MX23RW : Tuesday, November 26 04:19:43| >> :120:67855:67855:

Steven Davis praises Northern Ireland "squad effort"

Southampton midfielder Steven Davis praises the "squad effort" of Northern Ireland after the side qualified for Euro 2016.

Steven Davis has praised the "squad effort" of Northern Ireland after they qualified for Euro 2016 during the international break.

The Southampton midfielder, who captains his country, scored twice in the 3-1 win over Greece to help his side book their spot in next summer's tournament with a qualifier to spare.

The 30-year-old told his club's website: "It really has been a squad effort. Everybody has played their part in the campaign and all the staff deserves recognition for it as well.

"To lead your team out and put on the type of performance that we did, personally for me as well, was a very, very proud moment. It's not always been easy going away and playing for Northern Ireland because we're underdogs and a smaller nation. It's difficult to get consistency with results that we'd like, but there have been some memorable nights, and this campaign surpassed many previous sides of the country.

"You only have to look back at the last time we qualified for a major tournament to see how big an achievement this is, but it is a bit strange sitting here instead of dreaming about going to France, we're actually going to be there."

Southampton face Leicester City in the Premier League this weekend.

ID:252639: cacheID:252639:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2324:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Steve Davis of Northern Ireland celebrates after scoring his side's third goal against Greece during the UEFA EURO 2016 qualifier between Northern Ireland and Greece at Windsor Park on October 8, 2015 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Read Next:
Four home nations players in UEFA 2016 All-Star team
>
Read more about Steven Davis Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Fulham125341717018
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle125341313018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!