Foursome shine for NI

Vaudequin accompanied an 18-strong squad of players which included three youngsters from Londonderry and one from Limavady and he believed the four acquitted themselves fantastically well during their week in Toulouse.

The Northern Ireland u-14 development squad beat Salie Du Salat, a sport and study team based in the region, 5-1 in their first game before securing a superb 2-2 draw with the French Elite FA u14 side later in the week.

The Northern Ireland Excellence Programme coach praised Maiden City trio Tiarnan Hargan, Sam McDermott, and Conal Fagan and Limavady youngster Ross McElfatrick for their performances in France, adding that all four could have bright futures if their progression continues.

“Tiarnan Hargan was really solid and he is a great distributor of the ball which is very promising,” said Vaudequin.

“For a goalkeeper of 14 he has good height and great communication skills and at his age there will be plenty more to come from him I’m sure.

“Ross McElfatrick played in both our games and he had a good game in the benchmark tie against the FFF Elite squad. Our second goal in that game came from Ross and it was a very good goal too.

“Sam McDermott was very strong in midfield,” he continued. “I thought he protected the back four extremely well and he had a great tournament over the two games. He did a great job.

“Conal Fagan was injured for the first game but he played in the second half against the French and he did okay considering. He has had a good couple of months recently with us but coming back from injury we couldn’t expect too much from him.”

The Frenchman has been involved with the Irish FA since 2008, first becoming assistant manager to the U17 squad, and he believes that time is a vital ingredient if Northern Ireland are to progress as a footballing nation.

Speaking about the decision to take the boys to France as part of the Excellence Programme, the League of Ireland luminary said: “It was a chance for the players to experience a different way to play instead of the usual when facing the normal opponents such as England, Scotland or Wales.

“The trip was designed basically to prepare the young lads for international football, which is why we chose France and an academy which has helped produce players like Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka, both once top class internationals themselves.

“The objective was for the boys to experience a week with their French counterparts and see how it is done over there – things like the training regime and that – and of course to play a couple of games,” continued the ex-’Stute boss.

“What people don’t understand is the French FA (FFF) has those boys every day. We have our boys once a week in reality. Between September and April we have these lads once a week usually for training; in the space of five weeks they (FFF) do the same amount of sessions as we do from September to April.

“It’s not like we haven’t got the players in Northern Ireland, we have some fantastic players, but you do need the time to work with them.”

Vaudequin was not just waxing lyrical for the sake of it either, as over a third of the squad was approached by scouts from the top clubs in Europe, including Barcelona, during the week.

“I was very impressed with us in the games and I was amazed that after one of the games you had Barcelona scouts there waiting, and they approached four Northern Ireland players,” said the proud coach.

The trip was undoubtedly a great experience for all of the players involved but the Derry quartet’s performances are another timely boost to youth football in the area.

Vaudequin was impressed with the boys during the games but the former Derry City player was even more impressed with the youngsters’ ability to live away from home without any hitches.

It is well documented that scores of players from Northern Ireland travel to England in search of a professional career, but for many the notion of homesickness is a bigger stumbling block than lack of ability.

Vaudequin was happy that he saw no inklings of such from any players during the week and he believes the signs are good for a number of players.

“This is what it’s all about,” he said. “It’s to measure up to our French counterparts and see where we’re at.

“It was a great experience for the boys and for a lot of them it was their first time on a plane, but the experience as a whole will prepare them well.

“They were there for a week; that was very demanding of them in itself when you think about it but they did well.

“Out of the 18 squad members who travelled to France, seven were scouted or approached at least by clubs including Napoli, Toulouse and Barcelona which is quite remarkable.”