Sanchez revives magic memories

Impressive record
With an overall record of eleven wins and ten draws from his 32 games in charge, Sanchez has now moved three victories ahead of his nearest rival Bryan Hamilton, who achieved eight wins between 1993 and 1997. Northern Ireland's 2-1 victory against Sweden in a UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier last month racked up 22 competition points for Sanchez, who now needs one more competitive win to overtake Hamilton's total of 24, having so far been at the helm for three games less.

Remarkable revival
Sanchez took over from Sammy McIlroy in January 2004 and with 35 goals scored since he accepted the job, Northern Ireland have found the net more times than under any manager since Bingham, who led the country to FIFA World Cup final tournaments in 1982 and 1986. All this has been achieved despite Sanchez taking over a team on a record run of 13 games without scoring a goal and 14 games without winning a match. David Healy eventually ended the goal drought and he is now the leading scorer in the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers with nine strikes as Northern Ireland stand top of Group F – the first time they have led a qualifying campaign in more than 20 years.

Liechtenstein next
Northern Ireland have every chance of retaining top spot when they take on Liechtenstein next in Belfast on 22 August as Sanchez looks to guide Northern Ireland to their first tournament appearance since 1986. That remains a tall order but there is no doubt that Sanchez has given Northern Ireland's players all the necessary self-belief. Now they must deliver the kind of achievement that their two million compatriots have been craving these past two decades.