Morning View: Northern Ireland fans are daring to dream again

Sixty-five years ago this weekend Northern Ireland defeated the mighty Italy 2-1 in Belfast to qualify for the 1958 World Cup finals.

The smallest nation ever to grace the illustrious competition had knocked out the football superpower that had won two of the five World Cups held prior to the finals in Sweden.

The men in green later that year reached the quarter-finals and Harry Gregg was named goalkeeper of the tournament.

Then, unlike now, all of the Northern Ireland players were plying their trade in the upper echelons of the English or Scottish top divisions.

Jackie Blanchflower was a Manchester United 'Busby Babe' whose career was cut short by the Munich air disaster just three weeks after the victory over Italy. His brother Danny won a league and cup double with Spurs a couple of years later. Bertie Peacock was a Celtic legend, as was Billy Simpson for Rangers.

It would be 1982 before another team capable of qualifying for a World Cup could be assembled.

Michael O'Neill then guided Northern Ireland to a first ever European Championships in 2016 and has returned to the fold after almost three years in charge at Stoke City.

The Northern Ireland footballing landscape he now surveys is very different from the one he left in 2019.

Gone are many of the Premier League quality players who were the heart and soul of the team for so long, including Aaron Hughes and Gareth McAuley. Others are now in the twilight of their careers. Results since 2019 have been poor but some promising young players are coming through as O'Neill prepares for his first Euro 2024 qualifier in March.

We're not Brazil, and it's a big ask to capture those past glories, but maybe… just maybe… a bit of Michael O'Neill magic will have us daring to dream once again.