelUEFA530266060.00%0.00%40.00%
 ItalyUEFA200205-50.00%0.00%100.00%
 LiechtensteinUEFA220081+7100.00%0.00%0.00%
 LuxembourgUEFA330081+7100.00%0.00%0.00%
 MaltaUEFA413054+125.00%75.00%0.00%
 MexicoCONCACAF110021+1100.00%0.00%0.00%
 MoldovaUEFA422051+450.00%50.00%0.00%
 North MacedoniaUEFA400428-60.00%0.00%100.00%
 PolandUEFA100101-10.00%0.00%100.00%
 PortugalUEFA100112-10.00%0.00%100.00%
 Republic of IrelandUEFA412144025.00%50.00%25.00%
 RomaniaUEFA6024111-100.00%33.33%66.67%
 San MarinoUEFA220070+7100.00%0.00%0.00%
 ScotlandUEFA113441318-527.27%36.36%36.36%
 SerbiaUEFA4004210-80.00%0.00%100.00%
 SlovakiaUEFA210111050.00%0.00%50.00%
 SpainUEFA4103611-525.00%0.00%75.00%
  SwitzerlandUEFA211021+150.00%50.00%0.00%
 TurkeyUEFA200214-30.00%0.00%100.00%
 UkraineUEFA6033510-50.00%50.00%50.00%
 WalesUEFA411238-525.00%25.00%50.00%
Total 129 36 27 66 136 205 -69 27.91% 20.93% 51.16%

UEFA under-21 teams yet to play against Northern Ireland

Last updated after match against  Romania on 19 November 2019.

UEFA Members
 Andorra
 Austria
 Azerbaijan
 Belarus
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Croatia
 Georgia
 Gibraltar
 Kazakhstan
 Kosovo
 Latvia
 Lithuania
 Montenegro
 Netherlands
 Norway
 Russia
 Slovenia
 Sweden

Competitive record

     Champions      Runners-up      Third Place      Fourth Place

UEFA European Under-21 Championship Record
UEFA Under-21 Football Championship finals record Qualification record Manager(s)
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
1978 Did not enter Did not enter None
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000 Did not qualify 8 1 3 4 5 9 Chris Nicholl
2002 10 2 2 6 12 21 Roy Millar
2004 8 2 1 5 8 16
2006 Did not enter Did not enter None
2007 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 2 6 Roy Millar
2009 8 4 0 4 13 12 Roy Millar, Steve Beaglehole[note 1]
2011 8 2 1 5 12 16 Steve Beaglehole
2013 8 1 1 6 5 13 Steve Beaglehole, Stephen Robinson[note 2]
2015 8 1 0 7 3 17 Stephen Robinson, Jim Magilton[note 3]
2017 10 0 2 8 6 18 Jim Magilton
2019 10 6 2 2 15 11 Ian Baraclough
2021 To be determined 5 0 3 2 2 6 Ian Baraclough
Total - 0/22 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 85 19 15 51 83 145 -

Minor tournaments
Year Round Pos Pld W D L GF GA GD
1998 Presidents CupWinners, group stage1st211021+1
1999 Presidents CupGroup stage3rd201112-1
2000 International Challenge TournamentGroup stage2nd2020330
2008 Valeriy Lobanovskyi Memorial TournamentGroup stage4th200215-4
Total 8 1 4 3 7 11 -4

Honours

Titles
  • Presidents Cup
    • Winners (1): 1998

Notes
    1. Roy Millar managed for the first seven qualifying matches. Steve Beaglehole managed the last game of the qualification campaign.
    2. Steve Beaglehole managed for the first five qualifying matches. Stephen Robinson managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.
    3. Stephen Robinson managed for the first four qualifying matches. Jim Magilton managed the remainder of the qualification campaign.

    References
    1. "Under-21 2013 - History - Northern Ireland-Faroe Islands".
    2. "Northern Ireland v Switzerland, 21 April 1998 - 11v11 match report".
    3. "Northern Ireland u21 Lineups".
    4. "Under-21 2002 - History - Northern Ireland-Denmark – UEFA.com".
    5. "Under-21 2002 - History - Iceland-Northern Ireland – UEFA.com".
    6. "Under-21 2002 - History - Malta-Northern Ireland – UEFA.com".
    7. "Under-21 2004 - History - Northern Ireland-Greece – UEFA.com".
    8. "BBC SPORT - Germany U21 2-1 N Ireland U21".
    9. "Northern Ireland u21 Lineups".
    10. "Under-21 2013 - History - Northern Ireland-Faroe Islands – UEFA.com".
    11. "Under-21 2013 - History - Serbia-Northern Ireland – UEFA.com".
    12. "Under-21 2013 - History - FYR Macedonia-Northern Ireland – UEFA.com".
    13. "Under-21 2013 - History - Northern Ireland-FYR Macedonia – UEFA.com".
    14. "Under-21 2015 - History - Belgium-Northern Ireland – UEFA.com".
    15. "Under-21 2017 - History - Northern Ireland-Scotland – UEFA.com".
    16. "Romania-Northern Ireland - Under-21 - UEFA.com".
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